An ad hoc planning committee appointed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a workshop to examine how soil resources nationally might be dynamically and accurately monitored toward the mutually supporting goals of a) achieving a better understanding of causal influences on observed changes in soil and interactions of soil cycling of nutrients and gases with earth processes, and b) providing accessible, useful, and actionable information to land managers and others. To explore the requirements of a dynamic soil monitoring and reporting system, workshop discussions will be organized around several topics, including:

• defining appropriate, measurable indicators of chemical, physical, and biological soil properties;
• available technologies and methods for timely and cost-effective soil data collection;
• conceptual and practical considerations for soil data storage and data curation; and
• tools to deliver information at different scales of resolution to meet the needs of a diversity of land managers, from producers to state and federal scientists and policymakers.

The high-level focus of the workshop reflects several of the science and technology priorities identified in the 2016 Framework for a Federal Strategic Plan for Soil Science and addresses information gaps noted by the 2015 FAO Status of the World Soils report with respect to information about changes in soil resources and characteristics over time in North America (and particularly in the United States). International participation in the workshop will be sought to bring a perspective on the potential to integrate soil information globally.

A proceedings of the presentations and discussions at the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.