Proposals for joint ESBN / JRC /EEA work programme Jaume Fons-Esteve European Topic Centre on Terrestrial Environment ESBN Plenary meeting Ispra, November 2004

Background Emerging soil protection policies need timely and reliable soil information. Inadequate infrastructure for soil information delivery: –No reporting obligations on soil –Information owned by different institutions –Need to justify what is required at European level (TWG Monitoring) –Stronger coordination/integration of existing networks (ESBN, EIONET) –Better specification in FP7 programme

Existing networks EIONET –Nominated by countries –Capacity building in member states –Reporting obligations –Broad range of environmental issues ESBN –Network of centres of excellence –Providers of soil data & know-how

What is needed? More pro-active action Combine capacities Define a route map –Objectives: information requirements –Implementation: steps to Digital Soil Function Mapping Joint meeting ESBN & EEA Barcelona, 15 September 2004

Work plan for 2005 Action plan for soil information (EEA) –Rationale –Basic reference data sets –Information Services Output. Report covering: –Information requirement specification –Action plan for completion of technical options for monitoring –Organisational settings for monitoring

Work plan for 2005 Digital soil function mapping (JRC) –Technical review Current state of the art Scope of future needs Technical feasibility –Capability development Protocol and processes Data assembly System construction Outcome. Report: –Specification for system design –Requirements for DFM infrastructure

Work plan for 2005 Enhancing business as usual –Improving soil data availability and quality –Upgrading EUSIS –Moving to open access

Next steps Tasks included in the EEA Technical Annex 2005 Provision of budget Definition of concrete activities and schedule for 2005