IUSS Alert - 22 (February 2007)
Information for and from the global soil science community
Global workshop high resolution digital soil sensing & mapping
5 - 8 February 2008, Sydney - Australia
This workshop will bring together those developing and using proximal sensors and digital soil maps for Precision Agriculture, Soil Contamination and other applications, where there is a particular need for high spatial resolution (10 m or less) information. The workshop will be held under the auspices of the IUSS Working Group on Digital Soil Mapping, and organized by the Australian Centre for Precision Agriculture, University of Sydney and CSIRO Land & Water.
We are asking for 400-word abstracts (limited to one per presenting author) which should be contributed by 29 June 2007. We are looking for submissions under the following Broad Topics:
1. Proximal soil sensor development
2. Applications of proximal soil sensing techniques
3. Proximal soil sensor calibrations
4. Soil inference systems
5. Signal processing
6. Prediction methods for large data sets
7. Digital mapping and presentation
For more information contact
UNESCO and SCOPE Policy Briefs
UNESCO and SCOPE have recently developed a new series of policy briefs that focus on emerging and critical environmental issues. The briefs are based on the contributions of international experts at multidisciplinary workshops and are designed to review current knowledge, highlight trends and controversies, and open perspectives for policy planners, decision makers and stakeholders in the community. The three briefs published to date can be downloaded from the SCOPE website http://www.icsu-scope.org UNESCO-SCOPE Policy Briefs Series.
Copies can also be ordered from the Secretariat (see website).
1. Indicators of Sustainability, Reliable Tools for Decision Making
2. The Global Carbon Cycle
3. How to improve the dialogue between science and society; the case of global environmental change
Additional policy briefs scheduled for publication in 2007 including biodiversity in soils and sediments and the nitrogen cycle.
Land Degradation Assessment in Dryland Areas (LADA Project)
The project aims to assess causes, status and impact of land degradation in drylands and to explore the means for reversing and mitigating these trends. It is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The project has established a web-based LADA Virtual Centre: http://lada.virtualcentre.org
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