Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) and soil landscape modeling research and applications have become a key focus in soil science departments and soil survey programs around the world. To that end, several regional and international working groups have formed in DSM and related areas (e.g., Pedometrics). Early in 2007, a DSM Working Group for the US was formed as an outcome of a National Cooperative Soil Survey meeting on DSM applications and a subsequent research meeting. Goals of this group include: fostering collaborative research; facilitating the application of DSM to meet current and future soil survey needs; conducting annual meetings; promoting the development and use of DSM products; developing a discussion web site; developing curricula and professional training to create a DSM soil science work force; exchanging standardized datasets; and modeling methods with the DSM Working Group of the International Union of Soil Sciences.

Future activities of this group include a symposium (oral and poster sessions) and half-day pre-conference workshops on basic terrain analysis and image analysis at the 2008 Soil Science Society of America Meeting in Houston, Texas. In addition, this group will help develop a coordinated research agenda and identify potential collaborative research topics. It will also coordinate information exchange on results of applied DSM and provide a forum for field DSM practitioners. Business meetings will be held at this and future SSSA and NCSS meetings to address organizational issues.

Membership is open to any individual with an interest in DSM. More information about the DSM working group and how you can get involved can be found soon at our new website (contact amanda.moore@wv.usda.gov for details).