The need to maintain the health of the soil resource base as an imperative for sustainable development is increasingly being recognized. Science and technological developments in remote sensing are providing new opportunities for low cost and efficient applications for characterizing and monitoring the health of the soil resource base. We are pleased to introduce this spectral library of world soils, which will provide a valuable resource for research and applications for sensing soil quality both in the laboratory and from space.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa Award US$18 Million to International Center for Tropical Agriculture