We have recently launched an interactive document reader service for some of our key, popular download documents relating to LandIS and the datasets within. We hope this will make it easier to browse through the information contained.

It's important for us to keep in touch with users of the popular LandIS Soilscapes Viewer service, and the requirements user have of this service as we commence a process of redeveloping the offering. We have therefore launched a new User Survey for LandIS to enable us to gain an overview of the ways the data and services are used. Please take a moment to complete the survey.

Visit the National Soil Resources Institute (NSRI)'s newly updated and extensively restructured institutional website to find out more. The data and services provided by LandIS derive from and are used in all areas of NSRI's research, particularly in Soil Spatial Informatics but also Spatial Geosciences, Soil Systems and Soil and Land Management. The new website also has sections describing NSRI's general capabilities as well as our world-leading soil science facilities.

As the summer of 2011 looms, it seems that following drought conditions this could be a bad year for house subsidence. But how does wetting and drying affect soils - especially clay? have a look at our short explanatory video made by Cranfield Soil Scientists explaining how clay swelling occurs. The most common cause of subsidence in the UK results from the drying and subsequent shrinkage of such clay soils. Cranfield works with leading insurance companies to help them understand the areas of the UK which are most vulnerable to subsidence, flooding and other natural perils, and markets the Natural Perils Directory (NPD).

Cranfield University offer a well-respected MSc in Geographical Information Management (GIM) which can be taken full or part-time and which is designed very much with the practical environmental application of GIS technologies in mind. The course is taught by staff including the CatchIS development team.

The MSc is considered suitable for graduates wishing to specialise in or develop knowledge in the practical application of the geographical information technologies of remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), spatial data management and the global positioning system (GPS). The part-time option will allow practitioners to enhance their professional development within their current employment.

The Cranfield MSc programme commences in September. Typically the part-time programme is offered on a two-year basis on a "module on, module off" basis throughout. Each of the eight course modules lasts a fortnight, with opportunities for supporting home working.

For information on the MSc Geographical Information Management:
http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/students/courses/page1503.jsp

For information for prospective students:
http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/students/index.jsp

For information on tuition fees:
http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/students/funding/tuition_fees.pdf

Please contact us for further details.

Former Soil Survey of England and Wales colleague Richard Hartnup has announced the recent publication of his excellent book "Gold Under Bracken - the Land of Wales" which has recently been published by Y Lolfa Press. Richard notes how this was written for a general readership, describing the scenery and landscapes of Wales in terms of the various soil types to be found, with lavish illustrations! The book is available from Amazon or any good bookshop.

The Soils Site Reporter represents a popular, free service used by a range of persons. We are about to commence a programme to overhaul and improve the offerings provided through the reporter. We invite you to assist us in this process by letting us
have some feedback on your thoughts of the service and what you would like to see in the future.

With the INSPIRE journey now well advanced towards a standards-compliant world for geospatial data across Europe, a new metadata service has been launched for users of the LandIS data holdings. Founded on the open source tool GeoNetwork, the new service offers users a chance to better interact with our data holdings, and for distributed searches to now integrate LandIS soil data offerings.

We are launching the first of what we hope will become many short video clips explaining about the datasets in LandIS and how they can be best used. As an alternative to reading texts, video makes for an immediate means to communicate the important messages inherent in the LandIS data holdings. Over the coming months, we hope to add a series of further short, 3 minute video clips covering a broad range of the holdings and applications for LandIS. Let us know what you think!

In a fitting tribute to Professor Peter Bullock (1937-2008), a former Director of the Soil Survey of England and Wales and its successors in Cranfield University, SSLRC and now NSRI, Cranfield have named one of the key buildings on the Cranfield campus as 'The Bullock Building'. The building was kindly launched by Professor David Kell of BBSRC in a ceremony that brought together a wide range of friends and colleagues - many who have also had associations with Peter and his work. The Bullock Building at Cranfield is the home of the Natural Resources Department in Cranfield within which is the National Soil Resources Institute (NSRI). The building also forms the 'hub' of Cranfield's soil activities, being also the home of the Integrated Environmental Systems Institute (IESSI), The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS), The Institute of Agri-Engineers (IAGRE) and the River Restoration Centre (RRC). Other photographs of this event are available here

A new service is launched by the LandIS team called Treefit. Treefit is a database service that can match some 60 tree species to areas having their optimum growing conditions across England and Wales. The system draws on the unique databases of soil, climate and landuse in Cranfield's Land Information System to determine the tree suitability for nominated regions, as well as potential timber yield classes. Assessments are made which can provide recommended management regimes, and suitability for such factors as biomass, fencing, floristry, game covert and timber. Treefit is aimed at applications including: preparation for planting grant applications; land restoration planning; community forest action planning; carbon offsetting studies; and regional land use and ecosystem services policy planning.

The CatchIS team are to hold the first CatchIS User Group conference to allow the community of CatchIS users to share experiences and help to guide the future development of the tool. CatchIS provides a powerful suite of tools and models to assist in the strategic and operational management of water resources at the catchment scale, and to provide an informed and rational response to the Water Framework Directive and to the development of Water Safetey Plans. Further information on this conference is available : catchis@cranfield.ac.uk.

The National Soil Archive and Publication store have now been moved from their old location at the Silsoe campus to a new home on Cranfield Campus.

The publications store of books and maps is now located within easy access of the publications officer allowing a more efficient turn around on book sales. In the moving process the materials have also been organised and catalogued more efficiently.

The National Soil Archive holds not only a large collection of physical soil samples but also soil data, maps and information collected over many years. Materials include:

• Over 150,000 Auger bore records;
• Over 10,000 full soil profile descriptions (only a fraction of which have been captured electronically);
• 1:10,000 scale field sheets covering almost the whole of England and Wales;
• a large collection of published papers relating to soil;
• a large collection of aerial photographs;
• a substantial collection of satellite imagery (currently being transferred from the original Magnetic tape storage media);
• an old, valuable collection of soil micro-morphology slides;
• the historical documents of the original Soil Survey of England and Wales;
• The WOSSAC map and document collection;

If any of these sound interesting to you and you would like to inquire about access to the material please contact nsridata@cranfield.ac.uk

NSRI's Professor Mark Kibblewhite outlines how agriculture is the industry of the future.

The LandIS team present a new look for the project website. A more contemporary, standards-compliant format improves the experience users will have and hopefully make it now easier to learn more about LandIS and its capabilities.

The LandIS team joined the ESRI Business Associate scheme. ESRI are the supplier of the leading, industry-standard GIS system that systems derived from LandIS, such as the CatchIS software system are built around. Being an ESRI Business Associate allows the CatchIS team to offer a wide range of GIS software and services alongside the CatchIS tool, allowing for a greater service to CatchIS users.