The Australian National Soil Information System (ANSIS) provides access to nationally consistent soil data and information to support the sustainable management of one of our nation’s most precious assets.
ANSIS was initially a 2 year $15 million initiative from the 2021-2022 Budget under the National Soil Strategy. In the 2023-24 Budget, under the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), a further $6 million over 5 years was invested as part of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program (CSAP).
ANSIS was designed to support the implementation of the National Soil Strategy. It aligns to Goal 3 of the strategy, to ‘strengthen soil knowledge and capability’. More specifically, it aligns to Objectives 3a: ‘Increase soil knowledge for better decisions’ and 3c: ‘Make Australian soil information and data available’. ANSIS will also help address Priority 1 of the National Soil Action Plan. This priority refers to the development of an ‘agreed national framework to support the measurement, monitoring, mapping, reporting and sharing of soil state and trend information, to inform best practice management, decision making and future investment in soil’.
ANSIS is a collaborative partnership between DAFF and CSIRO with jurisdictional governments, research, industry, community and private sector organisations. Further information can be found on the Australian National Soil Information System website.
ANSIS will complement CSAP’s $21.6 million investment into the National Soil Monitoring Program by providing a public platform for soil data, and support Natural Resource Management, Landcare organisations, farmers and other stakeholders to make evidence-based decisions on soil health at a range of scales.