The sum of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (ammonia, organic and reduced nitrogen) and nitrate-nitrite (g/kg). WoSIS_latest is a 'dynamic dataset' that contains the most recent complement of quality-assessed and standardised soil data served from WoSIS (ISRIC World Soil Information Service). The source data were shared by a wide range of data providers (see: https://www.isric.org/explore/wosis/wosis-contributing-institutions-and-experts). Being dynamic, the contents of 'wosis_latest' will change once new point data are acquired, cleansed and standardised, additional soil properties are considered, and/or when possible amendments are required. Static snapshots of 'wosis_latest' are released at irregular intervals for consistent citation purposes and to discuss methodological changes; the last snapshot is available at https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4735-2024. For general information about WoSIS please see the FAQ-page at https://www.isric.org/explore/wosis/faq-wosis.

Version 3.1 of the ISRIC-WISE database (WISE3) was compiled from a wide range of soil profile data collected by many soil professionals worldwide. All profiles have been harmonized with respect to the original Legend (1974) and Revised Legend (1988) of FAO-Unesco. Thereby, the primary soil data ─ and any secondary data derived from them ─ can be linked using GIS to the spatial units of the digitized Soil Map of the World as well as more recent digital Soil and Terrain (SOTER) databases through the soil legend code. WISE3 holds selected attribute data for some 10,250 soil profiles, with some 47,800 horizons, from 149 countries. Individual profiles have been sampled, described, and analyzed according to methods and standards in use in the originating countries. There is no uniform set of properties for which all profiles have analytical data, generally because only selected measurements were planned during the original surveys. Methods used for laboratory determinations of specific soil properties vary between laboratories and over time; sometimes, results for the same property cannot be compared directly. WISE3 will inevitably include gaps, being a compilation of legacy soil data derived from traditional soil survey, which can be of a taxonomic, geographic, and soil analytical nature. As a result, the amount of data available for modelling is sometimes much less than expected. Adroit use of the data, however, will permit a wide range of agricultural and environmental applications at a global and continental scale (1:500 000 and broader). Preferred citation: Batjes NH 2009. Harmonized soil profile data for applications at global and continental scales: updates to the WISE database. Soil Use and Management 5:124–127, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00202.x