The National Soil Archive and Scottish Soils Database (Underpinning National Capacity) include georeferenced samples and data from systematic National Soil Inventory surveys (NSIS 1978-87, NSIS2 2007-9). Within the current SRP, advanced statistical and machine learning approaches are being applied to complex multivariate NSIS2 datasets of chemical, physical and biological characteristics (e.g., infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, phospholipid profiles). This is being used to identify metrics of soil status; and improve understanding of the context-specificity of soil functions and their sensitivity to change.