Roadmap

The roadmap describes sequence, not dates or guarantees.

Completed foundation

• Research and architecture review
• API/docs domains, DNS, HTTPS, and independent releases
• Typed API foundation and generated OpenAPI
• Provider and property registries
• Canonical observation/provenance model
• First functional USDA SDA/SSURGO adapter
• Raw/normalized separation, cache metadata, rate limits, and tests
• Markdown documentation, source catalog, and developer examples

Next: observed laboratory data

Research and implement NCSS Lab Data Mart access with method-rich pedon/horizon observations. Confirm terms, coordinate behavior, record keys, pagination, detection-limit representation, and fixture licensing before deployment.

Then

1. Official Soil Series Descriptions and classification context
2. SCAN station catalog and soil moisture/temperature time series
3. USGS geochemical samples, keeping soil/sediment/rock media distinct
4. Canonical vocabulary review with domain contributors
5. gNATSGO/SOLUS and dependable SoilGrids raster ingestion
6. Multi-provider location comparison with compatibility gates
7. Bounded area and GeoJSON queries suitable for map workflows
8. Hosted accounts, API keys, usage quotas, and service-level policy
9. Community provider and property contributions

Maturity stages

Research → Experimental → Beta → Stable

The API remains Experimental until more than one provider is reliable, compatibility rules have domain review, stable version/deprecation policies exist, and operational monitoring has a meaningful history.