Introducing the Technical Buyer’s Guide to DSMs 

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Implementing Digital Soil Maps (DSMs) for soil carbon projects has become a popular choice for project developers now that methodologies, like Verra's VM0042 and the Land Sector Removal Guidance, explicitly allow them to be used in projects. Well implemented DSMs reduce required sample size and uncertainty deductions, improving your overall project economics; however, when DSMs are poorly implemented they can introduce integrity risks and potentially derail the project. 

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Project developers looking to unpack best practices for choosing DSMs in their use cases are confronted with s dense technical language, or advice that is not compliant with the methodology. This makes  it even harder to understand what the methodology actually requires, or how a compliant DSM will affect your project outcomes. much less how to tell one provider from another. The choice of provider is not a minor implementation detail. It can have a huge impact on the overall success of the project.

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The right provider is the difference between a soil carbon project that runs smoothly with robust claims and one that runs into trouble on ROI, compliance, or both. Our Technical Buyer's Guide to Digital Soil Maps provides the clarity that has been missing in the market by walking through the five questions that think matter most to help you choose the best DSM provider for soil carbon project under Verra's VM0042 and VT0014. We’ve chosen to focus specifically on Verra’s VT0014 because it is the most extensive guidance to date, and is often used as a benchmark for programs looking for explicit guidance to follow beyond the voluntary carbon markets. We give a quick preview of the topics that we will discuss in more detail in the Technical Buyer's Guide to DSMs to help you make the best decision when choosing the best DSM provider for your projects. We even provide a question that every project developer should be asking of their provider to ensure that they set their project up for success. 

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1. Does the DSM's approach align with your project plan? 

In the first section we look at how to ensure that your DSM’s approach aligns with your project plan. VM0042 supports two quantification approaches, and each uses a DSM differently under VT0014. With QA1 (Measure and Model), the DSM feeds a biogeochemical model. A provider needs to understand how these differences shape your project plan, what the implications are later down the line, and how to plan from that from the beginning of the project. 

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2. Do the model performance metrics tell you the whole story? 

Next, we look at whether or not the performance metrics being evaluated tell the whole story. Accuracy (bias) and precision (variance) are two separate metrics. A model can look strong on one while failing the other which can have vast implications for your project. To have a clear perspective on the performance of your model and protect your project's economics, you must evaluate both. 

Section 2 of the DSM buyers guidance helps you understand how different commonly reported metrics tie to DSM validation criteria and uncertainty deductions and sheds light into interpreting reported metrics and what assumptions to get clarity on to understand the applicability for your project area. 

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3. Does the sampling design align with your project goals?

In Section 3, we dive into how to build the best sampling strategy for your DSM project. Sampling for a DSM serves a different purpose than traditional measurement. It calibrates and validates the model rather than quantifying SOC directly. A strong sampling plan goes beyond meeting minimum compliance requirements. It should also factor in the Economic Optimum Number of Samples (EONS) to balance upfront sampling costs against long-term uncertainty deductions, giving a more holistic view of project economics. Under VT0014 and VM0042, probability sampling is mandatory for compliance regardless of stratification approach. We walk you through how to ensure that your design is compliant and evaluate the  long term return on investment as well. 

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4. Does the DSM use a dynamic baseline?

The focus question for this section only applies to QA2 projects, where the DSM must also estimate SOC change on baseline control sites outside the project area to establish the counterfactual. Getting this right from the outset matters. Baseline control sites need to be identified against VM0042 similarity criteria and folded into the initial sampling design, not bolted on afterward. Not considering this step properly from the beginning of the project can have serious implications on your uncertainty deductions and ultimately your project outcomes.  We give you the insights you need to  plan for this from day one and help you avoid costly rework or a formal deviation request later.

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5. Does the provider have real regulatory expertise?

Navigating the requirements of a methodology can be difficult at the best of times. The best implementation providers will have proven expertise in the methodology alongside soil science and statistics to interpret the methodology and manage deviations defensibly, keeping your project on time and on track. This matters even for projects outside Verra methodologies, like LSRS or Scope 3, since VM0042 sets the benchmark for integrity and clarity in the broader market. In this section we will give you the guidance you need to pick the right provider including strong methodological insights with a track record of deploying and validating DSMs, and documentation practices that hold up under VVB and IME review.

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Choosing a DSM provider is one of the most consequential decisions you will make for your project. It takes more than a model. It takes a strategic partner who can navigate the regulatory, statistical, and economic questions together. We help you navigate all of the ins and outs of implementing a project with a DSM and provide questions to help you make sure that you are asking the right questions to choose the best provider for your needs.

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Ready to talk to our team about how Seqana can help you implement a Digital Soil Map for your project? Reach out to us here.

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