Nancy Loria is collaborating with Microsoft on a project aimed at developing a prototype for a portable handheld device that demonstrates its effectiveness in monitoring soil organic carbon (SOC) levels directly in the field. Their innovative method combines Wi-Fi signals and images of the soil surface to sense the SOC levels. Dr. Loria has already analyzed several field samples for SOC and water retention. At present, she is in the process of incorporating additional variability into the calibration set to prepare it for an accurate model capable of estimating SOC levels.
Furthermore, Dr. 
Loria has recently completed an article titled "Handheld Device Methodologies for In-Field Soil Organic Carbon," which is currently under review with the International Soil and Water Conservation Research Journal. This paper delves into the use of spectroscopic and remote sensing techniques with portable handheld devices in field settings to estimate SOC. It also discusses how different scanning conditions can affect accuracy and suggests potential ways to address these variations.