Digital Earth is a global initiative aimed at harnessing the world’s data and information resources to quantitatively describe and represent our planet, and to monitor, measure and forecast natural and human activities on Earth. Today, a wave of big data has emerged. The advent of the big data era is injecting a new impetus for the study of Digital Earth, whilst providing new opportunities and challenges for understanding and promoting the concept.
“In Big Data New Era, Digital Earth should stitch together the huge, valuable Geo-data resources increasingly available to us, and perform simulation in real-time of interactions among all Earth system processes in all spheres with respect to physical, biological and social science elements”, said Prof. Guo Huadong in his keynote speech during the 6th Digital Earth Summit, “Digital Earth should also integrate massive, multi-spatial, multi-temporal, multi-resolution, and multi-typed Earth observation and socioeconomic data as well as analysis algorithms and models, fully encompassing the properties of big data”.
The summit keynote presentations and speakers are: “Digital Earth and new data source: what is changing”, presented by Dr. Annoni Alessandro from Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and also other topics related with Digital Earth discussed by Dr. Schreier Gunter from German Aerospace Center, Prof.. Li Deren from Wuhan University, Dr. Foresman Tim from Australian Queensland University of Technology, Prof. Boulton Geoffrey from Codata, and Dr. Taylor Trevor from Open Geospatial Consortium.
The 6th Digital Earth Summit, hosted by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), was held in Beijing, China from July 7th to 8th,2016, under the theme of “Digital Earth in the Era of Big Data”. About 300 delegates of scientists, engineers, technologists, and scholars from 30 countries attended the Summit. The Summit covers 17 scientific sessions and 197 high quality papers with topics ranging from Digital Earth Theory and Technology, Earth Observation, Digital Earth and Citizen Well-Being, Digital Earth Education and Outreach. The summit was organized together with the celebration of 10th Anniversary of ISDE. ISDE presented awards to Digital Earth scientists and experts in the awarding ceremony on the 7th, e.g. Fellow, Special Contribution Awards, S&T Award, Service Award, Conference Organizing Award, and Honorable Member.
This Summit was preceded with the ISDE Council meeting held on 6th July 2016. The council meeting made many significant outputs.The Council decide to establish the strategic planning committee, award committee, project committee, young scientists committee, and outreach committee. In addition, Council listened the report of preparation for the 10th International Symposium on Digital Earth inApril, 2017 in Sydney, Australia and 11th International Symposium on Digital Earth in 2019 Florence, Italy.
Digital Earth Summit is the series of events held by ISDE apart from biannual International Symposium on Digital Earth. It aims to spread the concept of Digital Earth, and promote relevant applications through providing and promoting an international platform for educationists, researchers, and enterprises to discuss and communicate. The summits have been successfully convened every two years consecutively in 5 countries since 2006.
As the leading international scientific organization for Digital Earth, ISDE focus on the dynamic development of Digital Earth and big data, continue to explore the frontiers of the earth observation and big earth data, give in-depth guidance on digital earth research, and lead the development of Digital Earth worldwide. 2016 is a milestone year for Digital Earth, the birth and development of Big Data have brought opportunities and challenges to Digital Earth and moved forward its concept of putting Earth into the computer to Big Earth Data. ISDE is ready for facing the challenges ahead, and will commit to strengthening the society for promoting the further development of Digital Earth.