NEWS
The Digital Earth Approaches Community of Practice (hereinafter referred to as Digital Earth CoP) was formally launched at the GEO Global Forum on 6 May in Rome, Italy. Held from 5-6 May, the inaugural GEO Global Forum 2025 celebrated GEO’s 20th anniversary and focused on adopting the Post-2025 Strategy Implementation Plan.
The aim of the Digital Earth CoP is to convene stakeholders to establish a collaborative framework that bridges global Digital Earth principles with locally tailored implementations, foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, enable actionable outcomes for Earth intelligence, and explore integration of indigenous knowledge and youth engagement.
The Digital Earth CoP was launched at the Digital Earth-themed session, entitled “Bridging Global Principles and Local Actions: Operationalizing the Digital Earth Approaches CoP,” where Mario Hernandez (International Society for Digital Earth), Gilberto Camara (Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, INPE) and Lisa Rabelo (Digital Earth Africa) gave presentations, and Andiswa Milsa (Pacific Community) chaired the session.
Attendees expressed their interests and supports by discussing on the priorities, barriers to local implementation, inclusive engagement, and DE technologies of Digital Earth CoP.
The Digital Earth CoP represents a global network comprising international organizations, Earth observation initiatives, and Digital Earth observers and practitioners. By fostering inclusive dialogue and promoting the exchange of knowledge, data, and tools, the CoP is expected to translate global Digital Earth principles into locally relevant practices.
As one of the 157 Participating Organizations in GEO, alongside 117 member governments and over 20 private sector associates, the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) continues to support GEO’s mission of supporting the provision of decision-ready insights that drive global sustainability and resilience. The formal launch of the Digital Earth CoP marks a pivotal step toward ensuring that the voices of DE community are effectively integrated into global actions.
