The 18th ISDE International Lectures

ISDE International Lectures, organized by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) are a series of online events which feature invited lectures by well-known international experts in the field of Digital Earth. The purpose of the events is to bring international scholars in the relevant research fields of Digital Earth together to exchange academic perspectives, share research results, and disseminate the most cutting-edge and authoritative concept of Digital Earth.

The 18th ISDE International Lectures

The 18th ISDE International Lectures features the theme of “Unlocking Space and Time: Towards SpaceTemporal Foundation Models”. Space and time shape how cities breathe, move, and adapt. This keynote traces the journey from spatiotemporal modelling to SpaceTimeAI and the latest SpatioTemporal Foundation Models (STFMs or GeoFMs)—a new generation of spatio-temporal intelligence that blends AI, big data, and geoinformatics to build more resilient, human-centred cities. Drawing on real-world examples from transport, mobility, and urban representation, it highlights how AI can learn from diverse data streams, adapt to disruptions, and capture the human sense of place. The talk will also outline emerging thinking on GeoFMs—their core representations, embedded geographic knowledge, model efficiency, and transformative potential for spatial intelligence and urban innovation.

Theme: Unlocking Space and Time: Towards SpaceTemporal Foundation Models

Date & Time: 5th November 2025, 8:00-9:30 AM (Central European Time)

                             3:00-4:30 PM (China Standard Time)

Organized by: International Society for Digital Earth

Supported by: 

International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals

International Journal of Digital Earth

Big Earth Data

Invited Speaker:

Tao Cheng (University College London, Britain)

Moderator:

Changlin Wang (International Society for Digital Earth)

Programme:

Zoom Link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89916664623?pwd=7yCrrW53xa55pk5aSqmv6iJN2hHfk5.1

ID: 899 1666 4623, Password: 189640

Contact:

ISDE Secretariat (Email: isde@radi.ac.cn, Tel.: 86-10-82178912)

Short Bio of Invited Speaker:

Tao Cheng

University College London, Britain

Tao Cheng, FAcSS, is Professor of Geoinformatics and Vice-Dean (International) at University College London. She founded the UCL SpaceTimeLab, pioneering Spatio-Temporal AI for insights from urban big data. She is also Theme Lead for Mobility at the Alan Turing Institute and a member of the UK Department for Transport's College of Experts. Her research on AI, big data, and urban analytics—developed with partners such as Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police, Public Health England, and Arup—has attracted over £27M in funding and multiple international awards.

About the previous ISDE International Lectures:

https://www.digitalearth-isde.org/list-34-1.html

About Prof. Tao Cheng:

https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/10774

Website of the UCL SpaceTimeLab:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering/civil-environmental-geomatic-engineering/research/groups-centres-and-sections/spacetimelab