NEWS
The International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Paolo Mazzetti.
Dr. Paolo Mazzetti made a substantial contribution to ISDE over many years. He had been serving as an ISDE Councilor since 2019 and as the former Chair of the ISDE European Chapter, and further strengthened ISDE's presence and engagement across Europe through his dedicated efforts, including the successful organization of the 11th International Symposium on Digital Earth in Florence, Italy, in 2019, marking the 10-year milestone of the symposium series. He was also a dedicated supporter of and contributor to the International Journal of Digital Earth (IJDE). He was granted the ISDE Conference Organizing Award. Paolo was a respected scientist, a generous colleague and a much-liked member of our international community.
Dr. Paolo Mazzetti was also a distinguished scientist in Digital Earth, Earth Observation and geospatial sciences. As a Senior Researcher at the National Research Council of Italy, he dedicated his career to advancing the integration of Information Science with Earth and Environmental Sciences, with a particular focus on Earth Observation and the development of infrastructures and services for geospatial data sharing and processing. He served as Italy's Principal Representative on the GEO Programme Board and contributed extensively to the development of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
As Past President of ISDE, Dr. Alessandro Annoni, recalled, "Paolo Mazzetti has left us prematurely. It is with extreme sorrow that I learned the sad news. Paolo made an enormous contribution to ISDE and the IJDE. I appreciated his selfless commitment and his scientific curiosity, which led him to explore new aspects of Digital Earth. In his role as Chair of the ISDE European Chapter, he demonstrated all his human and intellectual qualities. Our conversations were always stimulating, and his timely comments were always gracious. Paolo played an important role during my presidency of ISDE. We will miss him greatly."
Richard Simpson, President of ISDE, said in a tribute, "Paolo's passing is a profound loss... What we will miss most is Paolo himself, his kindness, generosity, curiosity and the warmth he brought to those around him. He had a natural way of making colleagues feel welcome and valued, and he gave his time, expertise and friendship freely. Those memories will stay with us. The ideas and contributions he gave to ISDE will endure, but it is the person behind them whom we will remember with the greatest affection." Richard also shared a remembrance attached below expressing his profound sorrow at Paolo's passing.
In Remembrance of Dr. Paolo Mazzetti by ISDE President.pdf
We extend our deepest condolences to Paolo's family, friends, and all those who mourn his passing.
