Announcement
Issued by: International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE)
Closing Date for Submissions: 31 August, 2026
Submission Method: Email the appropriate completed proposal form to isde@radi.ac.cn
Application Package: Separate forms and applicant guidance notes are provided for Task Forces and Working Groups.
The International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) invites proposals under one coordinated call for two distinct forms of activity: time-bounded Task Forces and long-lived Working Groups. The combined call is intended to make the application pathway easier to understand while preserving the different governance, leadership and performance requirements of each mechanism.
Choose the appropriate pathway
Applicants should select the mechanism that best matches the nature of the work. Where the need for a continuing body has not yet been demonstrated, a Task Force will normally be the better starting point.
A Task Force may later provide evidence for a Working Group, but this is not automatic. A new Working Group may be proposed directly where the application demonstrates an established, continuing need for international stewardship that cannot be met through one or more bounded Task Forces.
Who may apply
· Existing ISDE Working Groups seeking renewal, reconstitution, merger or a material revision of scope.
· ISDE Council, Bureau, Secretariat, Regional Chapters or Coordination Hubs proposing an aligned initiative.
· ISDE members and interdisciplinary teams with relevant expertise and a credible delivery or stewardship plan.
· External experts and partner organisations participating with an ISDE member or recognised ISDE body as lead or sponsor.
Strategic alignment
- Every proposal must identify and explain its direct contribution to at least one of the Twelve Digital Earth Thematic Frameworks and at least one Digital Earth Enabler (DEE) cluster. The Frameworks are strategic lenses for the evolving Digital Earth vision. DEEs are operational capabilities, methods or instruments that translate the Frameworks into practical use.
- The six DEE clusters are Interoperability; Trust and Traceability; Foresight and Planning; Learning and Participation; Implementation; and Meta-Governance.
- ISDE welcomes proposals across the full Framework and DEE architecture. Illustrative areas include interoperability and semantic architecture; trusted data, models and responsible AI; climate, SDG and resilience applications; education and capability building; cultural memory and participation; strategic intelligence and decision support; and institutional governance. These examples are not pre-approved initiatives and do not limit other well-founded proposals.
Application requirements
Applicants must use the form that corresponds to the proposed mechanism. Each form is accompanied by practical guidance notes explaining the less familiar concepts, providing a worked Digital Earth example and summarising the Twelve Thematic Frameworks.
Applicants should complete all required fields and use "to be confirmed" only where a genuine matter remains unresolved. Supplementary documents should be concise and provided only where they materially support the proposal.
Assessment and decision pathway
- The Secretariat will first screen each application for completeness, eligibility and the relevant gateway test. It may seek clarification, recommend rescoping or refer an applicant to the alternative pathway before formal review.
- Complete proposals will be assessed through the applicable ISDE governance pathway. The Bureau or Council will decide establishment, renewal or approval where required. Submission does not authorise an applicant to act, speak, enter commitments or use the ISDE name on behalf of a proposed Working Group or Task Force.
Assessment criteria
- Common criteria: relevance to ISDE, Framework and DEE alignment, institutional value, appropriate expertise and regional participation, avoidance of duplication, realistic resource expectations, and proportionate governance and risk controls.
- Task Force criteria: a defined deliverable, credible acceptance method, realistic milestones, clear closure condition, and a proposed pathway for any retained asset after closure.
- Working Group criteria: demonstrated need for continuing stewardship, a clear mandate and boundaries, accountable leadership, recurring advice or coordination, measurable success criteria, and credible use of Task Forces for defined delivery.
Operating expectations
Task Forces
· Operate to an approved mandate, scope, deliverables, milestones, reporting cadence and closure condition.
· Normally operate for 6 to 18 months and should not exceed 24 months without specific approval and justification.
· Record candidate DEE assets through the appropriate review and registration process. Listing an output in an application does not approve or register it.
· Require separate approval for material external commitments, public releases, funding, pilots, public-facing platforms, AI systems, sensitive data, financial mechanisms or formal policy positions.
Working Groups
· Provide continuing stewardship, synthesis and advice rather than acting as open-ended delivery teams.
· Operate under one accountable Chair, supported where useful by a Deputy Chair and Secretary or Coordinator.
· Report regularly to the Secretariat and participate in periodic health checks and renewal reviews.
· May propose or sponsor Task Forces through the approved pathway when a defined output is required.
· May be reconstituted, merged or closed where leadership, activity, relevance or institutional value is no longer demonstrated.
Support for approved groups
Subject to the approved mandate, available resources and Secretariat capacity, ISDE may provide:
· registration and an appropriate presence on the ISDE website;
· proportionate coordination and governance support;
· connection to relevant Council, Bureau, Chapter, Hub, event and publication pathways; and
· consideration of eligible outputs for ISDE events or peer-reviewed publication.
Approval does not imply ISDE funding, automatic publication, endorsement of a partner or platform, or authority to make public commitments beyond the approved mandate.
Submission and enquiries
Closing date: 31 August 2026
- Submit the completed interactive PDF form to the ISDE Secretariat at isde@radi.ac.cn.
- Applicants seeking early guidance on whether a proposal is better suited to a Task Force or Working Group may contact the Secretariat before submission.
- Late or incomplete proposals may be deferred to a later review cycle.
Documents issued with this call
ISDE-FRM-TF-001 ISDE Task Force Proposal v1.1.pdf
ISDE Task Force Applicant Guidance Notes for ISDE-FRM-TF-001.pdf
ISDE-FRM-WG-001 ISDE Working Group Proposal v1.1.pdf
ISDE Working Group Applicant Guidance Notes for ISDE-FRM-WG-001.pdf
