Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences· 2012Q1
Next-generation Digital Earth
- 386citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2012year
Short summary
A next-generation Digital Earth is proposed to overcome barriers in public access to science, building on the successes and limitations of first-generation virtual globes like Google Earth.
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Key points
- First-generation virtual globes like Google Earth achieved many, but not all, elements of the original Digital Earth vision.
- Technological advancements, the 'big data' era, and increased public engagement (citizen science, crowd-sourcing) necessitate a re-evaluation of the Digital Earth concept.
- Substantial barriers remain in the public's access to scientific understanding of the Earth system.
- A next-generation Digital Earth is proposed to address these barriers and improve science communication.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
A speech of then-Vice President Al Gore in 1998 created a vision for a Digital Earth, and played a role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth, that achieved many but not all the elements of this vision. The technical achievements of Google Earth, and the functionality of this first generation of virtual globes, are reviewed against the Gore vision. Meanwhile, developments in technology continue, the era of "big data" has arrived, the general public is more and more engaged with technology through citizen science and crowd-sourcing, and advances have been made in our scientific understanding of the Earth system. However, although Google Earth stimulated progress in communicating the results of science, there continue to be substantial barriers in the public's access to science. All these factors prompt a reexamination of the initial vision of Digital Earth, and a discussion of the major elements that should be part of a next generation.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012 · DOI ↗
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Field: Geography, Planning and Development
Geography, Planning and DevelopmentSocial Sciences