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Big Earth data has already exceeded the petabyte-scale barrier and is rapidly heading toward the exabyte-scale barrier. Converting this massive amount of data into timely information and decision support products is dependent on our capacity to rapidly analyze the data in a transparent and repeatable fashion. The challenges of high velocity, high volume (> a terabyte per day) data are requiring those focused on combining and using these large data sources and requesting to rethink the way how to store and make the best use of the data and to produce better near-real-time decision support information. The vast increase in the acquisition and availability of geospatial data at both local and global scales presents some major challenges to make these data discoverable, accessible and interoperable. Global reference grids are spatial data infrastructures designed to try and solve these challenges, which is expected to provide a framework for the next era in big Earth data. A Digital Earth built using global reference grids could emulate the natural process of spatial inquiry, simplify spatial analysis workflows, and eliminate the need for an intermediary data integrator.

In 2013 the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) established the Discrete Global Grid Systems Standards Working Group to explore and propose terms for international standards to enable interoperability through the use of Discrete Global Grid Systems (DGGS). The aim of this work is not to identify one single DGGS, but to increase awareness of the advantages of DGGS technologies, to define the qualities of a DGGS, to make them interoperable – with conventional and other DGGS data sources, and to standardize operations on them.

Currently, there are many possible global reference grids, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. There are choices of shape, alignment, and granularity. Global reference grids can be optimized to provide statistically valid sampling, rapid storage, processing, and transmission, discovery, visualization, integration, aggregation, processing, analysis, and modelling.

This special issue aims to focus on recent progress and developments in the design, specification and application of global reference grid systems for big Earth data. Submissions may be in the form of review/discussion papers, research papers, data papers or technical notes. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Global tessellation methods
• Geospatial data management using Global Reference Grids
• Discrete Global Grid Systems
• International Standards and Global Reference Grids
• Global Reference Grids in practice
• Data fusion and interoperability using Global Reference Grids

Important Dates

• 1 May, 2021:  Paper Submission Online
• 1 July, 2021:  Decision to Authors
• 1 September, 2021:  Revised Paper Submission
• 1 November, 2021:  Publication

(above dates are indicative and can be adjusted as appropriate ahead of the call for papers)

Manuscript Submission Information

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting your manuscript. Once you have finished preparing your manuscript, please submit it through the Taylor & Francis Submission Portal, ensuring that you select the appropriate Special Issue. Publication charges (APCs) will be waived for invited manuscripts submitted to Big Earth Data. Authors who need a waiver code should contact the Editorial Office ([email protected]) before submitting.

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