Big Earth data is an emerging field that requires new technologies, methods, and applications to create value from big (in terms of volume, variety, and velocity) Earth observation datasets. Open data policies, such as those that allow access to the entire Landsat and Copernicus archives without payment, combined with the increasing availability of computing resources and cloud-based systems, have created a research environment ready to tackle previously unimagined or difficult-to-answer questions. Researchers are being challenged to develop, apply, and evaluate new methods that utilize these rich resources to generate information in comprehensive, repeatable, transferable, and reproducible ways at different scales from local to global. The unprecedented combination of high spatial and temporal resolution opens new possibilities, but also raises questions with regard to the management, processing, visualization, dissemination, validation, and interoperability of data.
To facilitate a better understanding of phenomena that occur on the surface of the Earth a scientific and technological basis for big Earth data is envisioned as Earth observation’s contribution to the vision of Digital Earth. In this special issue, we are looking for contributions that are intended to inform policy and that deal with the intersection between, human, nature and scientific and technological applications where big Earth data are central to investigating the Earth’s systems. Authors are also encouraged to submit articles that focus on challenges and currently open questions.
This special issue is linked to the 12th International Symposium on Digital Earth (https://digitalearth2021.org), which will take place in Salzburg, Austria. The focus is on contributions that deal with big Earth data, propose solutions, and address current research topics as well as the challenges specific to big Earth data. Contributions from both symposium participants and the wider community are welcome.
Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following.
- Big Earth data
- Earth observation data cubes
- Open and free EO data (Copernicus/Landsat, etc.)
- Spatially explicit information layers
- Cloud- or HPC-based Earth observation data processing
- Analysis-ready data
- Model simulations
