International Journal of Digital Earth

The world is currently facing several developmental challenges such as disaster risk, climate change, global food security, resource management, and environmental challenges that are all interlinked through earth systems. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a comprehensive program to collectively address several of these global challenges, however, gaps in data and methods to evaluate several indicators restricts effective compliance and implementation in several nations of the world. There are opportunities within the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism framework to improve digitization and networking of scientific data and information. This will not only enable flow of knowledge and information to all parts of the world but also help to foster and empower young talent to innovate and devise solution for their communities by resources and information shared globally.

Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) efforts are driven by motivations to link policy with science and develop avenues to promote adoption of a scientific method towards policy development and decision-making processes towards sustainable development. For this DBAR is working to develop case studies, model research and reference materials to attract young talent, researchers and policy makers, to utilize emerging technologies, and data science methodologies towards innovative solutions to the global challenges, and for developing decision support for sustainable development around the world.

The year of 2023 marks the 10th year for the Belt and Road Initiative. Along these lines, this special issue on “Digital Belt and Road towards Global Development: New opportunities and challenges” in the International Journal of Digital Earth aims to interpret the new opportunities and challenges for DBAR supporting the Global Development Initiative and the Belt and Road Initiative in order to make best of DBAR’s advantage in the next Phase.

Specifically, original unpublished research articles on this topic are warmly welcomed.

More information of DBAR please find DBAR (dbeltroad.org)

Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Digital Technology for Agricultural Monitoring and Food Security
• Digital Technology for Sustainable Development and Management of Coast and Sea
• Data Sharing for Sustainable Development Goals
• Harness Technologies, Data and Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction
• Digital Technology for Environmental Change Assessment and Sustainable Development
• Earth Observation and Digital Technology for Heritage Conservation
• Digital Technology for Urban Sustainability
• Climate Action and Sustainable Development in High Mountain Asia and Arctic Region
• Digital Technology in Support of Water and Land Management for Sustainable Development

The International Journal of Digital Earth is an Open Access and international peer-reviewed academic journal (SCIE with a 2021 impact factor 4.606) focusing on the theories, technologies, applications, and societal implications of Digital Earth and those visionary concepts that will enable a modeled virtual world.

Submissions must follow the instructions to authors outlined on the Taylor & Francis author guidelines page for International Journal of Digital Earth. Word templates are available on the web site and papers are typically 5000‐8000 words in length.

Papers should be submitted online at the International Journal of Digital Earth's Manuscript Central Site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre. Please select the collection name during submission and indicate the paper is submitted to the collection on “Digital Belt and Road towards Global Development: New Opportunities and Challenges” in the cover letter.

We look forward to your contributions. Please do not hesitate to contact the Guest Editors with any questions.

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