What is Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE)

The Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE) is the first IUGS-recognized big science programme. DDE is committed to developing itself as a provider of public goods and services for science and technology development globally, in particular to assist countries to realize SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015. The overall mission of DDE is to harmonize global earth evolution data and share global geoscience knowledge. The long-term vision of DDE is to transform the earth sciences by encouraging a data-driven research paradigm. Currently, DDE has 23 Founding Members and 26 Working and Task Groups (WTGs). 

Reasons for the initiation of DDE

The growing importance and value of data-driven research and international cooperation in many scientific fields to deliver a range of global public goods and services, and the geoscience community has a vast store of data which it can use to support such research and collaboration.

Geoscientists must work closely with fellow earth scientists to address global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcities, natural disasters, etc., and share data, knowledge, and insights to contribute to the sustainable development of people and the planet.

Geoscience engagement with the digital and the open science revolutions can have systemic impact on the enhancement of emerging, data-driven scientific and technological research paradigms and facilitate breakthrough achievements in earth sciences’ contributions in order to meet global environmental and development challenges.

Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE) is the first ever Big Science Program recognized by IUGS. DDE is committed to linking geoscience to growing trends in data driven research and open science, sharing knowledge and communications, and demonstrating the significance and value of geoscience data and knowledge for international cooperation, and is committed to sustainable development.

 

International geoscience research and development cooperations must adapt to increase inter-disciplinary cooperation, greater use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big-data analytics, and other data science tools and technologies and generate data, models and knowledge that facilitate nations address societal, environmental and development challenges of the 21st century.

 

DDE’s Organizational Structure

Under the guidance of its Governing Council (GC), Executive Committee (EC) and the Scientific Committee (SC), and supported by the International Research Centers of Excellence (RCEs) and the Working and Task Groups (WTGs) and an international Secretariat, DDE is practicing open science and focusing on the earth/s evolution, aiming at constructing the cloud infrastructure to achieve the globalization of scientific research, diversification of cooperative mechanisms, and enhance and encourage mutually beneficial interactions between information and earth sciences. The detailed research framework is as follows: 

Science: Focus on billions of years of the earth’s evolutionary history, and make breakthroughs in major, fundamental scientific questions of deep-time evolution of materials, life, climate and geography.

Knowledge: Establish a standardized Knowledge Graph that covers all fields of solid-earth science and facilitate the creation of nodes at disciplinary, country and other desired levels so as to provide the basis for the integrated sharing, accurate analysis, and intelligent extension of the various scientific and technological knowledge and resources.

Data: Establish a foundation for FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data availability for global research and development cooperation in earth sciences using the most up-to-date technology, standards, mechanisms and ensuring safety and respect for intellectual property rights.

Communication: Using multimedia approaches, expand interactive channels between the science community and the public for using data, knowledge, research findings and insights and showcase how DDE projects and initiatives contribute to addressing the challenges faced by the world.

Digital Platform: Cyberinfrastructure that delivers earth science knowledge, data, models, and computing power to address global earth science issues and societal needs.

Benefits of DDE

DDE plans to serve and enable you to carry out innovative activities at the lowest costs possible for digital transformation of data and information:

If you are an individual scientist, DDE aims to help you:

·        Obtain knowledge and emerging trends hidden in mass documents

·        Gain access to a “one-click” link to massive data resources

·        Bridge hashrate (computational power/second) and algorithm gaps

If you are a representative of an international organization, program, or scientific research institute, DDE aims to help you:

·        Activate, update and energize your data and human resources;

·        Enhance your organization’s visibility and reputation in terms of integrating earth and information sciences;

·        Enhance your organization’s public awareness and participation in sustainable development through an increased use of data-driven research, analyses and interpretation of findings.

If you are a government representative, DDE plans to help by:

·        Promoting your country’s regional research and international cooperation in the earth sciences.

·        Establishing a DDE Research Center of Excellence (RCE) with local characteristics supported by up-to-date data and technology resources and expertise.

·   Experimenting with data-driven research in earth sciences to meet the needs for realizing priority SDGs.

THE WAY to join DDE

If you are a provider of data, computing power, services, manpower and funds and policy maker:

·        Learn about DDE's concept, vision, mission and operational modes and become a partner or member through planning and implementing collaborative initiatives.

·     Negotiate with the Executive Committee of DDE, sign an agreement with DDE and carry out mutually agreed responsibilities for sharing data for research and development.

If you are a scientist:

·        Comply with DDE's Statutes.

·    Once the cloud infrastructure service of DDE is officially launched in 2022, register yourself and explore easily accessible data and technological resources for use in innovative ways for your research.

CONTACT

DDE Representative: Dr. Natarajan Ishwaran

Email address: secretariat@ddeworld.org