DDE Open Forum Discussions – 7, 14, 21 and 28 May 2025
The Chairs of the DDE Governing Council (GC), Prof. Harvey Thorleifson, and the Executive Committee (EC), Prof. Qiuming Cheng, are hosting 4 Open Forum discussions, on 7, 14, 21 and 28 May 2025 to which all Members of the DDE GC, EC, Scientific Committee (SC), Working and Task Group (WTGs) Representatives, Members of the General Expert Group (GEG) Members of the Ministry of Science & Technology (MOST), China, and partners of DDE have been invited. The zoom link for the meeting is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84864229336
The themes and issues to be discussed at each of the 4 meetings are as follows:
Meeting 1 (7 May 2025): Primary Scientific Objectives and Expected Milestone Outcomes
Objective:
To review and assess DDE's scientific vision, mission, and key achievements, and to define future development directions.
Agenda:
1) Review the White Paper and Medium-Term Plan (MTP) to confirm scientific objectives and strategic pathways.
2) Revise DDE's mission and vision to ensure alignment with current trends in Earth science research.
3) Summarize achieved outcomes, identifying successful experiences and existing challenges.
4) Define key milestone outcomes expected from the Big Science Program.
Expected Outcomes:
ü Establish consensus on DDE's scientific objectives, strategic direction, and milestone outcomes.
ü Develop priorities and an action plan for future work.
Meeting 2 (14 May 2025): DDE Public Digital Products – Big Data, Big Model, and Big System
Objective:
To discuss the development, management, and operation of DDE's digital public products, ensuring compliance with FAIR and Open Science principles, and promoting openness and sharing in Earth science research.
Agenda:
1) Define principles, goals, and expected impacts for building digital public products.
2) Discuss product components, including datasets, big models, and big system architectures.
3) Develop a product development plan and technical roadmap.
4) Explore operational models, maintenance mechanisms, and user support strategies.
5) Review intellectual property management, data licensing, and governance frameworks.
6) Exploring possibility of establishing a digital platform and data management committee (similar to GeoGPT GC) or merged into GeoGPT GC or merged into SC.
7) Establish the DDE Data Sharing Alliance (DDE/DA). For example, Alliance of Geological Surveys for 1:100 m AI Geological Mapping.
Expected Outcomes:
ü Develop general standards and guidelines for digital public product development and operation.
ü Establish an initial framework for digital public product management and governance.
Meeting 3 (21 May 2025): Project Design and Implementation
Objective:
To design project types that support DDE's scientific objectives, develop proposal solicitation strategies, and promote global collaboration and innovation.
Agenda:
1) Define three main categories of projects: basic research, applied research (SDGs), and digital public technical projects.
2) Determine objectives, scope, and expected outcomes for each project category in supporting milestone objectives.
3) Develop processes, evaluation criteria, and timelines for proposal solicitation.
4) Discuss funding mechanisms and collaboration models for projects.
Expected Outcomes:
ü Publish guidelines for project proposal solicitation.
ü Establish mechanisms for project evaluation and management.
Meeting 4 (28 May 2025): Organizational Governance and Management
Objective:
To examine DDE's organizational structure and operational mechanisms, explore diversified funding sources and the establishment of legal entities, ensuring the project's sustainable development.
Agenda:
1) Explore diversified funding channels, including government, industry, and international organizations.
2) Discuss the feasibility and pathways for establishing a DDE international organization or association. Review legal, financial, and management requirements for setting up legal entities.
3) Evaluate the effectiveness and optimization plans for existing organizational structure (EC, SC, GC, WTG, RCE, Secretariat etc)
4) Establishing Financial Committee (FC), Nominating Committee (NC) etc.
5) Revise Statutes and make suggestions for revisions.
Expected Outcomes:
ü Develop reform recommendations for organizational governance and operations.
ü Propose preliminary plans for establishing legal entities.
Ideas and insights generated from these 4 Open Forum discussions will feed into DDE’s development of plans and initiatives for the period 2025-2028 (see: DDE 2025-2028: the road to Calgary - DDE World).
The recording of the Open Forum discussions held on 7 May 2025 is accessible at:
Passcode: fgF3@tew
The recordings of the next 3 meetings will be indicated in this page immediately after their conclusion.
For any further information please contact Ishwaran.natarajan@ddeworld.org or secretariat@ddeworld.org.