Tenders are invited to create pilot services and machine learning-based demonstrators that exploit Destination Earth (DestinE) Digital twins data and capabilities for solutions tailored to specific sectors. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) invites bidders to send their proposals for Impact Sector Pilot Services and machine-learning demonstrators. The objective of the invitation to tender is to demonstrate the added value of the data produced by the digital twins that ECMWF is delivering for the Destination Earth initiative of the European Commission, for some of the sectors most directly affected by climate change or weather-related natural disasters.
The high-resolution simulations of Destination Earth’s digital twins delivered by ECMWF together with partners from over 90 institutions across Europe will provide invaluable for the sectors most impacted by climate change and extreme weather.
DestinE simulations provide data at the scale where key impacts of climate change and extreme events are felt, and where key Earth system processes are observed. This opens a full new range of possibilities for users from the sectors that rely heavily on climate and weather information like the energy sector, agriculture and food security or urban planning, to name a few.
“It is an important call for us, pilot services will make the outcome of DestinE tangible for our key target user groups, the sectors benefitting from high-resolution climate and weather information. We are seeking to co-design with stakeholders how the DestinE digital twins will make a difference for these sectors.”
Jörn Hoffmann, Partnership Lead for DestinE at ECMWF
See the full invitation to tender on ECMWF website
DestinE is setting up a new information system, bringing the users to the data, so that they can build their own applications and services, tailored to their needs, in a flexible and scalable manner. The system is being developed through a co-design approach that ensures that users participate in the process from the earliest stages.
Open until 02 October 2024, the invitation to tender (ITT) seeks for entities capable of developing pilot services in order to demonstrate the potential of the enhanced data generated by DestinE digital twins, and the advantages of the system compared to current weather and climate information systems.
ECMWF will select proposals for pilot services in the following sectors
- Energy
- Weather-related extremes resilience and impact mitigation
- Agriculture and food security
- Environment and urban planning
- Environmental migration
- Other Pilot Services
- The ITT also comprises a specific Lot for machine-learning and artificial intelligence (ML/ AI) demonstrators that can cover any of the sectors above.
Proposals should explore and enhance user-relevant information provided by DestinE, including aspects related to interactivity and efficiency.
The development of ML/ AI is a key strategic objective of the second phase of DestinE (2024-2026). ECMWF is leading the development of a machine-learning based Earth-system model that will support quantifying uncertainties of the digital twins and enhancing user interaction.
The pilot services and demonstrators requested must include user interaction, for example allowing users to initiate or configure impact sector model runs, supporting scenario planning, visualising output data fields, initiate or configure post-processing of impact sector runs, insert user-provided data into the workflow, and others. Users must be enabled to investigate different “what-if” scenarios supporting decision making. This may involve specifying adaptation choices and investigating their consequences or different storylines for selected future scenarios. Tenders shall explain what scenarios users will be enabled to define and how this will serve their decisions.
Successful tenderers shall implement a fully functional interactive pilot service.
See the full invitation to tender on ECMWF website
Destination Earth is a European Union-funded initiative launched in 2022, with the aim to build a digital replica of the Earth system by 2030. The initiative is being jointly implemented under the leadership of DG CNECT by three entrusted entities: the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), responsible for the creation of the first two ‘digital twins’ and the ‘Digital Twin Engine’, the European Space Agency (ESA) responsible for building the ‘Core Service Platform’, and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), responsible for the creation of the ‘Data Lake’.
We acknowledge the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking for awarding this project strategic access to the EuroHPC supercomputers LUMI, hosted by CSC (Finland), and the LUMI consortium, Marenostrum5, hosted by BSC (Spain) Leonardo, hosted by Cineca (Italy) and MeluXina, hosted by LuxProvide (Luxembourg) through a EuroHPC Special Access call.
More information about Destination Earth is on the Destination Earth website and the EU Commission website.
For more information about ECMWF’s role visit ecmwf.int/DestinE
For any questions related to the role of ECMWF in Destination Earth, please use the following email links: