How will Destination Earth support European policies? What are the opportunities to get involved? The three entities entrusted to implement the ambitious initiative of the European Union (ECMWF, ESA and EUMETSAT) invite the present, potential and future stakeholders to the first hybrid User eXchange, held on site at the ESA-ESRIN facilities and online.
The User eXchange, a series of events aimed at strengthening the synergies between key stakeholders within the Destination Earth initiative, kicks off this February with the aim of assessing the needs within the community. Destination Earth is fully committed to putting users and their needs at the center of the future digital twin of the Earth system.
The first Destination Earth User eXchange will be held on 15 February 2023 at the ESA-ESRIN facility in Frascati (Italy). It is open, free of charge, to users from the scientific and development sectors, policymakers and stakeholders and can be attended online and in person.
Registrations can be made via this link.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) will update participants about the implementation of DestinE and listen to their needs, plans and expectations.
The first session, Framing DestinE, will detail how the initiative is expected to support the European Union policies in the context of a changing climate. Then, representatives of the three entrusted entities and contractors will inform stakeholders about the implementation plans and progress. The rest of this first User eXchange will consist of three panels covering all the different aspects and opportunities for user interaction at Destination Earth.
The initiative to create a digital twin of the Earth system relies largely on a co-design approach to ensure that the future system is fit-for-purpose and adapted to the users’ needs. As a result, the broad partnerships strategy adopted by the three entrusted entities is key to the success of Destination Earth.
ECMWF is in charge of developing the Digital Twin Engine (DTE), the software infrastructure providing data handling, and machine learning capabilities, and the first two high-priority digital twins on weather-induced Extremes and Climate Adaptation.
During the User eXchange ECMWF contribution will be represented by the Technology Partnerships Lead, Thomas Geenen and the Application Partnership Lead for Destination Earth at ECMWF, Jörn Hoffmann.
“We are really looking forward to this first opportunity to engage with stakeholders, users and our partners. At this stage all doors are open at Destination Earth and it’s very exciting to start the process of creating a community that will give the initiative its final shape”.
Contractors developing the digital twins for Weather-Induced Extremes and Climate Adaptation on behalf of ECMWF will also be represented, alongside officials from the European Commission, National Meteorological Services and academia.