Russia implements Digital Earth as core concept of new space remote sensing policy simultaneously with the obvious shift to Digital Economy.
2017 becomes the year of official recognition of Digital Earth as a new fundamental paradigm for the Russian space industry. This recognition occurred in the context of rapid progress in the developing of Digital Earth concept by International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), and is probably directly related to this process. Particular attention to the concept of Digital Earth in Russia was noted right after the 10th International Symposium on Digital Earth held in Sydney, Australia, on April 3-6, 2017 and foundation of "Digital Silk Road Alliance" at the Symposium, as well as after the announcement of the project «Digital Earth Australia» in the beginning of May, 2017.
On 18th of May, 2017 Digital Earth concept and Digital Silk Road Alliance were presented in Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) at a round table on Digital Economy. Four days later, on 22th of May, President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin held a meeting on developing Russia’s space sector. Implementing the Federal Space Programme, possibilities for using new types of launchers, and improving the national Earth’s remote sensing system were the main items on the agenda. Same day Russian Space Agency «ROSCOSMOS» in the special press release emphasized that Digital Earth is a new concept of Russian remote sensing and will stimulate the growth of Russian economy. Main aim of the project is creating of repeatedly updated seamless mosaics of satellite images of the whole Earth with near 1meter resolution. Also plan for the fast growing of Russian remote sensing satellites constellation — up to 25 satellites by 2025 — was manifested. It is noteworthy that Russian Space Agency chose for this project title «Digital Earth» exactly.
Three days later, on the 25th of May, Digital Earth concept and Digital Silk Road Alliance were advertised on International conference «Actual problems of creating space remote sensing systems» was held in Moscow. Month later Digital Earth and its implications were presented and discussed on the International Conference «InterCarto/InterGIS-23» in the one of the most distant and dynamics eastern region of Russia — Sakhalin island.
Digital Economies concept also implemented in Russia in the past months. It was one of the central issues discussed on St Petersburg International Economic Forum (2th of June, 2017), during the direct line with Vladimir Putin (15th of June, 2017), at the President Council for Strategic Development and Priority Projects meeting (5th of July, 2017), etc.
Synergy of concepts of Digital Earth and Digital Economies based on Big Data and Big Earth Data, remote sensing, new technologies of collecting, processing and sharing spatial-temporal data, new philosophy of decision-making and providing of Situation Awareness for the Sustainable Development of Russia, Eurasia and whole Planet became pivotal ideology of new Russian policy and the common denominator of Silk Road and Silk Belt initiatives.
Contributor: Eugene Eremchenko, ISDE Council member
Source：ISDE
