Earth Observation and Geospatial Big Data Management and Engagement of Stakeholders in Hungary to Support the SDGs

To support the monitoring and reporting processes during implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, well-developed, commonly recognized Earth observations and geospatial data, methods, innovations, committed professionals, and strong sustainability policies are necessary. This article informs the readers on the Earth observation and geoinformation developments and innovations, and on the engagement of profession, academy and governance to support implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Hungary. Description, analyses and critical assessments are given on the elements selected from Hungarian sustainable-oriented Earth observation and geospatial novelties: (a) Working Group for Sustainable Development mission and national sustainability-policy, (b) international partnerships, domestic activities and achievements, (c) status of the professional education, (d) spatial databases and services to support implementation of the sustainable development, (e) a case study on the internationally recognized soil geoinformation system, (f) national Earth Observation Information System and perspectives of its applications for monitoring the sustainability. The article conclusion strongly advises the Hungarian realization of (a) institutionalization of the Earth observation and geospatial tools and capacity for sustainable development, (b) their use in integration with statistical data, (c) establishment of national spatial information infrastructure and (d) development and spreading of the use of big data

The next generation digital earth

A speech of then-Vice President Al Gore in 1998 created a vision for a Digital Earth, and played a role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth, that achieved many but not all the elements of this vision. The technical achievements of Google Earth, and the functionality of this first generation of virtual globes, are reviewed against the Gore vision. Meanwhile, developments in technology continue, the era of “big data” has arrived, the general public is more and more engaged with technology through citizen science and crowd-sourcing, and advances have been made in our scientific understanding of the Earth system. However, although Google Earth stimulated progress in communicating the results of science, there continue to be substantial barriers in the public’s access to science. All these factors prompt a reexamination of the initial vision of Digital Earth, and a discussion of the major elements that should be part of a next generation