Call for papers: 10th anniversary special issue of Big Earth Data

— Press Release —

The journal Big Earth Data was first launched in 2017 and has since stood out as the world’s first scholarly journal dedicated to Earth-related big data, emerging as a flagship platform at the intersection of Earth science, space science, information science, and sustainability science. Over the past decade, we have witnessed and fostered transformative advancements, from multi-source data fusion to large-model-driven analysis and from cloud computing platforms to digital twin Earth, while upholding a commitment to supporting sustainable development, bridging the digital divide, and fostering equitable access to Earth data resources.

The journal has published pioneering research that leverages Earth observations, big data analytics, and interdisciplinary collaboration to address global challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, sustainable urbanization, disaster monitoring, etc. The journal has also become a trusted platform, bringing together researchers, engineers, policymakers, and practitioners to share innovative ideas, methodological advances, and real-world applications that position Big Earth Data as a “new key to understanding the Earth” and a “new engine for Earth science.”

To celebrate the journal’s 10th anniversary, we invite submissions to a special issue that reflects on the journal’s decade-long impact, showcases cutting-edge advancements in Big Earth Data research, and defines future directions for the field. This special issue will not only honor the progress made but also encourage the community to tackle emerging challenges and seize opportunities in the next era of data-driven Earth science.

We seek original research articles, comprehensive reviews, perspective papers that align with the journal’s mission and highlight the breadth and depth of Big Earth Data research. In addition to methodological and analytical advances, the Special Issue also welcomes contributions on global Earth data infrastructures and reference systems that support long-term monitoring, international comparability, and policy-relevant applications. Such datasets and platforms play a critical role in bridging scientific innovation with operational use, including sustainable development monitoring, risk assessment, and global reporting frameworks.

Submissions may draw on or contribute to international and regional Earth observation programmes and data infrastructures, including initiatives led in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, such as GEO, Copernicus, NASA- and NOAA-supported programmes, Chinese Earth observation missions and data platforms, and emerging African Earth observation infrastructures.

Submissions are encouraged across (but not limited to) the following themes:

1. Methodological and Technological Advances in Big Earth Data

• Innovations in uncertainty quantification, data reliability, and quality control for multi-source heterogeneous data.
• High-performance computing, cloud-native platforms, GPU and edge computing and emerging paradigms such as quantum and hybrid quantum–classical computing for real-time Big Earth Data processing.
• Interoperable data standards and open data governance frameworks (e.g., FAIR principles for Earth science data).

2. Big Earth Data and Artificial Intelligence for Earth Science

• Geospatial Foundation Models and large-scale self-supervised learning for multi-modal Earth observation data integration, representation learning, and downstream analytics.
• Intelligent fusion techniques for multimodal Earth data.
• Physics-informed machine learning and hybrid model construction for Earth system simulation.
• Interpretable, explainable, and knowledge-driven AI approaches, including rule-based and symbolic methods linking Earth data to semantic representations.
• AI-driven hypothesis generation, verification, and knowledge discovery in geoscience.
• Ethical governance, explainability, and data security of AI in Earth science applications.
• AI-enabled digital twin Earth and intelligent computing platforms.
• Foundation Models for Earth sciences.

3. Big Earth Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Global, harmonized reference datasets and indicator frameworks supporting SDG reporting, long-term monitoring, and international comparability.
• Data-driven assessment of SDG synergies and trade-offs.
• Novel SDG indicators derived from Big Earth Data.
• Case studies of SDG implementation supported by Big Earth Data.

4. Infrastructure, Platforms and Reference Systems for Global Big Earth Data Collaboration

• Earth observation satellite constellations and their integration with ground sensor networks.
• Global reference data layers, spatial frameworks, and harmonized grids enabling cross-scale and cross-domain analysis.
• Open-access Big Earth Data platforms and their impact on global research.
• Regional data integration initiatives and cross-border scientific cooperation.

5. Interdisciplinary Applications in Earth System and Human–Earth Systems Science

• Climate change research: Greenhouse gas monitoring, cryosphere dynamics, and extreme weather event prediction.
• Ecosystem conservation: Biodiversity risk assessment, habitat restoration, and invasive species monitoring.
• Human settlements and population systems: Urbanization dynamics, land use efficiency, population distribution, exposure and vulnerability mapping, and urban heat island mitigation.
• Marine & coastal management: Marine debris monitoring, mangrove/wetland restoration, and sustainable fisheries assessment.
• Natural disasters: rapid response to flooding, earthquake, hurricane, and wildfire.
• Cross-domain synthesis studies linking physical, ecological, and human dimensions of the Earth system.
• Atmospheric, land, and marine environments, as well as other Earth-related realms.

6. Retrospect and Future Visions

• Ten-year retrospective: Key milestones, influential studies, paradigm shifts, and lessons learned in Big Earth Data science.
• Enduring global reference datasets and frameworks: What should remain stable, comparable, and trusted across decades of Earth observation and policy use.
• Emerging frontiers: Quantum computing for Earth system simulation, citizen science integration, and exoplanet-related Earth science insights.
• Capacity building: Strategies to bridge the digital divide and enhance developing countries’ adoption of Big Earth Data technologies.
• Ethical and governance challenges: Data privacy, intellectual property, and equitable benefit-sharing in global Big Earth Data initiatives.
• Digital Twin Earth: An earth system digital twin of digital twins for improving human capability in response to grand challenges of natural and man made.

Submission Instructions

Important Dates

Submission deadline: July 1, 2026
Publication date: January 1, 2027

Manuscript Submission Information

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting your manuscript. Once you have finished preparing your manuscript, please submit it through the Taylor & Francis Submission Portal, ensuring that you select the appropriate Special Issue. Publication charges (APCs) may be waived for invited manuscripts submitted to Big Earth Data, subject to approval based on their quality and potential impact. Authors who need a waiver code should contact the Editorial Office ([email protected]) before submitting.

Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Big Earth Data
Featured image credit: jcomp | Freepik

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