ResearchTurk Space Founder Dr. Tamer Özalp participated in the 11th International Symposium on Digital Earth (ISDE11), held in Florence, Italy, on 24–27 September 2019. Dr. Özalp also served as a member of the Scientific Program Committee of the symposium.

ResearchTurk Space Founder Dr. Tamer Özalp participated in the 11th International Symposium on Digital Earth (ISDE11), held in Florence, Italy, on 24–27 September 2019. Dr. Özalp also served as a member of the Scientific Program Committee of the symposium.

Organised under the theme “Digital Earth in a Transformed Society,” ISDE11 marked the 20th anniversary of the International Symposium on Digital Earth, first held in Beijing in 1999. The symposium brought together around 400 scientists, engineers, researchers, policymakers, industry representatives and international organisations from more than 20 countries to explore the evolving role of Digital Earth in a rapidly transforming society.

A particularly memorable part of ISDE11 was its Opening Plenary Session, held in the historic Salone dei Cinquecento at Palazzo Vecchio, one of Florence's most significant civic and historical settings. The session also hosted the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the International Symposium on Digital Earth, providing a symbolic setting in which two decades of Digital Earth development were reflected upon and its future directions discussed.

 During the opening ceremony, Prof. Huadong Guo, who had served as President of the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), formally handed over the ISDE presidency to Dr. Alessandro Annoni. In recognition of his longstanding contributions to the development of Digital Earth and the international ISDE community, Prof. Guo was named Lifetime Honorary President of ISDE. The leadership transition formed part of the symposium’s 20th-anniversary celebrations in the historic Salone dei Cinquecento.

The scientific programme continued at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Florence, with plenary and parallel sessions addressing Earth Observation, remote sensing, big data, Earth sciences and data mining, as well as applications of Digital Earth in urban environments, heritage, marine and atmospheric sciences and other fields.

Opening Plenary Session of ISDE11 at the historic Salone dei Cinquecento, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.

For ResearchTurk Space, participation in ISDE11 represented an important engagement with the international Digital Earth community and with discussions shaping the future use of Earth Observation, digital technologies and geospatial information in addressing societal and environmental challenges.