“The International Society for Digital Earth is a non-political, non-governmental and not-for-profit international organization, promoting academic exchange, science and technology innovation, education, and international collaboration towards Digital Earth.”

www.digitalearth-isde.org

About ISDE

The International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) was founded in Beijing in 2006. It aimed at harnessing the world's data and information resources to describe and digitally represent our planet, and to monitor, measure and forecast natural and human activities on earth. Digital Earth is the name given to a concept by former US vice president Al Gore, describing a virtual representation of the Earth connected to the world's digital knowledge. In his remarkable 1998 speech, Gore described a digital future where children – indeed all the world's citizens – could interact with a computer-generated three-dimensional spinning virtual globe and access vast amounts of scientific and cultural information to help them understand the Earth and human activities. 

The 2009 Beijing Declaration of Digital Earth stated “Digital Earth is an integral part of other advanced technologies including: earth observation, geoinformation systems, global positioning systems, communication networks, sensor webs, electromagnetic identifiers, virtual reality, grid computation, etc. It is seen as a global strategic contributor to scientific and technological developments, and will be a catalyst in finding solutions to international scientific and societal issues.” 

Since 1999, 12 International Symposia and 9 summits on Digital Earth, organized by ISDE have been held in 14 countries around the world. ISDE also publishes the International Journal of Digital Earth and Big Earth Data journal, and Manual of Digital Earth. In addition, ISDE is a member of the Group on Earth Observations, International Science Council, and Geospatial Societies of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.

For more information visit International Society for Digital Earth (digitalearth-isde.org)

Harokopio University of Athens, Department of Geography

The Department of Geography at Harokopio University of Athens was founded in 1999 and welcomed its first-class students during the academic year 2000- 2001. It is one of the two Hellenic university departments dedicated to Geography, a dynamic scientific field at the intersection of physical and social sciences. The mission of the Department of Geography consists in (i) promoting of the science of Geography, (ii) providing high-quality education, at undergraduate and post-graduate level, combining scientific ethos and theories of the Geographic science with the understanding of the problems the society faces, its demands, its needs, (iii) developing basic and applied research in the fields covered by Geography at international level, (iv) assuring the appropriate academic environment so that students, researchers and staff members may deploy at their best their capabilities. The Department offers one Undergraduate and one Postgraduate Program. Currently, the Department of Geography counts 15 Academic staff members, with recognition amongst the academics and intense presence in research. 

The Department attaches special value to research activity. During the fifteen years of its operation, a significant number of research projects have been implemented in collaboration with Higher Education Institutions / Universities and Research Centers of the Hellenic Republic and abroad. The research activities are highlighted and promoted through publications in academic journals and the participation of the Department’s scientific staff and students in international conferences. The aim of the Department is to accomplish the strengthening of the topic of Geography as crucial scientific field in the academia and in the Hellenic society, as well as the elevation of the Harokopio University Department of Geography as standard of geography education and research in response to the needs of the modern society. 

In December 2013, in accordance with the Law 3374/2005, the Department of Geography passed successfully the external evaluation procedure implemented by an international five-member committee. The very positive External Evaluation Report, displayed at the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency – now Hellenic Authority for Higher Education - (https://www.ethaae.gr/en/quality-assurance/external-evaluation-reports) certifies the high academic level of the curriculum, points out the outstanding quality of the staff and recognizes the driving forces of the research work the Department has accomplished. In May 2019, the Council of the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQA) (currently succeeded by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education – HAHE) in its 86th session on 13-05-2019 and in accordance with its decision 10067 of 15-05-2019, granted accreditation to the Undergraduate Study Programme “Geography” of Harokopio University of Athens.