A new peer-reviewed article published in Big Earth Data presents a comprehensive roadmap for building an integrated Global Ground-Based Earth Observatory (GGBEO) to better tackle the escalating planetary environmental and climate crisis. The study argues that unifying existing ground-based, in situ, remote sensing, marine, and airborne observation networks is crucial for meeting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for advancing climate science and societal resilience.
Citation
Lappalainen, H. K., Baklanov, A., Bäck, J., Arvanitidis, C., Basart, S., Bernier, N., … Kulmala, M. (2025). Towards a Global Ground-Based Earth Observatory (GGBEO): Leveraging existing systems and networks. Big Earth Data, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964471.2025.2574174
Abstract
To tackle the planetary environmental and climate crisis and meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we must fully leverage the potential of Earth observations (EO). This involves integrating globally sourced data on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, along with ecological and socio-economic information. By harmonizing and integrating these diverse data sources, we can more effectively incorporate observational data into multi-scale modeling and artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks. This paper is based on discussions from the "Towards Global Earth Observatory" workshop held from May 8–10, 2023, organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC), in collaboration with the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at the University of Helsinki. The current state of EO and data repositories is fragmented, highlighting the need for a more integrated approach to establish a new global Ground-Based Earth Observatory (GGBEO). Here, we summarize the current status of selected in-situ and ground-based remote sensing observation systems and outline future actions and recommendations to meet scientific, societal, and economic needs. In addition, we identify key steps to create a coordinated and comprehensive GGBEO system that leverages existing investments, networks, and infrastructures. This system would integrate regional and global ground-based in situ and remote sensing systems, marine, and airborne observational data. An integrated approach should aim for seamless coordination, interoperable and harmonized data repositories, easily searchable and accessible data, and sustainable long-term funding.
Keywords
SDGs; PEEX; climate; FAIR; TRUST; geoscience; remotesensing; earthobervation; environment; atmosphere
Big Earth Data is an interdisciplinary Open Access journal which aims to provide an efficient and high-quality platform for promoting the sharing, processing and analyses of Earth-related big data, thereby revolutionizing the cognition of the Earth's systems. The journal publishes a wide range of content, including Research Articles, Review Articles, Data Notes, Technical Notes, and Perspectives. It is now included in ESCI (IF=3.8, Q1), Scopus (CiteScore=9.0, Q1), Ei Compendex, GEOBASE, and Inspec. Starting from 2023, Big Earth Data has announced a new award series for authors: Best and Outstanding Paper Awards.
