GEOCRI-HiMAC Side Event on "Post 2025 Earth Intelligence" Successfully Held, Charting a Course for Integrating Cold Regions Data with Global Needs

The DBAR 2025 Side Event “GEOCRI-HiMAC Side Event on Post 2025 Earth Intelligence” was successfully held on 10 June 2025 at the Hilton Chengdu Xinglonghu Hotel. The conference used a combination of online and offline methods to discuss the intelligent development of the Earth observation system and its demand for data services. More than ten experts and scholars from six countries, including China, Germany, Finland, Japan, Belgium and the Netherlands, were invited to participate in the conference.

At the opening ceremony of the conference, Prof. Jia Gensuo, Vice-Chair of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Working Group on Climate Change, delivered a speech, emphasizing the importance of climate change and Earth observation. Prof. Qiu Yubao, co-chair of the HiMAC Working Group of the Digital Silk Road International (DBAR) programme, gave a systematic introduction to the development of the GEOCRI programme, and elaborated the programme's objectives and plans in the “post-2025 era”. He also explained the programme's objectives and plans for the “post-2025 era”.

There were two sessions. Session I was chaired by Prof Massimo Menenti, Co-Chair of the HiMAC Working Group, and the theme was ‘Earth Observation and Information Service Intelligence in Cold Regions’. In this session, experts including Prof. Shi Jiancheng from National Space Science Centre of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. Andreas J. Dietz from German Aerospace Agency (DLR), Prof. Hans Lievens from Ghent University (Belgium), Dr. Hiroyuki Enomoto from Japan Polar Research Institute (JPRI), Prof. Liu Shiyin from Yunnan University, and Prof. Jiang Lingmei from Beijing Normal University presented the research and application of cold-region standard data products. Experts including Prof Liu Shiyin from Yunnan University and Prof Jiang Lingmei from Beijing Normal University discussed and shared in-depth about the research and application of data products in cold regions.

Session II, chaired by Prof Shi Jiancheng, explored the needs for sustainable development data applications in cold regions. Participants included Prof Massimo Menenti, Prof Hanna K. Lappalainen from the University of Helsinki, Finland, Dr Duan Junfeng from Canon Global Strategy Institute, Japan, Prof Li Lanhai from Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof Pradhan Prajal from University of Groningen, the Netherlands, who shared their experiences from the perspectives of science gaps, ecological issues, energy needs, disaster prevention and control. issues, energy needs, disaster prevention and control, and sustainable development, and discussed the application needs in cold regions.

At the end of the meeting, Prof. Qiu Yubao introduced the operation mechanism of the GEOCRI programme and put forward suggestions on the staffing of the Scientific Committee, Executive Committee and Secretariat. The participants reached a consensus and decided that further working meetings would be held in the near future to promote the smooth implementation and development of the programme.