气候变化领域集成服务门户

The vision of a digital earth (DE) is continuously evolving, and the next-generation infrastructures, platforms and applications are being implemented. In this article, we attempt to initiate a debate within the DE and with affine communities about why' a digital earth curriculum (DEC) is needed, how' it should be developed, and what' it could look like. It is impossible to do justice to the Herculean effort of DEC development without extensive consultations with the broader community. We propose a frame for the debate (what, why, and how of a DEC) and a rationale for and elements of a curriculum for educating the coming generations of digital natives and indicate possible realizations. We particularly argue that a DEC is not a deja vu of classical research and training agendas of geographic information science, remote sensing, and similar fields by emphasizing its unique characteristics.