International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B4. Istanbul 2004 
have purchased Geobrowser tool kits to begin building in- 
house systems for the visual display of three-dimensional 
projections of their data. Though these systems generally 
feature Earth-related data, they are being increasingly applied 
to planetary bodies as well. A variety of developments can be 
traced to the original set of Geobrowsers that debuted at the 
2000 Digital Earth meeting. What has been missing in this 
increasingly diverse set of development efforts is the creation 
of global standards for the performance and operational 
protocols that would allow for ubiquitous and free access of 
information about the planet and its conditions to all citizens. 
The series of Digital Earth workshops represents the only 
documented forum dedicated to this important goal. This 
effort could be viewed as a precursor for sustainable 
development decision support systems. 
  
3 KEY 
4.2 Paramount Actions 
: ; ; ; - ABS 
As we recognize the increasingly rapid pace of change on the 
surface of the Earth, including the ocean and marine The 4 
. ~ € 
environments, we must conclude that the rates of change and 
the impact on social, economic, and environmental systems "T 
require immediate and widespread collaborative action. S Gl: 
However, without a common framework from which to eda 
address actions, the approach to understanding conditions, Spec 
ameliorating negative impacts, and managing our life support Ker. 
systems will not be obtained in time. The next steps, aligned for fu 
with the Millennium Declaration, are to connect all nations and IRS. | 
their citizens with a common view of the planet. In addition to ihe m 
this common view is the access and distribution of applications h i 
and tools to help form consensus on priority actions at local ; e v 
and regional levels. All of these actions must be fully SOR 
inculcated into the education foundation. As such, the Fano | 
motivation for convergence of operational 3-D Geobrowsers Image 
with the CEOS and GEO community should be of the highest 
level. 
4.3 Summary Every 
: 2 acquis 
No single technology represents a panacea for the world's ds © 
problems and challenges. Likewise, there appears to be no nis 
single view on the conditions and trends of the planet. Early spect 
and enhanced implementation of 3-D Geobrowsers integrated a 
with the world’s networks of scientists, governments, industry, füsirie 
and citizenry may prove to be a keystone element in driving in inc 
sustainable development objectives to the front pages of (Caro 
tomorrow’s agendas. At present, we witness scientific and C ur 
engineering-valid metrics that demonstrate the Digital Earth : 
approach is no longer visionary but imminently implementable. Data ı 
The question begged is to what extent and at what pace will A UU 
the leading organizations and associations embrace this Digital ad 
Earth reality. da 
inform 
5. REFERENCES pet 
based 
"B iii, Focus: 
CEOS. 2004. http://www.ceos.org/utilization/index.html 
= record 
GEO. 2004. http://earthobservations.org/ Cole 
? In this 
differe 
Foresman, T., et al, 2003. "Mandate for Digital Earth origin: 
Geobrowsers: Status and Recommendations," Santa Barbara, its inl 
California. produc 
http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/digitalearth/3DGeobrowser/docum The n 
ents.html compr 
— 
* Corr 
888