EGU25-3434, updated on 14 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-3434
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data Governance and Beyond: TPDC’s Role in Advancing Earth System Science
Xiaoduo Pan, Xin Li, Min Feng, Xiaowei Nie, and Xuejun Guo
Xiaoduo Pan et al.
  • National Tibetan Plateau Data Center, State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, esteemed as the World’s Third Pole, plays a pivotal role on the global stage, shaping climate rhythms, safeguarding water supplies, and nurturing biodiversity across the Asian continent and beyond. Decoding the complex interplay within the Third Pole’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and anthroposphere hinges on the availability of scientific data. As a cornerstone of research in one of the world’s most critical ecosystems, The National Tibetan Plateau/Third Pole Environment Data Center (TPDC, https://data.tpdc.ac.cn) goes beyond traditional data governance by implementing innovative strategies for data sharing, accessibility, and interoperability. This approach not only accelerates the pace of scientific discovery but also fosters a collaborative environment where researchers from around the globe can contribute to our understanding of the complex interactions within the Earth’s systems, ultimately leading to more effective conservation and management of our planet’s resources.

TPDC stands as one of the pioneering 20 national data centers backed by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology since 2019. TPDC is steadfast in its mission to aggregate and harmonize a wealth of data resources concerning the Tibetan Plateau. Boasting the most comprehensive scientific dataset for the Third Pole and its adjacent areas, TPDC curates over 6,600 datasets spanning a multitude of fields, from terrestrial studies to human-environment interactions, atmospheric research, geology, cryospheric science, remote sensing, paleoenvironmental analysis, and more.

TPDC furnishes a cloud-based infrastructure that streamlines online data procurement, quality assurance, analysis, and visualization, thereby enhancing the accessibility of shared data. Adhering to the FAIR principles—findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable—TPDC forges strategic alliances with international entities. It partners with the WMO to advance the Global Cryosphere Watch initiative and engages with ICIMOD on data swap, observational capabilities, skill development, and collaborative studies. As a preferred data repository for leading international journals like Nature, AGU, ESSD, and Elsevier, TPDC encourages researchers to publish their data in conjunction with scholarly articles. Furthermore, TPDC extends its data expertise to a host of international scientific endeavors, including TPE, GEWEX/GASS LS4P, and WCRP-CORDEX CPTP, bolstering the pursuit of knowledge for the World’s Third Pole." By the subcenter Qinghai and Xizang, TPDC also contribute to the regional sustainability.

In recent years, the TPDC team has made substantial contributions to data management and sharing within Earth system science. Their work, published in renowned journals such as Nature Geoscience, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Reviews of Geophysics, and Science Bulletin, underscores the critical need to advance data-sharing policies, enhance data assimilation techniques, and foster international collaboration. The team advocates for stronger policy, technological, and managerial actions to promote data sharing, stimulate scientific cooperation, and support the creation of a Digital Twin of Earth. Additionally, their research highlights the integration of advanced AI technologies and big data assimilation to tackle complex challenges in Earth system science, driving paradigm shifts from data-intensive science to robot scientists. Also they establish security mechanism for the security.Collectively, their efforts provide a robust framework for improving data governance, accelerating scientific progress, and enhancing global cooperation in Earth data sharing.

How to cite: Pan, X., Li, X., Feng, M., Nie, X., and Guo, X.: Data Governance and Beyond: TPDC’s Role in Advancing Earth System Science, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-3434, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-3434, 2025.