Shaping tomorrow's geospatial services: The DestinE Platform

The DestinE Platform represents the next generation of cloud-based geospatial services, enabling the integration and management of an ecosystem to facilitate the effective use and sharing of Earth Observation (EO) data. Designed as a distributed and federated digital ecosystem, the platform promotes seamless interaction among interconnected services, building on the concept of federations to support a diverse range of users: including both service providers and consumers such as citizens, researchers, businesses, and policymakers. This collaborative environment enables knowledge-sharing, cross-disciplinary analysis, and co-creation of geospatial solutions.

The platform provides a comprehensive suite of cloud-based services, including user management, Infrastructure-as-a-Service capabilities such as storage, networking, and CPU/GPU processing, data access and retrieval, data traceability and harmonisation, and 2D/3D visualisation tools. It also offers a core software suite for local data analysis, data and software cataloguing, and a flexible framework for service providers to host advanced DestinE applications. Through its use of OVHcloud-based infrastructure and federated services, including access to Copernicus data, the DestinE Platform empowers service providers to expand their offerings, increase visibility and drive innovation.

Cloud-based geospatial platforms are driving the evolution of Earth Observation (EO) services by adopting distributed infrastructures that integrate online data repositories, collaborative computing environments, and advanced data processing tools. The DestinE Platform facilitates the onboarding of external services and resources, fostering flexibility, scalability, and support for community-driven innovation. This approach unlocks new growth opportunities for service providers, offering greater visibility and pathways for and innovation, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining high-quality services to remain competitive.

By establishing clear conditions for participation, the DestinE Platform framework fosters equitable access to resources and strengthens engagement across its user community. This structured approach embodies the shift toward a federated digital ecosystem, capable of meeting the diverse requirements of modern geospatial data consumers and providers. By enabling interoperability and fostering shared development, the platform lays the groundwork for the next generation of Digital Earth ecosystems, shaping the future of EO technology and services.