The European Commission has launched the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative to build a virtual replica of the Earth, with the goal of enabling digital twins of the Earth system by 2030. As of today, DestinE consists of two digital twins: one on climate change adaptation, and one on extreme weather events, with more replicas on other thematic domains such as oceans and biodiversity to follow. 

The Commission has entrusted three agencies with the development of the DestinE project: The European Space Agency (ESA), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). 

Addressing climate change and managing environmental extremes is often a responsibility at the local level: cities and regions are first in line when it comes to implementing measures for flood protection, land use planning or building safety. In doing this, they are starting to or already rely on Local Digital Twins, recognising the key value of digital simulation and real-time data for urban policies. 

Objective of the session 

In this session, we will discover the core aims of Destination Earth and its objectives, and how it can support local-level decision-making processes. Participants will explore how climate and weather data - made accessible through DestinE - can inform urban planning, and what capacities are needed to make the most of these insights. 

The webinar will also provide an overview of other services from DestinE that are available to local and regional authorities which were developed as use cases.

Agenda

11:30-11:40 | Welcome – Gabriela Ruseva, Living-in.EU coordinator, Eurocities

11:40-12:15 | Introduction to Destination Earth

• Destination Earth, a flagship initiative of the European Commission – Charalampos Tsitlakidis, Head of the Destination Earth Sector, DG CNECT, European Commission
• The Digital Twins – Jörn Hoffmann, Applications and Innovation Partnerships Lead for DestinE, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 
• The Datalake – Danaële Puechmaille, Computer Systems Engineer, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) 
• The DestinE platform – Franka Kunz, DestinE Earth Science Model Engineer, European Space Agency (ESA) 

12:15-12:50 | DestinE in the urban context

• How to use the DestinE Digital Twins in the urban context – Jörn Hoffmann, Applications and Innovation Partnerships Lead for DestinE, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 
• CityNexus: A novel urban application to assess the potential impacts of urban development with a focus on how mobility impacts air quality and liveability in the city – Simone Fratini, Senior Research Engineer, Solenix Engineering GmbH
• Urban Square: Supporting decision makers in assessing climate-related challenges and their impact on urban areas – Leticia Perez, Earth Observations Data Analyst, Starion Group

12:50-13:00 | Discussion and Q&A