The concept of Digital Earth (DE) was formalized by Al Gore in 1998. At that time the technologies needed for its implementation were in an embryonic stage and the concept was quite visionary. Since then digital technologies have progressed significantly and their speed and pervasiveness have generated and are still causing the digital transformation of our society. This creates new opportunities and challenges for the realization of DE. ‘What is DE today?’, ‘What could DE be in the future?’, and ‘What is needed to make DE a reality?’. To answer these questions it is necessary to examine DE considering all the technological, scientific, social, and economic aspects, but also bearing in mind the principles that inspired its formulation. By understanding the lessons learned from the past, it becomes possible to identify the remaining scientific and technological challenges, and the actions needed to achieve the ultimate goal of a ‘Digital Earth for all’. This article reviews the evolution of the DE vision and its multiple definitions, illustrates what has been achieved so far, explains the impact of digital transformation, illustrates the new vision, and concludes with possible future scenarios and recommended actions to facilitate full DE implementation.

The ubiquitous occurrence of heavy metals in the aquatic environment remains a serious environmental and health issue. The recovery of metals from wastes and their use for the abatement of toxic heavy metals from contaminated waters appear to be practical approaches. In this study, manganese was recovered from groundwater treatment sludge via reductive acid leaching and converted into spherical aggregates of high-purity MnO₂. The as-synthesized MnO₂ was used to adsorb Cu(II) and Pb(II) from single-component metal solutions. High metal uptake of 119.90 mg g⁻¹ for Cu(II) and 177.89 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II) was attained at initial metal ion concentration, solution pH, and temperature of 200 mg L⁻¹, 5.0, and 25 °C, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model best described the equilibrium metal adsorption, indicating that a single layer of Cu(II) or Pb(II) was formed on the surface of the MnO₂ adsorbent. The pseudo-second-order model adequately fit the Cu(II) and Pb(II) kinetic data confirming that chemisorption was the rate-limiting step. Thermodynamic studies revealed that Cu(II) or Pb(II) adsorption onto MnO₂ was spontaneous, endothermic, and had increased randomness. Overall, the use of MnO₂ prepared from groundwater treatment sludge is an effective, economical, and environmentally sustainable substitute to expensive reagents for toxic metal ion removal from water matrices.

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After more than two years of hard lockdowns and restricted mobility, the whole world carefully returns to normalcy. With this, the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) Inspire, Develop, Empower, and Advance (IDEA) Committee took the opportunity to attend two conferences in person, continuing its campaign for inclusivity and diversity.