EU Builds Real-Time Digital Earth

A new EU project uses real-time data and weather simulators to create a digital Earth for climate planning and forecasting.

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Destination Earth

The European Commission’s Destination Earth (DestinE) project is reimagining how we understand and respond to climate challenges. By building a hyper-accurate digital Earth, the EU aims to simulate real-world environmental systems using real-time data. 


This will help governments, scientists, and urban planners forecast extreme events, improve long-term decision-making, and strengthen Europe’s resilience to climate change.

What Is Destination Earth?

Destination Earth is a digital infrastructure project developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and EUMETSAT. It is part of the Digital Europe Programme and supports the goals of the EU Green Deal.

At the core of the project are two digital twins:

  • Climate Change Adaptation Twin: Models long-term environmental trends and their impact on ecosystems, cities, and economies.

  • Weather-Induced Extremes Twin: Acts as a weather simulator, enabling short-term forecasting of floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related disasters.

These twins use real-time data from satellites, sensors, and public databases to continuously improve their accuracy.

How It Works

The platform is powered by a combination of high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, and cloud technology. It includes:

  • A Digital Twin Engine that processes complex climate and environmental models.

  • A secure Core Platform that offers access to these models for researchers and public agencies.

  • A Data Lake integrating vast quantities of Earth observation data into a unified system.

Together, these components create a flexible simulation environment that can forecast environmental conditions with extraordinary precision.

Why It Matters

Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Accurate simulation tools are essential for planning resilient infrastructure, managing energy resources, and safeguarding public health. By delivering actionable insights from a digital Earth, DestinE allows users to:

  • Test urban policies against long-term climate scenarios

  • Prepare for extreme weather events with greater lead time

  • Evaluate how proposed infrastructure will perform in future conditions

The system is designed to support evidence-based policymaking across the EU.

By 2030, the EU aims to fully integrate multiple digital twins into a unified platform that supports real-time simulations of Earth systems. This will serve not only climate goals but also wider sustainability objectives in agriculture, energy, and disaster preparedness.

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