New Zealand Summit

What do you get when the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Auckland, scores of other mayors, and council members open your Digital Earth Summit? You get the political will do what is necessary to build your digital infrastructure and focus your nation’s attention onto the path for sustainability. The Summit (www.digitalearth.org.nz) was an amazing event generating enormous enthusiasm and interest into the questions behind linking advanced DE technologies to the challenges facing communities, cities, and nations in the waves of global change. Prime Minister Helen Clark provided a brilliant open speech unwavering in recognition of the global change realities and the need to harness an informed and connected citizenry to match the challenges ahead. Auckland’s Mayor Richard Hubbard who help host the event was forthright in recognizing the sober perceptions of what government can do and how it must partner with industry, academia, and citizen’s groups to lower our ecological footprints and to stimulate bold new enterprises under the Digital Earth umbrella for our future coping strategies. New Zealand and Auckland have contributed a significant boost to our understanding of the practical aspects of bringing Digital Earth down to Earth for sustainability issues.