The Curiosity Series is a recurring meeting where (space) researchers discuss a current challenge in their field from different perspectives. The Series is about stimulating knowledge sharing and strengthening the network of researchers and open innovation. Earlier sessions covered quantum sensory payloads, space radiation, and the first Digital Twinning discussion at the CDF in ESTEC. During the LDE Space Day 2022, next to the Curiosity topic of Philab, the second edition of Digital Twinning took place. The focus of this session was on how to use digital twinning as an application. The open approach and creativity during the discussions were highly valued.
DIGITAL TWINNING OF EARTH AS AN APPLICATION
A number of researchers with diverse backgrounds challenged ideas during the session. One of the participants explained: “You produce better solutions together because you bring forth information you did not know were problems. That is exactly when you go beyond fixed frameworks and you come up with ideas and solutions that work better.”
During this session, researchers can be really creative. Out-of-the-box ideas are very welcome at Curiosity Sessions. The discussions generated many different ideas. For example, ideas about the applications, how to present this tool to engineers who build the software or potential users, or the infrastructure for implementing such a tool. Participants all agreed that it is important that citizen scientists may be able to use them too, not just large corporations, who already have more access to scientific information.
A participant noted: “You do not see direct evidence of your help in a topic like this, but that’s also part of being at the beginning. Being set up now, you feel like you do help with something that is going to be big. We are at the bedrock of what you can do with Digital Twinning and for example what policymakers as future users can do with it. Often in politics, decision-makers use models to find what they want to see, but we must be careful that those models do not fill out too much of the details for us.”
CURIOSITY SERIES IN 2023
The topic of Digital Twinning of Earth will be part of a third Curiosity Session in 2023. Other sessions will be hosted with challenges gained from researchers who participated in earlier sessions or from the community. If you have a research challenge that you would like to discuss with a variety of research backgrounds, receive innovative ideas for your research and grow your network, please reach out to our community manager (m.smelter@nlspacecampus.eu) and she will contact you.
