数字地球建立在全球网络基础设施平台之上，以时空框架整合多源海量数据，并以深度与广度开发空间信息资源为基本特征，预计将启动下一代全球信息基础设施的建设，数字地球的发展是一个演化过程，“空间基础设施”的建设是这一过程的起点。数字地球化作为导向目标，有着广阔的应用前景，在建设过程中所引发的技术创新将不断动新的技术产业和服务产业的形成。

Built on the global network infrastructure, Digital Earth embeds multi-source mass storage of data into the universal spatial/temporal architecture. Digital Earth is oriented to excavation and utilization of information resources in depth/width, and is expected to initiate the construction of the next-generation global information infrastructure (NGII). Development of the digital earth follows an evolutionary process, and constructing the“spatial information infrastructure”is a starting point of the process. Beyond the“Desktop”metaphor of the current information platform, the digital earth will form a natural, immersible information environment. As a guiding goal, the digital earth can be found its applications in almost every field. The technical innovations aroused during development of the digital earth will incessantly promote form of new technical industries and new service industries.