Digital Element Earth

The resources and environmental problems are the two most fundamental issues facing all nations in the world. Everything in and on the Earth – minerals, animals and plants – is made from one, or generally some combination of, chemical elements, which are scientifically listed in the periodic table. Thus it is important to understand the present abundance and spatial distribution of all the elements across the Earth's surface. Such kinds of data can only be obtained at present and for the foreseeable future by on-earth geochemical mapping at all scales. The 30-year efforts made by Chinese geochemists in carrying out multi-element, multi-media, multi-scale geochemical mapping projects to delineate 39–76 element distribution at home and abroad culminated in a successful case of high-quality geochemical data acquirement. The new idea for a four-level plan for global geochemical mapping was advanced to obtain global data in the foreseeable future and the collection of updated geochemical information. Such information needs to be easily accessible not only by the science community, but also by industry, agriculture, governments, and even individuals, by all who would make an effort to promote sustainable living on our planet. The concept of a Digital Element Earth (DEE) fulfills the aims.