https://video.osgeo.org/videos/watch/b55063c1-3860-4b53-9b90-26f0b6d728d0 Mankind has been flattening the Earth for more than two thousand years to represent and process geo-spatial data. This practice has imposed relevant penalties in accuracy with the distortions inherent to map projections. An holistic approach to global geo-spatial was never really tackled. But a new era is dawning. Computer Systems are finally brewing the impact on geo-spatial information the were always meant to have. As geo-spatial data are no longer stored on flat sheets, the distortions and liabilities of traditional cartography can be addressed. Since 1990 researchers and computer programmers have worked on methods and models to partition the surface of the Earth, paving the way for a modern representation of geo-spatial data. Broadly known as Discrete Global Grid Systems (DGGS) these models map any location on the surface to both a unique logical index and a geodetical zone. These zones form a regular or quasi-regular partition of the Earth's surface in its entirety, and may be created at different sizes or scales (also known as grid resolutions). In recent years the number of institutions and enterprises adopting or developing DGGSs has erupted, leading to numerous tools and implementation, progressively approaching the expectations of regular GIS users. Moreover, members of the OGC have developed two standards, an abstract DGGS specification and just this year a data provision API. These developments usher a new era, in which most users will have some means of working with DGSSs. This address presents in first place a brief history of DGGS. It then lays out the current spectrum of DGGS tools and their applications. It closes with notes on expected developments in the near future. Luís M. de Sousa https://talks.osgeo.org/foss4g-europe-2025/talk/JFCK3B/ Room: SA01 @ 17.07.2025 16:30:00 #foss4ge2025 #GeneralTrack #OpenStandardsAndInteroperabilityForGeospatial Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:50:40 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.osgeo.org https://video.osgeo.org/lazy-static/avatars/de841c88-3a57-45ac-9eff-a00237356bfc.png https://video.osgeo.org/videos/watch/b55063c1-3860-4b53-9b90-26f0b6d728d0 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.osgeo.org/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.