At the 21st annual Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum in Kyoto, more than 1,000 representatives from academia, industry, and government gathered to explore the role of science and technology in addressing global challenges. The forum was inaugurated by Komiyama Hiroshi, Chairman of the STS Forum, and featured an inspiring opening address by Japan’s Prime Minister, Ishiba Shigeru.
In the session on Digital Twins of the Ocean, Professor Phoebe Koundouri contributed insights on the necessity of integrating a comprehensive socio-economic layer into ocean digital twins. She highlighted the work of her team at AE4RIA (Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria), which is advancing this integration through multiple European Commission-funded research projects. Professor Koundouri emphasized that only with this socio-economic dimension can digital twins truly serve economic efficiency, inform policymaking, and enhance human welfare.
Discussions throughout the session focused on the challenges of data collection, understanding critical ocean processes, the computational power required, and the role of ocean digital twins in supporting sustainable development initiatives.
