The Destination Earth (DestinE) Platform is the operational user access focal point for the European Union initiative to create a high-precision digital model of the Earth. The DestinE Platform provides user-friendly access to a wide range of applications, tools and services that leverage the use of data generated by DestinE.
The DestinE Platform is designed to work together with the other components of DestinE, namely the Digital Twin Engine implemented by ECMWF and the Data Lake provided by EUMETSAT. As these components become progressively available, The DestinE Platform will grant users access to a growing number of Digital Twins and simulated data.
The DestinE Platform challenge is to provide users with all the tools and services needed to foster their participation in the creation of a vibrant user community. DestinE Platform users will be diverse, going from citizens approaching DestinE ecosystem to high-experienced users looking for advanced services, and new Service Providers willing to integrate their own data, develop their own applications and customise the platform.
To meet these expectations, the DestinE Platform is conceived as an open framework. The platform will also leverage the development of related third-party initiatives and facilitate interoperability with other European initiatives or programmes, such as Copernicus.
2. Purpose of the DestinE Platform Code of Conduct
The DestinE Platform Code of Conduct aims to guarantee the provision and usage of an environment safeguarding the freedom of expression, access to information, and other human rights, while ensuring an open, safe, and secure environment for platform registered and unregistered users[1]. The DestinE Platform Code of Conduct outlines the responsibilities of different stakeholders in this regard, setting out the basic principles for the governance system of the DestinE Platform with a human rights-based approach.
Moreover, this Code of Conduct defines the basic requirements for the platform relationship towards the stakeholders, social surroundings and the environment. In particular, the DestinE Platform views sustainable development as an integral part of its processes and has incorporated sustainability principles into its internal operations.
DestinE Platform Code of Conduct is presented to all DestinE Platform actors upon registration for their acknowledgement and acceptance.
It is expected that stakeholders accessing the services adhere to the core values listed below. By embracing these principles, the DestinE Platform aims to cultivate a productive and inclusive community.
- Integrity: We believe in conducting ourselves with honesty, transparency, and fairness in all aspects of our work. The Consortium strives to make the DestinE Platform Framework safe space for everyone. Every DestinE Platform user has the right to feel safe and welcome when he engages with the platform and the Consortium is committed to creating an environment of equality for all.
- Respect: We value diversity, treat others with dignity and respect, and foster an inclusive environment. We strive to safeguard freedom of expression while at the same time we combat hate speech, disinformation and misinformation. We do not tolerate harassment or bullying of any community member in any form.
- Excellence: We are committed to achieving excellence, striving for continuous improvement, innovation and the highest standards of quality. We recognise the pivotal role our digital platform plays in contributing to objectives of the EU Digital Strategy.
- Sustainability: We acknowledge our responsibility to promote sustainable development by integrating environmental, social and economic considerations into our business practices. We actively promote the adoption of sustainable practices in both our external and internal processes to contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goalsand the objectives of the European Green Deal.
- Adaptation to climate change: We strive to take actions to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change, in accordance to the EU Adaptation Strategy.
- Customer Focus: We prioritise the needs and satisfaction of our customers, building long-term relationships based on trust, reliability, and mutual benefit.
- Localisation: We are dedicated to supporting local exploitation of our services and data, in particular by service providers who adhere to EU regulations, ensuring compliance and alignment with European standards and values.
4. Sections of the Code of Conduct
DestinE Platform values the safety and security of all of our members and users. Because of that, we will not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination. To this end in this page we:
- Provide a statement of intent for members of our community;
- Provide the code of conduct for members of our community;
- Outline and define forms of harassment and discrimination;
- Outline the consequences for those who engage in harassing or discriminatory behaviour;
- Provide a system for reporting any harassing or discriminatory behaviour;
- Commit to a periodic review of the code of conduct.
4.1 Statement of Intent of the DestinE Platform
The DestinE Platform Community is an engaged and respectful community made up of people from all over the world.
In fact, The DestinE Platform is designed to grow in terms of user basis and service offer via a Service Onboarding process that will allow Service Providers to make their services available to the platform end-user community. Moreover, the Web Forum enables registered or federated users to engage in discussion, share tips and best practices.
Your involvement helps us to further our mission and to create an open platform that serves a broad range of communities, from research and education to industry and beyond.
The DestinE Platform provides a respectful, harassment-free community for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment or bullying of any community member in any form. This applies equally to founders, developers, and new community members, in all spaces managed by the DestinE Platform . This includes the mailing lists, our GitHub organizations, our forum, in-person events, and any other channel or meeting created by the project team. In addition, violations of this code outside these spaces may affect a person’s ability to participate within them.
1.Be friendly, patient, and welcoming.
We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, physical appearance, family status, technological or professional choices, academic discipline, religion, mental ability, and physical ability.
- Be considerate and respectful.
Your work will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions.
Remember that we’re a world-wide community, and that you may be communicating with someone with a different primary language or cultural background. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behaviour or poor manners. Do not insult or put down other community members. A community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one.
- Consider Impact vs. Intent.
Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and the DestinE Platform is no exception. People perceive their own behaviours very differently than others perceive them. What motivates one person may cause stress for another. A few steps worth remembering to include the following:
Other people do not see things the same way you do, do not feel the same as you, or interpret the world the way you do. Consider different people’s perspectives on things like change, drive, structure, process, big picture, and small details.
Ask for feedback and listen to them.
Blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere, while we can learn from mistakes to find better solutions.
- A simple apology can go a long way.
It can often de-escalate a situation, and telling someone that you are sorry is an act of empathy that doesn’t automatically imply an admission of guilt.
Rather than considering this code an exhaustive list of things that you can’t do, take it in the spirit it is intended – a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the communities in which we participate. By embracing the following principles, guidelines and actions to follow or avoid, you will help us make the DestinE Platform a welcoming and productive community. Feel free to contact the Code of Conduct Committee at desp-support@serco.com with any questions.
We do not tolerate harassment or bullying of any community member in any form. Forms of harassment include, but is not limited to:
- Violent threats or violent language directed against another person;
- Discriminatory jokes and language;
- Posting sexually explicit or violent material;
- Posting (or threatening to post) other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”);
- Personal insults, especially those related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, caste, or creed;
- Unwelcome sexual attention, stalking;
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour;
- Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
Please note that harassment is not discussing or criticising oppressive behaviour and assumptions.
4.4 Consequences for Harassment and Discrimination
If a member of the community at large engages in behaviour which is harassing or discriminatory in any way, once the incident is reported, the Code of Conduct Committee may take any action they deem appropriate listed in the Enforcement Manual. These actions include, but are not limited to, issuing a warning, requiring an apology, or a permanent or temporary ban from some or all the DestinE Platform spaces (mailing list, etc.).
5. How to report Harassment and Discrimination
If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct, please report this in a timely manner. Code of conduct violations reduce the value of the community for everyone, and we take them seriously.
You can file a report by filing out the form reported in the Web Portal. The online form gives you the option to keep your report anonymous or request that we follow up with you directly. While we cannot follow up on an anonymous report, we will take appropriate action.
For information on enforcement, please view the Enforcement Manual (see Section 6.1 below).
The enforcement of the Code of Conduct is provided in several ways.
- For what concerns user’s behaviour, every user’s content (posts, feedbacks, questions) is subject to moderation as well as any other content published on the platform. Failure to comply with the restrictions as laid out in T&C (Communication) constitutes a material breach of the Code of Conduct. Violation can be reported by the user of the platform via dedicated channels (Service Desk). The DestinE Platform Service Desk will inform the user of the breach and the actions that will be taken, providing an opportunity to appeal or provide additional information. Actions may include immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of right to use the DestinE Platform.
- For what concerns the usage of the platform and the alignment of the offered services with the scope of the DestinE Platform, the enforcement will be part of the onboarding procedure, that foresees an approval step for a service to be published on the platform.
- Concerning Security breaches or Data Protection incidents or non-compliance, the DestinE Platform Security Manager will report any such breach to the relevant law enforcement authorities, and it will co-operate with those authorities by disclosing the user identity to them. In the event of such a breach, the user right to use the DestinE Platform will cease immediately. the DestinE Platform will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by a distributed denial-of-service attack, viruses or other technologically harmful material that may infect the DestinE Platform users’ computer equipment, computer programmes, data or other proprietary material due to use of the platform or to downloading any material posted on it, or on any website linked to it. The DestinE Platform user should ensure that has appropriate protection against viruses and other security arrangements in place when using the internet.
The DestinE Platform Code of Conduct is prepared and maintained by Serco, which oversees the DestinE Platform operations.
The DestinE Platform strives to create a positive and inclusive environment. As such, an annual review of the Code of Conduct ensures that it continues to align with this goal and address the needs of our community. The DestinE Platform welcomes feedback from its members.
[1] Unregistered users are required to accept to the CoC and T&C for the subset of actions they are allowed to perform in the DestinE Platform.
