On January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The Consultant Committees on Communication and Information Technology (CCIT) and Life Sciences and Human Health (CCLH) of China Association for Sciences and Technology (CAST) for the United Nations jointly initiated COVID-19 Knowledge & Data Hub immediately. Professor GONG Ke, President of World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and Chairman of CCIT leads the initiative.Member of the leading group includes Prof. LIANG Xiaofeng, Secretary-general of the CCLH, Mr. QIN Jiuyi, Deputy Director of Consultant Committee Office of CAST and Prof. LIU Chuang, member of CCIT. Prof. LIU Chuang was appointed to be the leader of the technical group and Professors. LIANG Xiaofeng and YI Heya, Secretary of the CCLH, as the co-leaders of the information resources group of the COVID-19 KD Hub. The Global Change Science Research Data Publishing & Repository (GCdataPR) (http://www.geodoi.ac.cn) hosts the online system of the COVID-19 Knowledge & Data Hub. The GCdataPR is jointly established in 2014 by the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR/CAS) and the Geographical Society of China (GSC).The GCdataPR is one of Regular Members of the World Data System of the International Science Council (WDS/ISC) and China Data Publishing Center of Global Earth Observation Systems. The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) is the largest non-governmental organization of scientific and technological professionals in China, serves as a bridge that links the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to the country's science and technology community. Through its 210 national member societies and local branches all over the country, CAST maintains close ties with millions of Chinese scientists, engineers and other professionals working in the fields of science and technology. CAST attained UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) consultative status in 2004 and took active part in UN activities since then.(http://english.cast.org.cn/).

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. MA Jing

Officer of Consultation Committee for UN of China Association for Science and Technology

Phone: 86-10-62173499

Address: No. 86 Xueyuan South Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100086, China

Professor LIU Chuang

Editor-in-Chief of the Global Change Research Data Publishing & Repository (GCdataPR)

Professor of Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR/CAS)

Phone: 86-10-64889805

Email: lchuang@igsnrr.ac.cn

Address: No. 11, Jiatun Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

COVID-19 Knowledge & Data Hub Website: http://www.geodoi.ac.cn/COVID-19

Feedback to: geodbserv@igsnrr.ac.cn