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GCRIDigital Public InfrastructureIn development
Digital Public Infrastructure · Mandate and publisher

Mandate and publisher

Digital Public Infrastructure is published by The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI). Its mandate is research on public digital systems, interoperable institutions and the social conditions for responsible access. This page sets out who is responsible for the platform, why it exists as a separate field, what it does not do and its current operating state.

Make an enquiry Back to Digital Public Infrastructure
In this dossier6 parts
  1. 01In briefThe short answer
  2. 02MandateResearch on public digital systems
  3. 03PublisherWho is responsible
  4. 04LimitsWhat the platform does not do
  5. 05Key termsTerms used on this page
  6. 06Operating stateWhat exists today

GCRI · In development · service level R0

STEM methods
6
Canonical methods this field applies
Topics
8
Subject pages in the field
Counterparts
5
Platforms in shared fields at GCRI, GRF and GRA
Report series
2
Nexus Reports series it contributes to
01In brief

The short answer.

Digital Public Infrastructure is a specialist platform of The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation for digital public infrastructure as well as cyber and digital resilience. Its mandate covers public digital systems, interoperable institutions and the social conditions for responsible access. GCRI publishes it, answers for its content and takes no decision on anyone's behalf. It is in development at service level R0, and activities open as each is ready.

02Canvas

Mandate to authority.

Canvas · mandate to authorityDesign, not a record
How Digital Public Infrastructure is governedA mandate sets the platform's scope; an editor and reviewers govern what it publishes; programmes and the community supply the work; the integrity route handles corrections; authority over decisions stays outside. Design of the governance, not a record.

Fig.How the platform is governed, from its mandate to the authorities who decide. Design, not a record.

03Geography

People and hazards in India.

For mandate and publisher, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on night lights, population density and true-colour imagery with true colour from NASA GIBS, framed on India; every other NASA layer, live feed and forecast waits in the layer list.

The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.

Layers 3

People and hazards, for this page

Latest available

NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth

Loading the latest NASA imagery.

Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.

For mandate and publisher, in GCRI's spatial-intelligence reading, the map opens on night lights, population density and true-colour imagery with true colour from NASA GIBS, framed on India; every other NASA layer, live feed and forecast waits in the layer list.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.

Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A · NASA HLS S30Sources and licences

  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). CC BY 4.0
  • VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). ODbL
  • Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
  • Globe: MapLibre GL JS 6.9.1, BSD-3-Clause, © MapLibre contributors.
  • Observed (EO): Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026), Microsoft Planetary Computer
  • Observed (EO): NASA HLS S30 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
  • Optional layers (35 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.

Layers and dates

  • Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
  • Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
  • Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
  • Enhanced vegetation index, rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra EVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026

04Mandate

Research on public digital systems.

Field

Scope

Digital public infrastructure, with its links to cyber and digital resilience.

Community

Who takes part

GovTech researchers, standards engineers, service designers and public administrations.

Outputs

What it is designed to publish

Public digital-system guides, DPI safeguards and interoperability notes.

05Publisher

Who is responsible.

GCRI publishes the platform and answers for its content. GCRI works across Canada and the United States.

  • Status: in development. Digital Public Infrastructure is a platform of The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) in development. The current service level is R0: information and enquiries.
  • Why a dedicated platform: DPI is a question of public-sector infrastructure and service design. The platform is not an identity product or a regulator.
  • Sources and methods will be published at sources and methods and uncertainty.
06Limits

What the platform does not do.

GCRI is a research, development and policy institution. It is not a regulator, and it does not certify, license or approve; its findings carry their methods and uncertainty.

  • It does not build, operate, sell or endorse identity, payment or data exchange systems or their vendors.
  • It does not hold or process population registers, identity data or payment data.
  • It does not advise on procurement decisions or recommend suppliers.
  • It does not promote any single architecture, technology or national model as the right one for every country; evidence is presented with the context in which it was gathered.
  • Taking part, hosting or sponsorship gives no authority over findings.

Decisions on DPI remain with governments and the competent authorities. Governance dialogue on digital technology takes place at AI and Digital Governance at The Global Risks Forum (GRF).

07Key terms

Terms used on this page.

Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.

TermDefinition
Service level R0The current service level of Nexus pages: information and enquiries only. An enquiry receives a reference and a named next step; it creates no membership, contract, assignment or commitment.
Conflict of interestA situation in which financial, professional or personal interests could compromise, or appear to compromise, judgement in research or review.
Digital public infrastructureShared, interoperable digital systems such as identity, payments and data exchange, governed to serve the public at scale.
Digital identityA set of attributes and credentials that lets a person prove who they are in digital transactions.
08Operating state

What exists today.

The platform publishes information and receives enquiries. Its research agenda is set out in the field overview and dependencies and consequences. Research partnerships with universities, standards bodies and public administrations are designed to open as the platform develops, each under written terms. Financial-sector questions about payments and fraud belong with The Global Risks Alliance (GRA), for example at Payments and Market Infrastructure.

09Questions

Questions and answers.

Is the platform a separate organization?
No. It is a specialist platform of GCRI with no separate legal identity.
Can a government commission work from the platform?
Technical assistance through the Consortium is bounded capacity-building under a defined scope and written terms. It opens when its team, terms and review capacity exist; an enquiry is the first step.
How do I contact the team?
Write to research@therisk.global or see contact the specialist team.
Related

Around Digital Public Infrastructure.

Digital Public Infrastructure

Bring your expertise to this field.

The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.

Write to the team See all contact routes