The International Symposium on Earth Observation for One Belt and One Road (EOBAR) was held in Beijing from May 16 to 17, 2016. The event attracted more than 300 Earth observation scholars and management experts from over 40 countries and regions along the Belt and Road and from international organizations such as the UNESCO, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). SDIM was a co-organizer of the symposium. SDIM’s Director Guo Huadong presided over the opening ceremony and proposed the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) Initiative, winning support from more than 20 countries and international organizations. Based on Earth observation for the Belt and Road, DBAR is aimed at providing scientific, open, shared and sustainable decision-making support for the Belt and Road Initiative.