详细梳理了元宇宙、数字孪生和虚拟地理环境3个概念的内涵、源初性特征和关联集成发展趋势。提出地理元宇宙概念,依据虚实内容关系与虚实空间平行叠合特点,定义与区分了地理元宇宙的三类数字地理环境,即数字原生的虚拟地理环境、数字孪生的虚拟地理环境、以及数实叠合的增强地理环境,并从时间-空间、化身人、空间参考系、在场-不在场等角度探讨了地理元宇宙的基本特性。基于人地关系以及地理元宇宙构建技术需求,建立了“人-物-场-事”映射建模、空间信息基础设施、虚拟地理实验与管理优化的地理元宇宙平台概念架构。面对逐渐展现的虚拟地理空间、化身人社会和虚实复合人地关系系统,提出建立虚拟地理环境工程学,推动地理元宇宙平台的构建和相关理论应用研究。

The connotation, initial characteristics and the development trend of association and integration of the three concepts of metaverse, digital twin and virtual geographic environment are scrutinized. The concept of geographic metaverse is proposed, and three types of digital geographic environments of geographic metaverse are defined and distinguished based on the relationship between virtual and real contents and the parallel superposition of virtual and real spaces, that is, the virtual geographic environment of digital native, the virtual geographic environment of digital twin, and the augmented geographic environment of digital-real superposition,.The essential characteristics of the geographic metaverse are discussed in terms of time-space, avatar, spatial reference system, and presence-absence. Based on the human-earth relationship and the technical requirements of geographic metaverse construction, the conceptual architecture of geographic metaverse platform is established. In the face of the emerging virtual geographic space, avatar society and virtual-real composite human-land relationship system, we propose to establish virtual geographic environment engineering and promote the construction of geographic metaverse platform and related theoretical application research.