The Global Land Project third Open Science Meeting (GLP 3rd OSM 2016) will be held from 24-27th October, 2016 in Beijing, the capital of China. GLP had its first Open Science Meeting from 17-19th October, 2010 at Arizona State University, Tempe, USA, and second Open Science Meeting from 19-21st March, 2014 at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. The upcoming GLP 3rd OSM 2016 will be organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences under the coordination of Scientific Steering Committee and International Project Office of GLP. The aim of GLP 3rd OSM 2016 is to bring together large parts of the international research community working on land system issues, showcase the width and scope of ongoing research, help build a community in this highly interdisciplinary field, inspire new research and facilitate review, theory building and extrapolation. The latest technology and services will be demonstrated in the exhibit hall and an exciting social programme will provide opportunities for networking at a variety of world class venues in Beijing. Special GLP awards will be launched amid the GLP 3rd OSM 2016. It is planned to organize a few post-conference special issues based on the sessions and full papers submitted to the meeting.