Global attention drawn to China as geospatial congress starts

United Nations-initiated event will explore new trends, developments and future of vital technology, Li You reports.

The United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress - being held in Deqing, Zhejiang province from Monday through Wednesday, will draw global attention to China and the progress made globally in this sphere of endeavor.

According to the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation of China, the congress aims to enhance communications, understanding, knowledge and application of geospatial information management.

The congress was initiated by the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, under the UN Economic and Social Council, and is being hosted by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation of China and the Zhejiang provincial government.

Nowadays, geospatial information technology is widely applied to fields such as socioeconomic developments, ecological protection, disaster prediction and satellite navigation.

In China, geographic information is regarded as a sort of strategic resource to lay the foundations for integrating other kinds of information, according to People's Daily.

China has been devoted to the development of the subject over the past 40 years since the reform and opening-up initiative began in 1978, according to the People's Daily's report, and professionals engaged in the area have made a substantial contribution to improving people's daily lives.

On Oct 15, China sent the twin Beidou-3 navigation satellites into space from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System developed by Chinese researchers is a benchmark system that can provide centimeter-scale navigation and positioning services.

Leveraging real-time, all-weather and high-accuracy positioning, navigation and timing services provided by Beidou, China completed the first phase of a major island and reef surveying and mapping project within its territory and figured out the number, location and distribution of those islands and reefs, according to People's Daily.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, China has taken concrete steps to advance the "Map World", a geographic information public service platform extensively serving government management, e-government and public affairs.

In February, China initiated its first comprehensive survey of geographical conditions. Processed on the basis of geographic investigation, its report shows the country's overall situation and data on land and soil, water, and agriculture, which serves as a firsthand reference for policymaking.

Solid foundation

In the wake of new trends in intelligent urban management, 334 cities and 511 county-level cities throughout the country are ramping up to build themselves into digital cities. The geographic information technology has laid a solid foundation for the construction of a digital China, according to People's Daily.

Last month, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest sea-spanning structure, became operational officially. This super project was completed with the help of the surveying and mapping technology.

In the past 10 years, the mapping workers have fulfilled their work in the preliminary survey and design of the bridge, the construction of the bridge decking and safety monitoring, according to People's Daily.

In the disaster-relief fields, the mapping workers are always the first to offer assistance by obtaining the images and data of the affected areas, which is a powerful guarantee for performing rescues and in post-disaster reconstruction.

In recent years, the geographic information industry has thrived, specially along with the emerging sectors involving in cross-border business, the internet of things and big data, according to People's Daily.

The annual output value of the industry has exceeded 620 billion yuan ($89.36 billion) with an average annual growth of nearly 20 percent. There are an estimated 30,000 or so companies and institutions engaged in geographic information-related fields. In addition, there are more than 100 listed geographic information enterprises.

The sector has evolved into a mature industrial chain covering hardware manufacturing, data production, software research and information services - whose operations have been spreading to many sectors of the national economy and people's livelihoods.

From the global perspective, a consensus has been formed on the need to build geographic information infrastructure and develop geographic information services to secure economic growth, environmental protection and social progress, according to People's Daily.

Shining examples include Germany and Austria, countries that have applied geographic information to energy monitoring and environmental protection.

Moreover, Brazil has developed the technology for its police to use as a geographic information system that can effectively help curb the crime rate. Meanwhile, South Korea has used it to perform land management.

Starting from Monday, the three-day session, gathering thousands of high-profile business insiders in the industry, will present the promising future of the technology and the industry.

Contact the writer at liyou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/19/2018 page7)