China to promote space remote sensing development in 2018

BEIJING -- China will make more efforts in space remote sensing development in 2018 and prepare for the launch of Gaofen-7 high-resolution remote sensing satellite, said director of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (NASMG).

The goal of the Gaofen series is to provide all-weather, 24-hour services covering the entire globe.

China will also promote the research and development of Ziyuan III 03 and 04 satellites in the new year, said Kuresh Mahsut, the director, at a national work conference on Tuesday.

Citing a national plan on civil space infrastructure (2015-2025),scientists said that seven cartographic satellites including Gaofen-7 will be used in updating maps, resource investigation, urban and rural planning, environmental protection and early warning of disasters.

China will improve its ability to deal with emergencies through surveying and mapping in three years, according to the NASMG.

In 2018, the NASMG will conduct basic, specific and city geoinformation survey and issue an annual report.

China's first national geoinformation survey was released in April this year, saying that China has a total of 7.56 million square kilometers of vegetation cover, and buildings cover 153,000 square kilometers.

As of Nov 9, 2017, 28 provincial level regions had released reports on local geoinformation.