China to complete natural resource survey imminently

China will finish a massive investigation of its natural resources and construct a new technical system for natural resources monitoring next month, the Ministry of Natural Resources revealed on Monday.

Early this year, the ministry announced a plan to build a comprehensive natural resources survey and monitoring system by 2023, expected to help standardize the country's natural resources classification and management.

Under the plan, the ministry will conduct a massive survey of the country's natural resources. In addition, several special surveys will also be conducted with a focus on specific resources, such as farmlands, forests, grasslands, wetlands and water.

Next month, a massive survey on China's basic natural resources will be finished, according to the ministry. Moreover, a survey standard for natural resources will also be unveiled.

By the end of the year, the ministry will reveal several major survey results.

"Previously, natural resources survey standards used to be different for different departments. Under the plan, we will have a nationwide survey standard and the results will be released by one department," said Wang Guanghua, vice-minister of natural resources.

New technology, such as big data, artificial intelligence, 5G and blockchain, will be adopted in the comprehensive natural resources survey and monitoring system, according to Chen Jun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Once the system was completed, he said China's all natural resource information can be directly shown on one digital map, and the monitoring can also be conducted in real-time.