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NATIONAL REPORT OF CHINA 
Deren Li, Yueqin Zhou,  Xiaoqin Hu 
Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping 
39 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430070, China 
Presented to the 18th Congress of ISPRS 
Vienna, July 9 - 19, 1996 
ABSTRACT 
The National Report of China submitted by the Chinese Society of Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography 
summarizes all major activities and achievements in photogrammetry, remote sensing and GIS, including applications, 
technologies and research in China in the period of 1992 to 1996. The largest changes have taken place in digital 
mapping, DPS, RS and GIS, as well as the integration of GPS, RS and GIS. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The four-year period from the 17th Congress of ISPRS in 
Washington D.C. to the 18th Congress of ISPRS in 
Vienna coincides with the last four years of the eighth 
. five-year plan period of China, during which time the 
geoinformatics undertaking in this country has 
experienced an unprecedented boom. In these four years, 
the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of China 
. (NBSM) has organized fifteen large-scale important 
research projects and sixty-four medium scale 
important research projects in the relevant fields, all of 
which have produced outstanding results, and facilitated 
the transition from the traditional surveying and mapping 
work to the geoinformatics industry. The main events 
include: 
(1) For the establishment of digital surveying and 
mapping technological systems, NBSM has made an 
investment of 130,000,000 yuan, and set up seven pilot 
bases for digital mapping production. Up to now, a 
computer-based digital mapping system for digital data 
collection by ground surveying, aerial photogrammetry 
and map digitization has been set up. Substantial 
production capability has been formed for digital 
mapping and topographic database establishment. 
(2) In terms of the establishment of national fundamental 
geographic information systems, 1:1,000,000 basic GISs 
have been set up. The 1:250,000 national fundamental 
GIS is also being set up. And based on the above work, 
an integrated state condition GIS and a fast flood 
analysis system have been formed by combining 
resource. investigation, disaster alleviation, macro 
management support and other application needs. 
(3) In the direction of spatial positioning technologies 
and their applications, the first GPS norm of China has 
been formulated, together with the first surveying 
instrument calibration regulations. The first check station 
for GPS equipment in China has been established. The 
A order and B order network for GPS have been 
accomplished throughout the country. And the research 
on the permanent GPS tracking stations has also started. 
(4) In terms of airborne and space-borne remote sensing 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B6. Vienna 1996 
and their applications, VirtuoZo, a DPW system is now 
on the international market. Several experiments have 
been conducted in kinematic GPS assisted aerial 
triangulation and the introduction into practical 
production has proved successful. 
(5) In the research and application of GIS, active work 
has been going on in the research and development of 
GIS basic software of Chinese copyright, while a number 
of GIS systems for different purposes have been 
developed by using the existing commercial software. 
The different uses include urban planning, land 
management, resources investigation and environment 
monitoring. 
(6) Scientific exploration activities in the three poles of 
the earth (north pole, south pole and Mount 
Qomolangma) have also been going on, such as the 
extraction of elevation and geomorphological information 
from remote sensing images of the Antarctic and the 
research on the monitoring methods for glaciers and 
coast line changes. 
(7) In the area of marine surveying, research has been 
conducted on the use of satellite remote sensing images 
to map reefs and underwater topography. 
2. DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY 
2. 1 Image Data Acquisition 
Research has been conducted into the influence of the 
environmental pressure on the interior orientation 
elements of optic frame camera, and the conclusion has 
been reached that the calibration focal distance varies 
with the environmental pressure (Jiang et al., 1993). The 
quality evaluation criteria has been proposed for the 
intensity index of air photos (Li et al, 1992). And 
research has also been conducted into the feasibility and 
practical technological requirements for small format 
aerial photogrammetric data to be used for large-scale 
topographic mapping (Xuan et al., 1994). 
In terms of CCD camera, a software package has been: 
developed for automated calibration of CCD camera on