Photogrammetry and remote sensing are now used in dozens of fields including agriculture, forestry, land and resources, disaster relief, urban planning, traffic, environment, meteorology and oceanics.
They provide technical guarantee to many key engineering and construction projects such as the national land and resource survey, the West to East Natural Gas Transmission Project and the South to North Water Diversion Project.
Some detailed examples follow.
Wenchuan earthquake
On May 13, the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping obtained the first high-resolution satellite remote sensing image of Wenchuan, the epicenter of the May 12 earthquake, via data provided by six satellites.
On May 14, the site map, with post-earthquake situation concerning landslides, water systems and roads, was broadcast on CCTV, helping local officials and the public understand the situation in the disaster areas.
On May 16, a plane carrying digital photographic equipment and with a flying range of nearly 900 km, obtained more than 600 images with resolution of about 0.5 m over a 500-square km area around the epicenter. On May 18, helicopters and an unmanned aircraft obtained color digital aerial remote sensing images with 0.15 m resolution.
Typhoon Rananim
The successful monitoring and forecasting of the landfall time of Typhoon Rananim in 2004 by the China Meteorological Administration helped governments at all levels take emergency measures to significantly reduce personnel and property losses. Meteorological officials said that thanks to the use of meteorological satellites, China`s weather forecast available time has been extended to 2 to 3 days.
Ice jam flood
With the infrared remote sensing method, the authorities obtained information on the source, scale and progress of the ice jam flood on the Yellow River in 1996, which was the largest of its kind in the past six decades. Military planes were used to bomb up the ice dams on the river.
Remote sensing
Archaeological remote sensing technology began to be used in China in the 1970s and helped discover dozens of ancient ruins including the Yin Ruins in Anyang of Henan province, the Hongshan cultural relics site in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, and the Qinshihuang Mausoleum in Shaanxi province.
Exposing illegal mining
The satellite remote sensing survey closely monitored mining activities in the Cangshan mining area of Shandong province, exposing 40 illegal mining cases.
Exposing illegal buildings
The satellite remote sensing system has also helped detect five illegally constructed buildings in Baiyun district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province.