China will build up an integrated mapping system to cover the ground, underground, sea, air and outer space by 2020, said a senior official of the national surveying and mapping authority.
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The system, when completed, will facilitate the country's economic development, national defense and government decision-making, Li Pengde, deputy director of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, told Xinhua News Agency in an interview late Monday.
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It will also provide spatial position information conducive for the government to cope with emergencies and for people to live with greater convenience.
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For this purpose, said Li, the system will adopt new-generation equipment and technologies, including surveying vehicles and vessels, medium- and low-altitude remote sensing mapping platforms, aerospace mapping satellites and underground measuring robots.
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China has made substantial progress in developing this equipment and technology, the official added.Â