Key Words: Diaoyu Islands; mapping; surveying; PLA; Blue Booking of China’s Surveying and Mapping; China's sovereignty

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At present the mapping information of Diaoyu Island issued by China is mainly obtained by unmanned planes. In the future, China will carry out the second phase of islands and reefs mapping, which will cover the whole maritime space.

First phase of surveying and mapping of China’s Islands has completed

In 2013, China will issue geographical information in the surveying and mapping of its islands and reefs. This program will be conducted under the direction of National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation and PLA surveying and mapping departments will also join this program, according to Li Zhigang, director of National Geomatics Center of China. He disclosed the information in an interview after the press conference for Blue Book of China’s Surveying and Mapping.

The first phase of islands surveying and mapping only includes those islands within 100 kilometers from China’s coastal line. As the Diaoyu Islands are about 300 kilometers from the mainland, it is not included in the first phase but will be covered in the second phase of islands surveying and mapping, said Li.

The first phase of China’s islands, reefs surveying and mapping has been finished and a geodetic network formed by 770 geodetic control points has been established. At the same time, China has acquired the aerial images of 1.9 million square kilometers of coastal waters as well as the aerial images of 60,000 square kilometers of key offshore waters, according to the Blue Booking of China’s Surveying and Mapping.

In the first phase of surveying and mapping program, China has identified and accurately positioned 6,400 islands, drawn 1,841 islands maps with the scale of 1:2000, maps of 2900 islands with the scale of 1:5000 and maps of 188 island with the scale of 1:10000.

Difficulties exist in surveying and mapping invaded islands

Islands surveying and mapping is a basic work to safeguard China’s maritime rights and interests, Li Zhigang said.

Islands surveying and mapping refer to the surveying and mapping of islands distribution and sea lanes. As some countries have been illegally occupied Chinese islands, there are some difficulties in surveying and mapping the islands and the nearby waters, said Zhang Huifeng, director of Research Center of Surveying and Mapping Development of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation.

Read the Chinese version: 我國將對釣魚島進(jìn)行清晰測繪
, source: Beijing News

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