science

Geographic information systems in China

Geographic information systems in China is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Geographic information systems in China rather than just read about it. In short: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an important component of business, healthcare, security, government, trade, media, transportation, and tourism operations in China. GIS software plays a key role in how Chinese companies analyze and manage business operations.

Key takeaways

Geographic information systems in China belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Geographic information systems in China to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Geographic information systems in China from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an important component of business, healthcare, security, government, trade, media, transportation, and tourism operations in China. GIS software plays a key role in how Chinese companies analyze and manage business operations.

History

Geographic information systems (GIS) first became widely available in the 1980s and 1990s, when the only source of geographic data for China was paper maps. Several universities undertook the task of digitizing this information so researchers could use it. The two earliest projects were conducted by The Australian Consortium for the Asian Spatial Information and Analysis Network (ACASIAN) at Griffith University and the China Data Center at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. ACASIAN specialized in spatial coverage while the China Data Center included GIS coverage in their mission to provide Chinese statistical and census data. High-quality GIS data is produced in China by both government organizations and private companies. China's National Spatial Data Infrastructure Project uses the WGS84 standard. The partial timeline is:

In 1991, China's first color Map Editing and Publication System, MapCAD. In 1995, China's first National Advanced GIS Software, Computer based GIS, MapGIS. In 2005, The fourth generation of large-scale distributed structure GIS, MapGIS 7.0 In 2009, China's GIS new era—MapGIS K9.

Geographic Names Information System

In the early 1980s, China began studies for the establishment of its Geographic Names Information System (地名信息系统) and Geographic Names Information System Research Laboratory, and the establishment of the National Atlas of Geographical Names database research.

Education The China Association for Geographic Information System (simplified Chinese: 中国地理信息产业协会; traditional Chinese: 中國地理信息產業協會; pinyin: zhōng guó dì lǐ xìn xī chǎn yè xié huì), Peking University and other institutes sponsored the first "Innovation and Development, 2006 College GIS Forum" in Beijing. More than 300 experts attended the forum. Sessions involved China's GIS research in multi-disciplinary fields, personnel training, and technology. China has now more than 500 institutions of higher learning training GIS-related professionals, of which more than 200 universities and colleges have established a GIS lab.

Industry

The GIS industry in China is worth 400 billion yuan per annum as of November 2007. More than 300,000 people were involved in either building or using these systems, according to Zondy Cyber Group president Wu Xincai, who is also the president of the China Association for Geographic Information System. Almost 20,000 enterprises are estimated to have engaged in the industry. The biggest vendor of GIS in China is Zondy Cyber Group, followed by SuperMap. Around 2,000 of these have GIS as a core discipline or function. The industry's rapid expansion is attributed to China's economic development, which has led to an increase in capital input, from both government and businesses. Between 2001 and 2005, the Ministry of Information Industry allocated more than 20 million yuan to fund the development and application of GIS. GIS has been used in land survey, mineral exploitation, water conservancy and environmental protection. It also has applications in power generation, mapping, telecommunication, and the management of public administration and public services.

Notable persons Chen Shupeng (1920–2008) is considered the founder of remote sensing and GIS in China. Chen started the State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System (LREIS) in 1987.

Institutions Major institutions include:

Global navigation satellite system BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is used for GIS data gathering

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Geographic information systems in China

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Geographic information systems in China claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Geographic information systems in China before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Geographic information systems in China ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Geographic information systems in China

In research: Geographic information systems in China appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Geographic information systems in China in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Geographic information systems in China is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geographic data and information by country, Geographic information systems, Geography of China, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Geographic information systems in China outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Geographic information systems in China in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Geographic information systems in China means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Geographic information systems in China out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geographic information systems in China in simple terms?

Why does Geographic information systems in China matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Geographic information systems in China?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Geographic information systems in China.