Seabed Mapping Pace Speeds Up

China will accelerate its pace of mapping the deep seabed, Zhang Jixian, president of the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

"In the near future, China's surveying and mapping science will gradually extend from the ground area to the country's 3 million square kilometers of water territory," Zhang said.

Unlike the electronic navigation chart released by the Chinese navy on Aug 25 with information mainly focusing on navigation, the future ocean map will concentrate on the geological features of the sea floors and the water depth, and the location of reefs.

In the land surveying and mapping industry, China has become one of the world leaders with the recent completion of its nationwide 1:50,000 map, but in offshore area mapping, "much needs to be done".

A nautical chart represents a maritime area and its adjacent coastal regions with information such as depths of water, heights of land, natural features of the seabed, details of the coastlines, navigational hazards, information on tides and currents and man-made structures like harbors, bridges and buildings.

(Source: Xinhua)