On January 11, 12 academicians from the military and civilian mapping research institutions were interviewed at the website of the Ministry of National Defense on the blueprint of the construction of military mapping and navigation during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

    Professional knowledge support goes ahead of the rest

    "Comparing with the concrete supports such as weapon and equipment support and logistic supply, the mapping support features professional knowledge support and always goes ahead of the rest," Academician Gao Jun unveiled the uniqueness of military mapping support. “This kind of support is knowledge-based, real-time and accompanying support. The entire process of a combat needs the support of mapping technology. It is necessary to develop intelligent mapping support in the information-based era. Therefore, it should always develop before the operational requirements of the military, and technically embody its fundamentality and priority.”

    Academician Zhang Zuxun, a remote sensing expert, said: "The military mapping in the 12th Five-Year Plan period should focus on solving the three issues of real-time, dynamic and accuracy, so as to fundamentally improve the effectiveness of mapping support and give full play to its advance role."

    Importance should be given to development of geo-space information support

    Academician Yang YuanXi held that more than 60 percent of the information during the information construction process embodied time and space features, thus information technology construction would be just empty talk without geo-space information support.

    Academician Chen Junyong said: "The official version of ' Map World' made debut on January 18. This is a fruit of military-civilian cooperation in mapping undertaking and marks the first step to let China’s geographic information open to the public and let the society use it widely."

    "Relevant local units should focus their efforts on geographic condition monitoring and digital construction of the Map World website," Chen added.

    By the end of the interview, Yuan Shuyou, director of Surveying and Mapping Bureau of the General Staff Headquarters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, disclosed the developing direction of military mapping and navigation during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. He said that the military mapping and navigation should take initiative to adapt to the transformation of generation mode of combat power, give full play to its fundamental and advance role, continuously improve support efficiency and accuracy, and perfect the mechanisms of military-civilian mapping cooperation, personnel training and joint support, so as to achieve greater development of military mapping and navigation.