Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Technology
This laboratory was co-founded in 2012 by the Nanjing University and Jiangsu Provincial Geomatics Centre at the approval of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Finance of Jiangsu Province and Department of Science and Technology.
The laboratory aims to meet the needs of the development of geographic information science and technology at home and abroad and to integrate itself into the construction of Jiangsu’s science and technology innovation systems and the development blueprint of geographic information industry. To achieve these aims, the laboratory has the following three areas of research:
Analysis and presentation of geographic information;
Remote sensing of land and atmospheric carbon cycles; and
Surveillance of regional geographic conditions.
The laboratory develops such geographic theories, technologies and methods as geoscience big data, cartography, geographic information system, cloud computing, remote sensing, system of geography sensors and smart cities in order to promote the application of geographic information technology and promote the sound development of this industry, and strengthen its support for national economic and social development.
Oriented to the cutting-edge development of international science and technology, the laboratory has engaged in research on carbon cycling and remote land and atmospheric sensing. It has received support by China’s national “973 Program,” the National key R&D Programs, and the National Natural Science Fund. It focuses on current important issues in the global carbon cycle research and has carried out research in remote sensing and surveillance, modeling and simulating, and atmospheric inversion. It tries to optimize the computation of land carbon sources in different regions, illustrate carbon storage and flux under varied terrestrial ecosystems in different regions of the world, and define China’s contributions to the global ecosystem carbon sink. Such research has yielded over 20 SCI / SSCI papers on such internationally famous academic journals as PNAS and RSE.
In 2014, the laboratory completed its national key scientific research project, “the Evolution Driving Mechanism and Optimized Computing Research of Carbon Sources & Sinks of Terrestrial Ecosystem in Different Regions of the World” and was rated “excellent” in the acceptance check carried out by the State Ministry of Science and Technology.
In 2016, the laboratory was entrusted to lead the national key R&D project, “High Resolution Systematic Research of Global Carbon Assimilation Based on Multi-Source Satellite Remote Sensing.”
In the same year, the laboratory won the first prize of the Science and Technology Research Results Award of Jiangsu Colleges and Universities for the quality of its research in the project the “Parallel Technology of the Conversion and Visualization of Complex Geographic Computing Data.”
Considering China’s major needs, the laboratory has researched into the remote sensing of the South China Sea and the surveillance and mapping of geographic conditions of China so as to contribute to China’s efforts to safeguard its rights and interests in the South China Sea, develop regional peace, explore and exploit resources and energies. Its work has been supported by the national “863 Program,” the National Supporting Program of Science and Technology, the National Special Research Fund for Non-Profit Sector, the National Natural Science Fund, and the National Social Science Fund of China.
The laboratory has made a series of achievements from the technology of remote sensing and dynamic monitoring to the construction of comprehensive data warehouses, to the assessment of model base clusters, and to the decision-making supporting platform.
It has enhanced the remote sensing technology and service of the South China Sea from partial to whole, from still to dynamic, and from single to systematic.
It has garnered important results such as atlases, monographs, nationally authorized patents, copyrights of computer software, research papers, special reports in information, consultation reports, databases, model bases, and software systems.
It won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award of Year 2014 and the first prize of the Ministry-of-Education Science and Technology Progress Award of Year 2013 for the research result of its project “the Remote Sensing & Comprehensive Monitoring of the South China Sea and its Surroundings, and Analysis of Decision-Making & Supporting.”
To meet the social and economic needs of Jiangsu Province, the laboratory has engaged in research on thematic maps, provincial situation analysis and geographic information services. Its work has been supported by such programs as
the National Supporting Program for Science and Technology;
the National Natural Science Fund;
the Science and Technology Program of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo-information;
Jiangsu Major Scientific Infrastructure;
the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province; and
programs of regional cooperation.
The laboratory’s work in Jiangsu focuses on serving the needs in national land, water conservancy, public security, surveying and mapping. Its has developed such framework constructing programs of geographic space as digital Wuxi, digital Changzhou and digital Huaian.
It has developed service platforms of geographic information and government affairs in transportation, water conservancy, emergency, and police only.
It has developed public service platforms of geographic information such as “Three-Dimensional Map of Jiangsu,” ““Three-Dimensional Map of Taizhou,” and “Three-Dimensional Map of Suqian.”
It has compiled thematic atlases in such areas as administrative division of Jiangsu Province, water conservancy, and environmental protection.
It has studied the geographic situation of Jiangsu Province in aspects of natural and human geographic situations by studying the coastal mudflat, land subsidence, arable land, river systems, and transportation situation of Jiangsu Province.
It has finished the following research projects:
“Research of Mapping Norms on the Overall Planning of Land Utilization at the Village, Town and City Levels (of China),” which won the first prize of the (China) Geographic Information Science and Technology Progress Award in 2013;
“Provincial-Level Construction and Application of Geographic Information Cloud Service Platform,” which won the first prize of the (China) Geographic Information Science and Technology Progress Award in 2014; and
“Provincial-Level Construction and Application of Water Conservancy Information Service Platform,” which won the first prize of the (China) Geographic Information Science and Technology Progress Award in 2016.
The laboratory’s faculty members:
56 professors and associate professors
about 70 permanent research fellows
4 members of the “Global Experts Program” of China
3 members of the “Cheung Kong Scholars Program” of the Ministry of Education
3 winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars
1 winner of the title of the Nationally Famous Teacher
1 winner of the title of the Leading Talent in Science and Technology of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation
1 winner of the National Fund for Excellent Young People
2 winner of the title of Jiangsu Outstanding Young Scientist
5 winners of the title of the New-Century Excellent Talent of the Ministry of Education
2 winners of the National Youth Geographic Science and Technology Award
Director of the laboratory: Professor Li Manchun, special professor of the “Cheung Kong Scholars Program” of the Ministry of Education, winner of the titles of the Nationally Famous Teacher and the Leading Talent in Science and Technology of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation
Deputy Director of the laboratory: Professors Shi Zhaoliang, Ju Weimin, and Li Mingju
Director of the academic committee of the laboratory: Guo Huadong, research fellow and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Deputy Director of the academic committee of the laboratory: Professor Chen Jingming, academician of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada; and Professor Gong Jianya, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Members of the academic committee include Zhou Chenghu, research fellow and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other well-known scholars.
In a word, this teaching and research team is an innovative team with a proper composition of senior and young faculty members. It has been awarded the titles of the Ministry-of-Education Innovative Team, the Innovative Team of Jinagsu Colleges and Universities, and the Innovative Team in Science and Technology of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation.
In 2013, the laboratory participated in the appraisal of the “Collaborative Innovation Center of the South China Sea,” one of the first National 2011 Programs of China, and collaboratively constructed the platform of “Remote Sensing & Monitoring and Situation Analysis of the South China Sea.”
In 2015, the laboratory led and succeeded in the application for “Earth System,” a virtual lab and teaching center at the national level, to be constructed in cooperation with relevant schools and departments of Nanjing University.
To conclude, the laboratory is now striving forward with the aim of becoming a cradle for knowledge and technological innovation in geographic information and for nurturing creative talents.
Secretary of the Lab: Professor Cheng Liang
lcheng@nu.edu.cn
