China releases first 3D images based on Earth observation satellite

BEIJING - The China National Space Administration Tuesday released the first batch of three-dimensional images based on the data from the recently launched Gaofen-7 Earth observation satellite.

The Gaofen-7, an important part of China's high-definition Earth observation project, is the country's first civil-use optical transmission three-dimensional surveying and mapping satellite that reaches the sub-meter definition.

The 22 images unveiled show the Beijing Capital International Airport, the new Beijing Daxing International Airport, as well as some regions in China's Anhui, Guangdong and Shandong provinces. Airplanes, vehicles, buildings and trees can be clearly seen in the images.

The satellite, launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province on Nov. 3, is in orbit at an altitude of 506 km and has a design life of eight years. More than 14,000 images have been obtained by the satellite.

It will be mainly used for 1:10,000-scale 3D mapping. Only a few countries have acquired this level of satellite surveying and mapping, said Cao Haiyi, chief designer of the Gaofen-7 at the China Academy of Space Technology.

Its horizontal positioning accuracy of ground objects is within five meters, and the height measurement accuracy about 1.5 meters, said Cao.

"It's like a precise ruler for measuring the land. Before the launch of Gaofen-7, we could only precisely locate super-highways, but now Gaofen-7 can help us accurately locate rural roads," Cao said.