2023 edition of national map released

The 2023 edition of the standard map of China was released by the Ministry of Natural Resources during the celebration of Surveying and Mapping Publicity Day and the National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week on Monday in Deqing county, Zhejiang province.

The standard map service system operates on the official website of the Ministry of Natural Resources, providing a series of standard maps for the public according to Zhang Wenhui, director of the ministry's Map Technology Review Center.

Wu Wenzhong, chief planner of the ministry, said surveying, mapping and geographic information play an important role in boosting the development of the nation, meeting the needs of all walks of life, supporting the management of natural resources, and helping the construction of ecology and civilization.

"The next step will be to accelerate the application of geographic information data such as digital maps and navigation and positioning in the development of the digital economy, such as location-based services, precision agriculture, platform economy and intelligent connected vehicles," Wu said.

In recent years, Zhejiang has focused on the deep integration of the digital and real economies, and has continued to promote the high-quality development of the digital economy, according to Li Yaowu, deputy secretary-general of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government.

In 2022, the added value of the core industries of Zhejiang's digital economy reached 897.7 billion yuan ($123.1 billion), Li said.

Last year, the United Nations Global Geographic Information Knowledge and Innovation Center was set up in Deqing to improve developing countries' geographic information management capabilities, help the international community leverage geographic information technologies to address challenges related to natural resources, climate change and public health security, and implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Law of Surveying and Mapping of the People's Republic of China.

The past three decades have seen the adoption of several surveying and mapping laws and regulations, which are crucial to strengthening the management of maps while safeguarding national sovereignty.

2023 also marks the 20th anniversary of the promotional day for the law.

Fang Xiaoying in Deqing contributed to this story.