China releases first 3D images based on Earth observation satellite

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BEIJING, Dec 10, 2019 (BSS/XINHUA) – 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.