China quietly takes over another trillion dollar industry
by Inside China Business [12-25-2025].
Remote sensing is an earth science that is critical for infrastructure, oil and gas, heavy construction, forestry, and urban planning. Remote sensing is also vital in military applications.
It is the acquisition of information from a distance, and involves advanced sensory equipment placed on satellites, drones, aircraft, and on ships.
For two generations, the United States dominated the industry, because it was the US who invested so heavily in GPS and satellite systems, and built the new science around advanced mapping and surveying.
But beginning ten years ago, Chinese research in the field began to supplant top Western institutions, like NASA, the US Geological Survey, and the top US and European universities.
It is now China who leads the field, with half of the world's total research, and dominant positions in new patents, research funding, and applied research. And today, Chinese institutions hold the top six spots in rankings for Remote Sensing.
Closing scene, Floating village and fishing raft piers, Hainan
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