China's hi-res mapping satellite expanding coverage

 　　BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ziyuan III satellite, launched on Jan. 9 to produce high-resolution imagery for civilian¹ use, has sent back visual data covering 45.79 million square km of the globe as of May 18, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

　　A statement released by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation said the satellite marked a breakthrough in the country's space mapping drive with many of its technical standards higher than similar satellites produced by other countries.

　　The data it has sent back covers more than 9.32 million square km of China's territory.

　　The administration has made hi-res imagery based on analysis of the data and posted it on tianditu.cn, a map website with independent intellectual property rights. The data has also been used in basic mapping, land-resource surveys, aviation management and natural-disaster prevention in several Chinese regions.

　　The statement also revealed that the feasibility of a mark-two Ziyuan III satellite is now being researched. The orbiter, once successfully launched, may realize the collection of real-time data on any given point on the earth with the cooperation of Ziyuan III and other satellites.

　　According to the statement, Ziyuan III is currently collecting visual data on various islands in the South China Sea.

　　Also on Wednesday, the administration announced that a national geographical² conditions monitoring database will be built by the end of 2015 to use remote-sensing, satellite mapping and other high technology.

　　It is hoped that the database will enable the collection of real-time information and analysis on geological features, traffic networks, land utilization³ and coverage⁴, as well as other aspects.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

3 utilization   

n.利用，效用

参考例句：

• Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
• Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式，完全驳倒了这种想象。

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。