National satellite station network officially put into operation

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment launches a nationwide network of stations that constantly log and process satellite-based GPS data for better mapping and surveys. Illustrative image (Photo: Vietnamplus)

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has launched a nationwide network of stations that constantly log and process satellite-based GPS data for better mapping and surveys.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was used for civilian purposes in the United States since the 80s and Vietnam started applying the technology in making maps and conducting measurements since the 90s, a representative of the Department of Survey and Mapping introduced the network at the launching within the framework of a recent conference in Hanoi to review the sector’s performance in 2019 and deploy tasks for 2020.

The application of the technology will contribute to building the national reference and coordinate system VN-2000 announced and decided to put into operation by the Prime Minister. It is the main technology to build more than 13,000 national coordinate points covering the whole country.

Along with advancements in information technology, the GPS technology has seen increasing use in all economic sectors in recent years. Most developed nations in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States have already built their own.

It is considered essential in promoting economic development, bettering anti-natural disaster and relief efforts, as well as aiding in the upholding of national defence and security, especially in building the data spatial infrastructure.

In order to improve the quick location quality of coordinates with high precision to  serve socio-economic development, national defense and security, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment in October 2015 approved an investment project on building a nationwide network of satellite stations with a consensus of ministries, sectors and localities. The Department of Survey and Mapping for was assigned to implement the project.

After four years of construction, installation, and staff training, with technical assistance and technology transfer from Swiss experts, the national network Vngeonet has been completed with 65 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations covering the entire country and one data processing centre in Hanoi.

Geolocation data the stations receive from satellites around the clock will be transferred to the centre in Hanoi to be processed, which will then be fed to VNGEONET users in real time via 3G or 4G networks.

The delta regions in the north and the south as well as the mid-section of the central region – the country’s three most important economic centres – will be covered by 41 stations, with the average distance between stations decreased to 50 - 80km to ensure higher accuracy.

According to the Department of Survey and Mapping, this network is part of five-year project that aims to provide necessary data to build a “complete, consistent, and uniform” national mapping database that covers all mainland, seas and island territories of the country from 2020 to 2024.

The Department of Survey and Mapping said it would build and update the national maps in 1/2,000 and 1/5,000 scales for various purposes.

To complete regulations related to the technology, the Department of Survey and Mapping is working on drafting a Circular on the use of the national network in survey and mapping to submit it to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for promulgation in the second quarter of 2020.

So far, the 600 registered accounts on Vngeonet at https://www.vngeonet.vn have mainly used the service for land management and map drawing, with Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City leading the number of accounts.

The national network Vngeonet is also useful in calculating and determining the speed of plate tectonic surface displacement as well as the speed of land elevation or subsidence with accuracy of changes down to the millimetres, which will help bring about timely warnings and solutions.

According to the plan, there will be about 160 stations covering Vietnam’s territory./.