外文翻译---GIS的发展前景

附 录(二) 英文翻译（原文）Perspectives on GIS Development in ChinaResearches and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in China started in the early 1980s. In the early period, the development of GIS was mainly depended on the progress and applications of remote sensing, aerial photography, as well as computer aided design (CAD). In recent years, with the development of GPS and Internet technology, GIS has being developed vigorously in the country. Looking ahead to the 21st century, a new era of "Digital Earth" and "Cyberspace" is coming, which will provide a great opportunity as well as a challenge to the China''''s GIS circles. 1. Progress Pace of GISResearches of GIS in China can date back to the early 1980. At that time, a remote sensing application project was being carried on in Southwest China and using GIS method integrated with remote sensing data to solve the area measurement automatically was initiated. After the first successful test of GIS, a proposal to start GIS research was proposed in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Since then a great success has been achieved both in research and application of GIS in China. While its history or progress pace can be divided into four periods. From 1981-1985, it is the initial period of GIS in China. During this period, GIS was mainly keep in research and experimental stage, a number of scientists in CAS and some high learning institutes started to follow the tracks of GIS development in world. With the support of the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC) and CAS, a number of research projects were initiated and conducted, leading to build up some typical case information systems. In this period five systematical and experimental researches had been conducted. Those are geo-data capture methods, regional information system modeling, national basic geographic databases building, development of geo-analysis software and national geographic data standards and specifications. While the most influential one of those researches was the formulation of a draft GIS technology specification, in which over 50 scientists and specialists had been involved. The first State Key Laboratory of GIS was set up in the Institute of Geography, CAS, providing an open and new type research laboratory specialized in GIS in the country. Also, a large number of GIS personnel had got trained, and some of them are leading edge specialists today.In the 1986-1990 period, the importance of GIS technology had been generally got recognized by governmental officials at different levels, and more scientists started to adopt this technology as a tool for their researches. In carrying out a state key research program on remote sensing application supported by the State Planning Commission and SSTC, a national level GIS research project was initiated within the program. The project was mainly focused on flood forecasting and prevention methods, soil erosion on Loess Plateau and Three North Forest Belt. The objects of these researches were to provide regional planning and management as well as decision-making services to the governments. Also, during this period, some national level systems, such as national basic resource database, land resources database, mineral resources and forest resource databases had been built up. It should be noticed that the building of these systems was under the planning economic system. At this period all the built systems were in the domain of public welfare and supported by the governmental funds. There was no idea about GIS industry. Beside personnel training and research sites building, the achievements of this period include the following two aspects:(1) A large number of geographic related databases had been designed and built, including 1:1 million China land resources information system, 1:2.5 million water and soil reserve information system and 1:4 million natural resources and environmental database and earthquake disaster database. Regional systems included those of Dongting Lake, Lower Reaches of the Yellow River, the Yellow River Delta, the Loess Plateau, the Taihu Lake Basin, the Wusulijiang-Helngjiang- Songhhuajiang Plains, as well as Liaoning Province and Haunts City, etc.(2) A lot of achievements on technical methods of GIS had been made in the period, such as the use of "OR" model to solve aerial photograph interpretation, directly input into computer, realizing the automation for the whole process of photograph rectifying, mapping, measurement and statistics. Improvement of Chinese language version for some GIS software packages and PC based mapping systems. And a national grid system standard had been formulized. From 1991-1996, it was a very important period for the development of GIS in China. With opening to the outside world and deepening its economic reform, especially with urbanization and fast economic growth along the coastal areas of the country, the demands for GIS had been increased greatly, G