On the morning of October 17, 2024, a symposium on development of Tsinghua University (DESS)-Xi’an Geotechnical Investigation & Surveying Institute New Intelligent Surveying Joint Research Center (hereinafter “the Center”) was held in S808, Mong Man Wai Technology Building, Tsinghua University. Wang Chuang, deputy director of Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, He Tianxing, director of Surveying and Mapping Geo-Information Bureau; Gan Bin, president; Zhang Zhouping, vice president; Yang Jian, vice president of Xi’an Surveying and Mapping Institute; Fang Dengmao, president of Geo-Information Research Institute; Geng Rui, secretary; Lu Hui, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Department of Earth System Science (DESS), Tsinghua University; and Fu Haohuan, director of the Center, attended the meeting. The meeting was presided over by Fu Haohuan.

Meeting site

Geng Rui, on behalf of the DESS, welcomed the leaders and teachers who attended the meeting. She highly affirmed the achievements made by the Center since its inauguration and thanked Xi’an Natural Resources and Planning Bureau and Xi’an Surveying and Mapping Institute for their support to the Center. She stated that the establishment of the Center has fostered a deep integration between the scientific research prowess of universities and the practical application demands of local governments, offering robust scientific and technological backing for regional economic and social progress. She expressed her hope that the Center will continue to serve as a bridge in the future, facilitating the conversion of more innovative achievements into actual productive forces, and contributing to the development of Xi'an as well as addressing the broader needs of the country.

Fu Haohuan presented the Center's current achievements and outlined its future plans. He highlighted that in the next phase, the Center will delve deeper into research on urban waterlogging, pine wood nematode disease, and automatic generation of line drawings, among other areas, while continuing to provide vital support for planning needs, including national smart city construction.

The two sides engaged in a lively discussion regarding the work plan for the upcoming stage. In his closing remarks, Wang Chuang emphasized that the Center should propose solutions tailored to demand, persist in exploring along the path of natural resource system and urban scientific development, enhance the transformation efficiency of state-owned entities, and leverage science and technology to facilitate the advancement of national policies.

Tsinghua University (DESS)-Xi’an Geotechnical Investigation & Surveying Institute New Intelligent Surveying Joint Research Center, established in April 2022 as the first joint research center established by the DESS, caters to the vital needs of both national and local development, dedicated to tackling the technical challenges that act as bottlenecks. It strives to foster deeper integration and advancement in fields such as remote sensing, surveying and mapping, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing, among others. By addressing the difficulties and pain points in urban management, the Center aims to enhance the efficiency of urban management decision-making and elevate the overall level of urban governance.

Written by Tsinghua University (DESS)-Xi’an Geotechnical Investigation & Surveying Institute New Intelligent Surveying Joint Research Center

Edited by Wang Jiayin

Reviewed by Geng Rui