China Focus: Homegrown high-tech devices play big role in remeasuring Mt. Qomolangma
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E-mail Xinhua, May 07, 2020
MOUNT QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, May 7 (Xinhua) -- As Chinese surveyors set out to remeasure the height of Mount Qomolangma, they are using a large array of high-tech equipment, many of which are domestically made.
On Wednesday, over 30 Chinese surveyors left their base camp at Mount Qomolangma for a tough journey that will eventually bring them to the peak. They reached an altitude of 6,500 meters at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Experts said professional climbers and surveyors will use advanced technological equipment produced by Chinese manufacturers in the measurement.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Chinese surveyors have conducted six rounds of scaled measurement and scientific research on Mount Qomolangma and released the height of the peak twice in 1975 and 2005, which was 8,848.13 meters and 8,844.43 meters, respectively.
BEIDOU NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM
Li Guopeng, captain of the surveying team, said that this time, the team is using both traditional and modern surveying and mapping technologies, and China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) will be applied to the elevation survey for the first time.
A GNSS satellite survey is a key part of the measurement, as GNSS receivers can collect abundant data via satellites at the summit.
"In 2005, GNSS satellite measurement mainly relied on the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States. But this year, we will refer to four major global navigation satellite systems: the GPS, Europe's Galileo, Russia's GLONASS and China's BDS. And we will take BDS data as our main reference," Li said.
"The GNSS receivers used in conjunction with the BDS are also domestic devices with the highest accuracy among other homegrown equipment. And our surveyors are proud of applying the BDS to the measurements of Mount Qomolangma," he said.
TAILOR-MADE DEVICES
As the measurements will be conducted in an extreme environment, many types of equipment used at the summit need to be specially modified and developed to adapt to the low temperature, pressure and oxygen, Li said.
"Therefore, equipment manufacturers have worked with the surveying team and co-developed a range of tailor-made measuring equipment," he said.
Among the equipment, a portable snow depth radar developed by a Chinese manufacturer is a highlight. Such a device used in the measurement in 2005 was produced in Italy.
"The new device has both satellite geodesy and radar functions, allowing it to obtain the location of objects on the surface of the Earth and snow depth data," said Bai Huagang, a coordinator of the measurement project.
"A data update of snow depth at the summit and rock height will better support studies on geological and climate change in the mountain region," Bai added.
Besides, a series of domestic equipment including zenith instruments, gravimeters, survey markers and distance measuring instruments are expected to play an important role in the measurement.
AIRBORNE GRAVITY SURVEY
Li said the final height of Mount Qomolangma will be based on a variety of survey data, while a gravity survey is one of the most precise measurements to effectively correct the elevation measurement results.
Different from previous gravity surveys on the ground, surveyors will bring the complicated gravity survey instruments into the air by installing the devices in an aircraft this year.
"Carrying out a gravity survey on the ground allows surveyors to get the measurement data at a single point, however, conducting the survey in the air can cover an area, which is a supplement to the measurements on the ground," said Kang Shengjun, a member of the gravity survey team.
"The aircraft can also reach places that humans cannot. It will represent progress in constructing the gravity network of Tibet," Kang said. Enditem
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