In the era of big data, major research topics on global change, natural resources investigation, ecological environment monitoring, social and urban smart management, disaster monitoring and emergency rescue, planetary exploration are increasingly dependent on the rapid acquisition, intelligent analysis, and comprehensive application of spatial information. Geospatial information science and technology is an emerging interdisciplinary discipline with a strong scientific demand. The rapid development of geospatial information science and technology is considered one of the most rapidly developing field in the world after biotechnology and nanotechnology.
The Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS of Peking University is one of the earliest institutions engaged in research and education of geospatial information science and technology in China. It is responsible for teaching and conducting scientific research on Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing, as well as Cartography and GIS. With over 40 years of history, the institute has become an international base for basic research, key technological innovation, major industry applications, as well as innovative training in remote sensing science and technology, geographic information science, satellite navigation, positioning and location services. More than 400 undergraduates, nearly 500 masters, 200 PhDs and 140 post-docs has completed their degrees and research at Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS at Peking University.
Currently, the institute has 34 faculty members, including two academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences (double-appointed), one academician of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, one national high-level special expert (Boya Chair Professor), one Outstanding Youth Fund recipient, one Changjiang Scholar, one Young Thousand Scholar, and one Young Changjiang Scholar. The institute offers Bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree in Cartography and GIS, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and Master’s degree and Doctoral degree in Navigation and Location Services. There are also two postdoctoral stations in Geography and Mapping Science and Technology.
Our main research areas include:
(1) Fundamentals of physical remote sensing. These include but not limited to developing theories and methods in key technologies such as microwave remote sensing, hyperspectral remote sensing and LiDAR remote sensing, and related data acquisition, information processing and quantitative inversion.
(2) Digital remote sensing and geoinformatics. These include but not limited to three-dimensional geographic information system, geological big data and high-performance computing technology, geographic information system software platform research and development, digital earth / smart city and digital mining and other application research.
(3) Satellite navigation systems and application services. These include but not limited to spatial location services, intelligent transportation, precision agriculture, indoor navigation and other application research.
(4) Applied remote sensing, GIS, and satellite navigation & positioning. It focuses on utilizing spatio-temporal big data to solve fundamental science questions in global change, ecology, agriculture, water cycle, urbanization, transportation, natural disasters, and planetary science. In addition, we also emphasize using these techniques to address major national/international engineering needs.
During recent years, our institute has undertaken many national key R&D tasks, 973 projects, 863 projects, science and technology support program projects, major special projects, NSFC projects, and international cooperation projects in the field of remote sensing science and technology, geographic information science and satellite navigation and positioning. The average annual funding is ~30 million RMB. Since 2000, we have won 3 national science and technology awards, more than 20 provincial and ministerial science and technology awards, international invention awards, and national invention patents. In the past 5 years, we have published more than 100 SCI papers in high-profile remote sensing and geoinformatics journals such as RSE, ISPRS, IJGIS, IEEE TGRS, etc. A number of our faculty members serve as editors-in-chief and editorial board members of important international journals.Our institute has also produced two nationally-recognized high-quality courses, and a number of doctoral thesis work has won the “national excellent doctoral thesis” award and the “excellent doctoral thesis from Peking University” award.
We aim to cultivate world-leading scientists in physical remote sensing, remote sensing informatics, applied remote sensing, and remote sensing for the space. . We also aim to train students to own a solid background in geospatial information knowledge and to make innovations. Our graduates and alumni are now disseminated in governments, research institutes, colleges and universities, and IT enterprises in many fields such as information and communication, urban and regional planning, land, environment, transportation, tourism, aerospace, public security, military, ocean, water conservancy, and mapping..
We are committed to international collaborations. In the past, we have established student exchange programs with UCSB, University of Maryland, Columbia University, Clark University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of New Brunswick, University of Western Ontario, University of Cambridge, National University of Ireland, etc.
We expect to continue expanding our international academic influence and reputation in the future. We strive to embrace open-mindedness to make our institute the world leader in Remote Sensing Science and Technologies in the next 5-10 years.
