China’s version of GPS ‘is now just as accurate’
Developer of Beidou global positioning system says it can match performance of US rival
China’s Beidou navigation system is now accurate within centimetres and on par with the US Global Positioning System (GPS), said a scientist who has been developing the technology.
The system could even offer more precise positioning services than its US rival within China, but further support was needed to make GPS users switch to Beidou, navigational-systems expert Xu Ying said at a technology expo in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Beijing has been building the system to make its domestic users, including the military, less dependent on foreign technology. Most Chinese lighthouses, military facilities and fishing boats had been using it since an Asia-Pacific network was completed in 2012, officials said earlier.
For military users, Beidou provided improved security against interference and interception, Xu said. It is unclear how many users within the PLA have switched to Beidou.
Xu said about 70 per cent of the fishing boats in the South China Sea had been equipped with the system. They benefited from its unique communication function, which enabled terminals to send out messages along with their location information, she added.
“With Beidou, they can let families know they are safe,” Xu said. “They can also report to coastguards if something happens. It ensures the safety of South China Sea fishermen.”