The application of China’s land observation satellites within the framework of Digital Earth and its key technologies

摘要

Digital Earth is an interdisciplinary field involving space technology, information technology, and geoscience. This article introduces the land observation satellite system of China and discusses the requirements for satellite payloads in terms of spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution to establish a Digital Earth. The applications of land satellites under the framework of Digital Earth are introduced from the perspectives of data support, special subject services, and integrated information services. It is concluded that China’s land observation satellites and ground processing systems will be fundamental components of the Digital Earth system, in which satellite data and their derived information will serve as the principal information source and greatly promote applications of Digital Earth.