Beidou Navigation Satellite System set to serve ASEAN

China’s geo- spatial information company Wuhan Optics Valley Beidou Holding Group announced that it plans to facilitate the Beidou system’s technological cooperation with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) and more countries in Asia and Africa.

It will initially carry out demonstration cooperation with Thailand and Sri Lanka, the Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.

The company will continue to explore international cooperation, such as by jointly setting up stations, developing products and increasing staff exchanges, General Manager Du Li told Xinhua.

In December 2013, Optics Valley Beidou established three Continuously Operating Reference Stations ( CORS) in Thailand, its first such facilities overseas, according to the report. In the meantime, the company developed some mature application patterns involving smart transportation and industrial parks.

Further, a 10 billion yuan ($ 1.45 billion) China- ASEAN Beidou Technology City project is under construction in Thailand, which aims to boost the Beidou Navigation Satellite System’s application in telecommunications, transportation and the Internet of things in ASEAN, said Xinhua.

Du said that his company will cooperate with the Survey Department of Sri Lanka this year in developing at least 10 CORS facilities based on the Beidou Navigation Satellite System while integrating other systems like the US Global Positioning System and Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System.

By setting up CORS in Thailand and Sri Lanka, the Beidou system will expand at least 3,000 kilometers to Southeast Asia and South Asia and offer more users its high- precision positioning services, Du added.

China plans to launch another 18 Beidou navigation satellites before 2018, Xinhua said in February 2016.