Homegrown high-precision positioning system put to use

A self-developed positioning system with high precision went into application in China on Friday, further beefing up the capability of the country's satellite navigation system. Xihe, named after an ancient Chinese god, was developed by the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). It has an outdoor accuracy of one meter and an indoor accuracy of 3 meters, the NRSCC said. Xihe can identify and connect with various satellite navigation systems, including China's homegrown Beidou, which many other positioning systems cannot identify. It has undergone trials in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, according to the NRSCC. Jing Guife, NRSCC deputy director, said that the system will play an important role in many areas, including positioning, transportation and the Internet of Things. "It will also help extend the application of the Beidou system, which enjoys a relatively smaller market compared with other international competitors," Jing said. According to a white paper issued by the MOST in 2013, the Xihe system will cover more than 100 Chinese cities and benefit more than 100 million households by 2020.