Li Deren, born in December 1939, is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences (IEAS), Corresponding Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and Honorary Member of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). Li, also a professor of Wuhan University and a PhD supervisor, is the director of the Academic Committee of Wuhan University, the director of the Academic Committee of the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, and the director of the Collaborative Innovation Center of Geospatial Technology. He has been the director-general of the Chinese Society for Geodesy Photogrammetry and Cartography, vice director of the China[SS1] [L2] Society of Image and Graphics, vice director of the Associate[SS3] [L4] on Environment Remote Sensing of China (AERSC), founding president of the Asia GIS Association, and president of Committee III and VI of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. He is also a member of the National Aerospace Expert Group, Deputy Leader of the National Key Program for Science and Technology Development--"High-resolution Earth Observation System", member of the Sixth[SS5] [L6] Science & Technology Commission of the Ministry of Education and member of the Strategic Research Committee. He has won one National Science and Technology Progress Award (Innovation team), four Second Class of National Science and Technology Progress Awards and two National Higher Education Teaching Achievement Prizes (1st place). He published ten monographs and edited eight paper collections. He also published 470 journal papers, including 183 as the first author, and 270 conference papers, including 119 as the first author.
A world-renowned expert on geo-spatial information, Li Deren has made great achievements in theoretical, integrated and coordinated innovation of geo-spatial information, significantly contributing to making China one of the top 3 in the world in this field.
In the 1980s, Li was mainly engaged in the research of surveying error theory and error processing. He initiated the iteration method with variable weights, also called “Li Deren Method”, for the location of gross errors in the adjustment based on the posteriori variance estimation. He proposed the extension of the reliability theory based on two alternative multi-dimensional hypotheses, including discoverability and distinguishability of error, which won the Hansa Luftbild Award by the German Society for Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation[SS7] [L8] in 1988.
In the 1990s, he proposed the definition of geo-spatial information and established a theoretical system for it. In the 21st century, he proposed both broad and narrow definitions of spatial information grid (SIG) and related theories. Li also played a leading role in developing several high-tech products, including GeoStar products for GIS, Fanglue Video Communications products and LD Mobile Mapping System based on RS, GPS and GIS.
In the 21st century, Li put forward both broad and narrow definitions of spatial information grid (SIG) and related theories, theories and methods of geo-spatial information concentration services, measurable images and measurable virtual reality and other theories. Li has promoted the industrialization of geo-spatial information technologies.
