The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has been surveyed using the LD2000 Mobile Mapping System (MMS) developed under the leadership of Wuhan University Professor Li Deren, a member of both the China Academy of Science and the China Academy of Engineering. With this system, administrators are able to monitor facilities along the railway on a computer screen and, with a click of the mouse, see the distance and altitude differential between any two points.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, with a total length of 1100 kilometers, crosses over the Hoh Xil area and the Tanggula Mountains. Both areas are inhospitable, being low in oxygen and freezing cold, and pose significant hardship to working there.

Traditionally, to make a railway survey, workers need to walk the entire path of the railway to collect basic data using apparatus weighing dozens of kilograms, which can take at least a year. However, using Professor Li’s mobile mapping technology, the survey took six days to complete.

MMS is one of the most cutting-edge technologies in the field of surveying and mapping. Until now, there are only a few companies that have successfully utilized MMS. Leador Spatial, founded by Professor Li, is one of them.

In 2008 Olympic Games, the MMS played an important role in the bid for Olympic Games, venue construction and organization of the game, saving at least 1.6 billion RMB for the country.

In 2009, Professor Li completed a network map for Wuhan with this technology, making it the most complete “image city” in China and the first one freely available.

As one of the leading experts in surveying and mapping, Professor Li explains his passion for the field: “every industry, every family and basic life necessities are all closely related with surveying and mapping technology.”