GIS Big in World's Largest Country

China's self-developed Geographic Information System (GIS) industry hired more than 300,000 people and produced 400 billion yuan (about $53 billion U.S.) in aggregate output last year, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The news service attributed the numbers to Zhong Ershun, deputy president of the China Association for Geographic Information System, which also stated that there 20,000 Chinese enterprises engaged in GIS.

The country's growing economy, and government spending, were cited as the main factors driving growth in China's GIS industry. Between 2001 and 2005, more than 20 million yuan has been earmarked by the Ministry of Information Industry as a special fund to fund the development and application of domestic software for GIS.

See also: China to Crack Down on Foreign Surveyors & Mappers