China mulls amending 'outdated' surveying, mapping law

China's national legislature is considering amending the surveying and mapping "outdated" law that has lead to security risks due to satellite navigation, an official statement said today.
Amending the law is aimed at improving the management and sharing of the country's geological data, the statement from the Ministry of Land and Resources said.
The current rules on surveying and mapping are out of date, as technological advances have changed the way in which people interact with and access data, it said.
Problems have arisen as a result of this new situation, including insufficient application and sharing of surveying and mapping results, as well as security risks due to satellite navigation and positioning reference stations, which make the need to amend the law all the more pressing, state- run Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statement.

"Security risks related to geological information have increased as the production, gathering and use of such information is no longer confined to professionals," it said.
"We must improve the way we protect our sensitive geological information," it said.

The amended draft was submitted to legislators for its first reading at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which began a week-long session beginning today.
According to the revised draft, the source and destination of geological information must be better managed, adding that measures should be taken to better integrate the various sources of geological data and improve the way in which it is shared and used.

The Surveying and Mapping Law was formulated in 1992 and amended for the first time 10 years later.