Dialogue with Li Deren, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences: Decades of "asking the sky and knocking on the ground" to polish the "Oriental Insight"!

Prompt information

"We must do a good job of Chinese's own remote sensing satellites, let the people use them well, and help the people use them well." Li Deren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who has just won the 2023 National Highest Science and Technology Award, said this in a recent interview with reporters from Nanfang.com and Guangdong Learning.

Li Deren is an internationally renowned surveying, mapping and remote sensing scientist and one of the pioneers of the mainland's high-precision and high-resolution earth observation system. In the 80s of the 20th century, Li Deren, who studied in Germany, obtained a doctorate with the highest score in the history of the university. In the face of the tempting "olive branch" of overseas scientific research institutions, Li Deren and his wife chose to return to China to devote themselves to the cause of surveying, mapping and remote sensing.

Remote sensing satellites are like the eyes of the earth, which can observe and obtain information about ground objects from high altitudes through sensors in a large area. National defense construction, disaster monitoring, urban planning...... The high-resolution Earth observation system is an indispensable strategic cornerstone of China's economic and social development. In his scientific research career of more than half a century, Li Deren has devoted himself to improving the level of earth observation in mainland surveying, mapping and remote sensing, and has promoted the leapfrog development of the mainland's surveying, mapping and remote sensing industry.

At the age of 85, Li Deren is still active in scientific research and teaching. Recently, Li Deren and his team came to Guangzhou for research, and he told reporters that the goal of the "Oriental Eye" intelligent remote sensing constellation plan promoted by his team is to provide high-precision, intelligent and real-time remote sensing information services for global users. "I hope that in the future, the Greater Bay Area can give full play to its advantages in economy, science and technology, and talents, and play a greater role in the construction of 'Oriental Insight'."

Dialogue with Li Deren:

The Chinese's remote sensing satellites should be easy for the people to use

It is also necessary to help the people use it well

Nanfang.com: You have been committed to improving the level of land observation in mainland surveying, mapping and remote sensing, which applications in this field are closely related to people's lives?

Li Deren: Human beings live on the earth, and the earth's natural environment is constantly changing, so we need to understand the distribution of resources on the earth, including mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, and so on. It would be too hard to rely on us humans to investigate on the ground.

Today, we can use satellites to explore the earth's resources, and we can use the detected information as the basic data for sustainable human development. We can use this data to make decisions on the next step.

In the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake, it took us 4 hours to see the situation of the epicenter through satellite data; Now our satellites are accurate enough to find the exact location of the national Antarctic expedition in minutes. This is the technological progress of our country.

We must do a good job of the Chinese's own remote sensing satellites, let the people use them well, and help the people use them well.

We can also use remote sensing satellites to "farm". In all aspects of agricultural production, from rice planting to harvesting, the data of remote sensing satellites can be calculated very accurately. Where there is a shortage of water, where there is a shortage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, etc., how the crops are growing, and what the situation of pests and diseases is, we can see at a glance through the spectrum. This is how digital twins help us to achieve refined agricultural production and greatly improve the efficiency and quality of agricultural production.

The times produce heroes

Strategic scientists will have a "big cause" when they return to China for development

Nanfang.com: You have been rooted in the front line of scientific research for decades and are the "idol" of many young scientific researchers. Many of them are faced with the choice of staying abroad or returning to their home countries as you have in the past, as you have in the past, what advice do you have?

Li Deren: When we were young, we had the opportunity to stay in foreign research institutions after completing our studies, but the two of us decided to return to China because we could do more.

The world is open, Chinese can go to the world to learn skills, and many foreigners also come to China for exchange and study. We encourage international scientific and technological exchanges, because science knows no borders.

Some young scientists choose to return to China for development, and some choose to teach or do scientific research in foreign universities, which is a personal choice, and the two are not in conflict.

However, if he chooses to stay in a foreign country for development, he may get a good salary, but it may be difficult for him to have the opportunity to submit one proposal after another to his home country with what he has learned and research, so as to promote the development of the whole country.

Therefore, I think that a strategic, capable scientist can achieve great things if he returns to his home country to develop. This time, I won the highest national science and technology award, and I think it is also a "hero of the times". A patriotic scientist can serve his homeland to the extreme.

As for intellectuals throughout the country, I think we should step up our efforts to tackle key problems in science and technology. China is open to the world, and we must "make ourselves stronger" with actions in order to contribute to the world.

"Oriental Vision" enriches the country and benefits the people

We hope to play a greater role in the Greater Bay Area

Nanfang.com: You have come to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area many times to inspect the development of related industries. In your opinion, what are the advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in developing new quality productivity? In what areas can your "Oriental Insight" constellation project be empowered in Guangdong?

Li Deren: Guangdong's economic strength has always been at the forefront of the country, and it has close ties with Hong Kong and Macao, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is very distinctive in terms of policies and talent structure. A large number of intellectuals have gathered here, and at the same time, more talents are constantly attracted here, such as many graduates of Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, including many of my students, who are willing to choose to come to the Greater Bay Area for development.

Our plan is that by 2030, the "Oriental Insight" intelligent remote sensing constellation will launch 252 satellites to form a "satellite network" to achieve the goal of "seeing quickly, clearly, accurately, completely, and understandably", so that Chinese can have their own data in the field of surveying, mapping and remote sensing, which is a matter of strengthening the country, enriching the country and benefiting the people.

Guangdong has been promoting the construction of a digital government, and satellite remote sensing big data can achieve innovative development in many fields such as government services, smart cities, digital economy, and public security, and improve governance efficiency in an all-round way. I hope that in the future, the Greater Bay Area can give full play to its advantages in economy, science and technology, and talents, and play a greater role in the construction of "Oriental Vision".

Profile:

Li Deren is a professor at Wuhan University, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a doctor from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. He is currently the Honorary Director of the Academic Committee of the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, and the Director of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Geospatial Information Technology. He is an internationally renowned surveying, mapping and remote sensing scientist, and one of the pioneers of the continent's high-precision and high-resolution earth observation system.

He is the winner of the highest national science and technology award in 2023, was awarded an honorary doctorate by ETH Zurich in 2008, and was awarded the highest honor "Honorary Member" by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in 2012.

Southern Net, Guangdong learning reporter Huang Xiaoyin

Designed by Wu Junli

Proofread by Liang Jieping

Acknowledgments Guangdong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security