China's indigenously developed satellite navigation service will be expanded to cover the renowned Jiuzhaigou Valley to aid rescue missions and daily management of the scenic spot, said the system's designer.

The Chinese-made Beidou Satellites, which provide services similar to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), will enable rescuers to pinpoint and reach lost tourists in the scenic spot in southwest Sichuan province, said Wang Jue, vice director of the No. 54 Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group, a designer of the system.

In addition, the system will enable tourists to send SOS text messages and help operators monitor traffic flow in the area, Wang said.

The navigation services are now being tested in Jiuzhaigou and will be officially launched next year, he said.

China has launched 10 satellites to complete the basic structure of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, which began providing initial positioning, navigation and timing operational services in China and countries and territories close to it in December 2011.

Scientists are now working to uncover the system's commercial potentials in an effort to tap into the domestic market that until now has largely relies on the U.S. GPS system.

China's satellite navigation market swelled from a 4-billion-yuan (633 million U.S.dollars) in 2003 to 50 billion yuan by May 2011, according to the official Report on the Development of Beidou Navigation Satellite System.

"More than 40 companies have joined the development of the system, designing 290 application terminals compatible with the Beidou," said Gou Yujun, project director at the management office of the China Satellite Navigation System.

The Beidou system has been widely used in the nation's transportation, marine fisheries, hydrological monitor, weather forecast, and disaster mitigation, according to Gou.

China began to build the Beidou system in 2000 with the goal of breaking the country's dependence on the U.S. GPS system and creating its own global positioning system by 2020. The country plans to send six more satellites to expand the system's service area to cover most parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

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