Who's Who in China's Leadership

			Xu Guanhua

Born in 1941 in Shanghai.

Graduated from Beijing Forestry University in 1963, Xu Gaunhua went to study abroad in Stockholm, Sweden in 1979 and returned to China in 1981. His appointments have included research professor, Director General of the Research Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, director general of the Institute of Remote Sensing at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Deputy Director of State Commission of Science and Technology. Currently he is the Minister of Science and Technology, Director of the Judging Committee for Natural Science Award and Deputy Director of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sport.

Xu Guanha is a well-known scientist in remote sensing in China and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Science. He is also a doctorial supervisor. He was honored with a national award for young-middle aged scientist with outstanding contributions and for being a superexcellent returnee who studied abroad. He is also in receipt of a governmental special allowance.

Xu Guanhua has been engaged in remote sensing and geographical information systems for a long time. He successfully developed the earliest digital image processing system for remote sensing satellites in China. The system was developed not only with the general function of image processing, but also with the functions of boundary decision-making, analysis of sample plots for exercise, image classification, map spot synthesis and estimations of biomass for resource surveys and geographical study. His achievement was awarded with the second prize of Scientific and Technological Progress by the Ministry of Forestry in 1988 and the third prize of National Scientific and Technological Progress. His techniques for digital image processing with multi-wave band and classification have been exchanged and well reviewed at international conferences and used by Swedish studies of land-use mapping. He has also developed theories and methodologies of remote sensing integrated surveys and their relevant mapping. He has led the formulation of the first technological regulation for a remote sensing integrated survey and mapping system for regenerative resources. His studies have exploited and been creative of classification systems, mapping scales, technical flow and varieties of specific maps. His leading project of a remote sensing integrated survey for the "Three North" protective forests was at the cutting edge of remote sensing space technology applications, technological difficulty and time demands and was awarded the first prize of Scientific and Technological Progress by the Ministry of Forestry in 1989 and the third prize of National Scientific and Technological Progress in 1991.

Xu Guanhua is also the Director of the Division of Geographic Study of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Academic Committee of National Key Laboratory of Resource and Environmental Information System, Director of the Academic Committee of National Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Aerial Survey, Deputy Director of China GIS Association and editor in chief of Transaction of Remote Sensing.