The Chinese satellite navigation system Beidou is increasingly used for civilian purposes, as the news agency Xinhua reports, according to Chinese authorities.
Xinhua reported: "In Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, there has been surging use of the system in environmental sanitation, logistics and school buses, with the mapping largely used to beef up management efficiency and road safety in the city, according to the local government. It will take a bigger role in government administration, marine fishery and emergency rescues in the future, the government of Shenbei New District said."
The Beidou system is the Chinese version of the American GPS and the Russian GLONASS. Beidou currently only serves the Asia-Pacific region, but the Chinese government plans to create a global system by 2020.
