Remote sensing and GIS for urban growth analysis in China

The progress of urban remote sensing and GIS in China since the early 1980s is reviewed. The first section introduces the early applications of remote sensing to environmental monitoring and resources investigation, and outli nes its achievements. The second section focuses on further analysis of urb an expansion from the point of view of spatial distribution patterns and te mporal change, taking Beijing, Shanghai, and Dongguan as examples. Urban GI S is discussed in the third section. The regional differences of vcrs devel opment in China are detailed from south to north. As remote sensing and cls technologies develop, they will be combined for use in urban planing and m anagement.