Implementation of geographical conditions monitoring in Beijing-Tianjin-hebei, China

Abstract

Increasingly accelerated urbanization and socio-economic development can cause a series of environmental problems. Accurate and efficient monitoring of the geographical conditions is important for achieving sustainable development. This paper presents the first results of the project "Geographical Conditions Monitoring (GCM)" in an exemplified area "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH)" in China over the last three decades. It focuses on four hot issues in BTH: distribution of dust surfaces and pollution industries, vegetation coverage, urban sprawl, and ground subsidence. The aim of this project is the detection of geographical condition changes and for the description of this development by indicators, as well as the analysis and evaluation of the effects of such processes on selected environmental perspectives. The results have shown that the contributions of the applied GCM in making the plan of urban design and nature conservation. Valuable experience gained from this project would be useful for further developing and applying GCM at the national level.