On October 29, 2014, a meeting to review the Hainan Key Laboratory for Earth Observation took place in RADI Sanya Campus. The laboratory was jointly built by RADI and its Sanya Research Center. The review experts agreed that the laboratory was qualified to be recognized as a Hainan provincial key laboratory and recommended much of the focus of its research should be on the economic and social development of Hainan Province.

The key laboratory has determined its major research fields after taking into full account the local features of Hainan Province. It is aimed to facilitate the building of many key state and regional projects like the Maritime Silk Road and the Hainan International Tourism Island, to meet the current needs of Hainan Province in monitoring of disaster and ecology, building of digital Hainan and other aspects, to study the Eearth observation technology dedicated for the cloudy and rainy tropical and subtropical regions, and to pool multidisciplinary talents who will contribute to the economic and social progress of Hainan Province.

The establishment of such a key laboratory in Hainan Province represents an attempt RADI has made to keep achieving technological and institutional innovation, enhancing cooperation among research institutes, enterprises and colleges, and facilitating economic development with science and technology. The laboratory will be developed into a new platform through which RADI can directly support the economic and social development of Hainan Province and it marks the new progress RADI has made in building regional research centers. So far, RADI has a provincial key laboratory which is designed to facilitate the regional economic and social growth, in addition to eight state and institute-level laboratories and research centers including the State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science and the CAS Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science.

A scene from the review meeting.