Mapping Clinic in China

Orienteering in China is growing, and with it the need for high quality maps. From July 8th to 13th, 2019, a Mapping clinic was held in Longjiashan National Forest Park in Longli County, Guizhou Province, China.

The  mapping clinic was hosted by the International Orienteering Federation together with China Radio and Orienteering Sports Association and attracted 30 mapmakers from 14 provinces. Luděk Krtička and Robert Ditz from the IOF Map Commission had prepared a 4-day intensive programme, full of theoretical lectures as well as practical fieldwork. The goal was to transfer knowledge and experience to Chinese mappers, in order for them to be able to produce high quality maps according to the latest standards.

The content of the course was designed for the needs of Chinese mappers. Before the course began, the China Radio and Orienteering Association had conducted an extensive survey of the participants through questionnaires. The lecture topics varied from methods of mapping and digitalisation, through understanding map specifications, to basemap creation in OCAD using Lidar data. The fieldwork activities dealt with precise mapping and discussions about classification of objects and vegetation. With its amazing urban terrains, China has great potential, especially in sprint orienteering. In October this year, the first ever Orienteering World Cup round will be held in Guangzhou in southern China.

The participants were eager learners, saying “There is no end to learning, and the improvement of drawing technology is endless. We need to constantly learn and practice, practice and practice. We hope that more international high-level drawing classes can be offered in China.”