AIR Unveils Pioneering Innovations to Boost Shandong's Low-Altitude Economy

The Aerospace Information Research Institute（AIR）of the Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled four pioneering technological achievements in city Jinan, Shandong Province, China on April 19, 2025. These breakthroughs aim to accelerate Shandong's leadership in the rapidly evolving low-altitude economy—a sector set to transform industries such as drone logistics, emergency response, and urban air mobility through safe and efficient use of airspace below 3000 meters.

Apr 25, 2025

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CAS Unveils Breakthrough in "Microwave Vision" SAR 3D Imaging

The Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) announced a pioneering research breakthrough on April 9, 2025: a theoretical methodology for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 3D imaging. Leveraging the implicit "microwave vision" semantics within images, this novel approach significantly achieves higher-precision, lower-cost, and more robust 3D imaging. It provides support for remote sensing fields like urban mapping and disaster monitoring.

Apr 11, 2025

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Satellites Underestimate Power Plant CO₂ Emissions by 70%, Study Finds

Current satellite systems underestimate total CO₂ emissions from U.S. thermal power plants by 70% (±12%), according to a study published in the Journal of Remote Sensing. Led by researchers at the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the analysis highlights critical gaps in remote sensing technology, including coarse spatial resolution (1.29×2.25 km² for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite, or OCO-2; 1.6×2.2 km² for OCO-3), limited precision (~1 ppm), and infrequent revisit cycles (16 days). However, the study estimates that next-generation satellites—equipped with 0.5 km resolution, a precision of at least 0.7 ppm, and daily monitoring capabilities—could reduce errors to below 20%. This advancement would represent a transformative leap in strengthening global carbon accountability.

Apr 11, 2025

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Scientists Unveil High-Resolution Dataset to Combat Land Degradation

An international team of researchers has developed the world's first 30-meter resolution dataset to track changes in land productivity—a critical dataset for fighting global land degradation. Published in Scientific Data (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-04883-3), this innovation promises to help nations track progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3, which aims to achieve a "Land Degradation Neutrality" (LDN) world by 2030.

Apr 09, 2025

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New AI-Powered Algorithm Enhances Satellite Monitoring of Air Pollution

A research team led by Prof. SHI Chong from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Japanese scientists, has made a breakthrough in satellite-based air quality monitoring. The team has developed AIRTrans, an innovative algorithm that dramatically improves the accuracy and efficiency of retrieving key aerosol properties from multispectral satellite observations.

Apr 09, 2025

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