China Expands Satellite Reference Network to 7,569 Ground Stations

China has expanded its nationwide network of satellite navigation and positioning reference stations to 7,569 sites, according to reports from state media outlets Xinhua and People's Daily. Coordinated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Data Administration, the ground network includes 420 national stations, 3,293 provincial stations, and 3,856 collaborative stations. Officials announced the milestone during a meeting launching authorized data operations, marking the sector's first trial in transitioning government spatial-temporal data assets into regulated commercial channels while maintaining public-interest services.

Ground reference stations are essential for refining satellite signals and delivering high-precision positioning for autonomous driving, infrastructure engineering, and disaster management. Bringing more than 7,500 stations into a centralized operational architecture gives China an integrated terrestrial backbone for its BeiDou system. Crucially, the move signals an operational shift: spatial data is migrating from closed administrative siloes into market-accessible data assets under national data commercialization guidelines, potentially lowering integration costs across industrial and digital sectors.

China has integrated 7,569 satellite navigation and positioning reference stations into a unified nationwide network, reinforcing terrestrial support for its BeiDou system and establishing an authorized operational channel for public spatial data, according to state media reports. The updated station figures were released during a September 4 conference in Beijing focused on the authorized operation of reference station network data, organized jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Data Administration, Xinhua and People's Daily reported. The nationwide network comprises 420 national-level stations, 3,293 provincial-level stations, and 3,856 collaborative stations operating under a centralized regulatory standard. Ground-based reference stations provide the continuous tracking and correction data required to deliver high-precision positioning services. According to authorities, the consolidated network supports applications across land-use planning, ecological monitoring, disaster early warning, energy infrastructure, telecommunications, and municipal management. To manage the expanding network, the Ministry of Natural Resources instituted a '1+33' collaborative operations and maintenance architecture, connecting national centers with provincial-level entities to provide unified surveying and mapping datum services nationwide. Officials framed the integration as a standardized, legally mandated effort to ensure precision, reliability, and security across all contributing stations. The meeting also marked the formal rollout of authorized operations for spatial-temporal public data—the first pilot of its kind in China's geographic information infrastructure sector, People's Daily reported. The initiative aligns with national data governance directives, including the 'Twenty Data Measures' and the public data '1+3' policy framework, which seek to convert state-managed public data into compliant, tradable economic factors. During the event, authorities held an initial signing ceremony for prospective users across public welfare sectors, critical industries, and commercial enterprises. Government representatives noted that authorized operations will adopt a dual-track approach, balancing non-profit public services with market-oriented business deployment to expand BeiDou's industrial adoption.