An Outlook on the National Mapping Tasks in Mongolia using Remote Sensing

An Outlook on the National Mapping Tasks in Mongolia using Remote Sensing

Dambyn Gangsukh
State Administration of Geodesy and Cartography Mongolia

Abstract
The transition to a market economy, the development of the free economic zone in Mongolia, the exploration, utilization and development of its natural resources, the identification, definition, coordination and implementation of development projects depend on a precise, up-to date, spatially referenced data base. The state Administration of Geodesy and Cartography (SAGC) as the lead agency of the government in the surveying and mapping sector wishes to make public topographic maps in the scale 1:100,000. Also, SAGC is inaugurating a program for coverage of territory in Mongolia with maps of the scale 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 for the near future.

The present paper briefly reviews the outlook on the national mapping task in Mongolia using Remote Sensing.

Introduction
Surveying & Mapping of any country’s territory has a relation with its historical development’s stage.

Mongolia has chosen a democratic way just only two years ago & our country’s society, economy, science & technology branches are changing quite fast. This kind of changing of our country’s life receives help of our organizations & citizens for their activities.

Geodesy & cartography have a close relation & the Remote Sensing which develops intensively at the present time has become one of the very useful industry of the countries with high developments & show influence to their economy. On one hand, latest achievements of the science & technology develop the land surveying & mapping improve their practical results.

Developments of the modern techniques & technology demand to change Mongolia’s mapping & Remote Sensing study & the country’s geodesy & cartography work at the news stage.

A Short Review about the mapping of Mongolia
The mapping of the Mongolian territory has arised during the World War II. It was very important for our national security, independence, so this problem was introduced to our government.

Then, Mongolia was short of surveying & mapping of the technology & cadres. Today’s Russian (Soviet) military mapping organizations had done the above work for our country at that time. On the result of this work the topographic map with the scale of the 1:100 000 of Mongolia was issued completely in 1950 by the Soviet Union on the coordination system of 1942. (This topography map was made by the system of the Krtasovsky’s ellipsoid & the

Gau b cylinder projection and the high level beginning – Kronstadt futstok) In 1970 our Government had suggested to build the State Administration of the Geodesy & Cartography of Mongolia as the country needed surveying & mapping the land. Since that time our national geodesy & cartography has strengthened materially & technically & the Remote Sensing study began to develop. This organization directs its work on the level of the country’s state policy.

Main industry work of the Administration of the Geodesy & Cartography of Mongolia is a topographic mapping of the country. This topographic mapping we do even today by the Russian standard specifications using 11 scales (See Table 1).

Table 1

Since 1971 the State Administration of Geodesy & Cartography (SAGC) has renewed the topographic mapping of the Mongolian territory with the scale of 1:100 000 & covered of the country’s whole territory with topographic mapping of the scales of 1:500 000, 1:200 000 & the one third part of the land – 1:50 000, 1:25 000. And the country’s some centres of big industrial towns, regions, districts are fully supplied with maps of the large scales.

Out country began to use the aerial photographic system of measuring & mapping of the land & surveying of its resources since 1960, & space photographic system since 1980, so we have opened some possibilities to do for our future Remote Sensing.

The Trend to cover the mongolian territory by the topographic mapping with the middle scale The national policy on the topographic mapping of Mongolia is seeking new technologies of modern science. 1/. The territory map with scale of 1:100 000 The map of this scale is for our country’ whole territory of the scale of 1:100 000, and it is most important for our natural recourses, economy, fauna, raw material use & the country’s industry developments. Because of these lifely demands I concern that our SAGC must to produce the country’s territory mapping with the scale of 1:100 000 & present it to our public. As the method of mapping from the space is much suitable for compiling& renewing a topography maps with the scale of 1:100 000, we are thinking about other ways to introduce this kind of map for the public near future. We have began to change original edition of the country’s secret territory mapping with the scale of 1:100 000 in order to introduce to the public in between 1992 & 1993. The Government will fund about this project. 2/. The Mongolian territory topography mapping with the scale of 1:50,000

The territory topography mapping of Mongolia with the scale of 1:50 000 was made on the principals of making of the mapping with the scale of 1:25,000 & certainly was used the method of the phoyogrammetry. In future we are thinking to make a program for the coverage policy for the country with the territory mapping with the scale of 1,500,000 before the complete finishing of the mapping with the scale of 1:25 00 by the help of the space topographic method & the photogrammetric methods.

This work project will be realized into action beginning 1995. According to this project the topographic map from the space image will be done in full undertakings. 3/. The country’s territory mapping with the scale of 1:25,000. This kind of mapping is very important for Mongolia’s free zone of the country and its second economy structure. For this reason we want to make coverage with the mapping with the scale of 1: 25 000 for the districts for the free zones I between 1993 & 1994, & the central areas before 2000. When we make a change to this kind of trend we will use analytic photogrammetric technology & the space cartography mapping systems. The government will fund this project. 4/. The country’s territory mapping with the scale of 1:10 000

The country’s territory mapping with the scale of 1:10 00 has been done by the SAGC since 1971 for the country’s towns & communal centres, & we will do such for some organizations, demands in future.

Conclusions
New results of the Remote Sensing on the mentioned aspects are the basis for realizing the mapping task of Mongolia. Of course, we fully understand that we face with many problems those decide the funding, preparing cadres, technics & technology. Also, the geodesy, cartography & Remote Sensing, their scientific study & their practice importances & their economy practice, some useful informations about them are important between us.

This kinds of project, of course, will be funded by our government, but we will kindly expect help and assistances from the countries which have more developments on the space mapping technologies. We have a task to make out a map the scale of 1:25 000 & cover the Central Mongolia & other 12 zones where can be developed free zones of the country’s economy. In future we will follow a poly to compile a map with scale of 1:10 000 by the orders of other organizations.

Summary
I tried to show the present situations of the Mongolian territory mapping work & wanted to open some up-to-date problems those are facing with the country’s politics, economy, geodesy & cartography, the Remote Sensing study importance & their economy my influences’ introduction to the world. We hope this kind of or work might be useful & important in future. For decision of above mentioned tasks we will meet some difficulties of funding, preparing of new cadres & many other problems of modern techniques & technology.