China opens BeiDou reference station data to public for first time

China has opened high-precision data from its BeiDou navigation system to the public for the first time. The data will be available to key industries and businesses, helping them use BeiDou technology more widely.

Officials say sharing the data could reduce costs because companies will no longer need to build and maintain their own reference stations. The technology could support areas such as autonomous driving, urban development, disaster warnings and smart city management. China now has 7,569 BeiDou reference stations covering the entire country. Credit : CGTN