"China is launching a national campaign this year to crack down on illegal online mapping services with the aim of reducing the amount of sensitive and confidential information revealed by the sites.
Li Jingwei, general manager of Star Geomatics Park Investment Co Ltd, said that the illegal mapping services exist mainly because the mapping industry is in its infancy and few people know about the legal process they should follow if they want to provide mapping services.
"Many mapping providers do not know the importance of mapping services and that is part of the problem," Li said.
He added that the crackdown will help the healthy development of the country's mapping industry.
The bureau started supervising online mapping services in May. It is calling on companies offering the services to apply for a license before March 31 if they want to continue.
More than 100 domestic and overseas companies that provide online mapping services have so far received licenses allowing them to continue. Another 100 are in the process of applying. Google, which offers extensive mapping services, is understood not to have applied, according to an earlier report.
The bureau said it will take action after July 1 against any unlicensed mapping service providers."
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subcl鈥?/a>
And...
"The bureau punished three Germans who illegally collected geographic information in Yichang, Hubei Province, and who later mapped the information on computers."
Is this just another case of the Chinese government encouraging foreigners to invest in and conduct business there, and then later changing the rules of the game in their favor so as to fine, punish, or drive out "competitors" once they themselves have mastered the technology?|||China already has launched its own mapping service called Map World. While they say that many mapping service providers do not know the importance of service, they are clearly implying that they want their maps to be accepted as authoritative map.
The sinister design behind this is pretty obvious. Very soon their maps would show all disputed territories, islands and seas as part of China. Other online mapping service providers who seek license in China would be forced to kowtow. This is Chinese way of land grabbing -- alter the maps and then claim some territory as their own.|||Oh I didn't know that information. Thanks.
Don't you think this is weird that the southernmost place of China is near the Borneo/Kalimantan island of Malaysia?
http://www.mapbar.com/search/#c=%E5%85%A鈥?/a>
And all the foreign countries are in ash color.
And I heard China blocked Gmail service recently. My friend in China can't receive gmail.|||No - depending on Google.
The rules have always been there. It's just that foreigners have always ignored them. Friendly hints and persuasion have fallen on deaf ears. The Chinese Government is fed up.
.Try taking photo's or making maps of "sensitive" areas in Europe or USA and see what happens. Those 3 Germans would have ended up in Guantenamo Bay - or worse.
Google obeys censorship laws (including mapping) in all Western countries. That they try not to do it here is just archaic sodomistic imperialism. Unfortunately for them and others, China is learning to say no to sodomy.
The licencing is being more than fair - fairer than any western country would be, given the same situation. Most mapping companies realise this, and are grateful.
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