命运共同体：服务世界的北斗卫星导航系统 | BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

编者按：科技兴则民族兴。本期“命运共同体”系列聚焦自主研发并已开始提供全球服务的北斗卫星导航系统。

Editor's note: In this episode of "Come Together," CGTN looks at China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) going global in 2018, another scientific breakthrough that highlights the country's development as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding. 

“目前，我们的精度实际上全球可以到3.6米；在亚太区域可以到2.6米。我们向世界已经宣布承诺，我们的北斗是向全球提供服务的。” 北斗卫星导航系统总设计师杨长风说。

"Currently, the positioning accuracy of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has reached 2.6 meters in the Asia-Pacific region and 3.6 meters globally," said Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the BDS. "In the future, it will be embedded in mobile phones to achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy. We promise that our service is open to the whole world."

“北斗系统是现在唯一一个具备导航和通信功能的卫星导航系统，这两种服务的结合使服务的种类更加丰富，可以应用在更广的场景。” “北斗三号”主任设计师聂欣说。

"At present, the BDS is the only navigation satellite system that features both navigation and communication. This dual function enables the BDS to provide a wider range of services in broader scenarios," echoed Nie Xin, chief designer of the BeiDou-3 navigation satellite.

北斗卫星导航系统是全球四大导航系统之一。截至2019年9月，中国自主研发的北斗快速辅助定位系统，已经为3亿中国手机用户提供卫星定位服务，精度可实现亚米级。

According to Nie, the BDS is one of the four space-based navigation networks operating globally. By September 2019, the BDS accessory rapid-positioning system independently developed by China has served over 300 million Chinese mobile phone users to achieve sub-meter location accuracy.

随着5G技术的发展，“5G + BDS”组合将在需要快速数据传输速度、低网络延迟以及精确定位和导航服务的场景中广泛应用。利用北斗实现农业机械无人驾驶，进行精准播种提高耕地利用率，精准定位实现了车道级导航，提供实时的物流信息。

With 5G technology now in commercial use, the "5G+BDS" combo will be widely applied in scenarios that require fast data transmission speed, low network latency and precise location and navigation services. For example, the BDS can be installed on driverless tractors for high-accuracy sowing to maximize farmland utilization and increase crop yields. It can achieve lane-level navigation, providing live updates of logistics information.

此外，短报文通信是北斗特有的功能。在地面通信中断的情况下，依然能实现信息传输。目前这一功能已在国际搜救中发挥了重要作用。

More importantly, a short message communication service is a unique function of the BDS. If the ground communication signal is interrupted, the BDS short message service can still function efficiently. It has now been widely used in international rescue operations.

Chen Suzhen demonstrates the BDS short message communication service. /CGTN Photo

“特别是地震全部没信息没网络的时候，这个是能派上很大的用场，” 厦门蓝天救援队队长陈素珍说。

"It can be of great advantage in earthquakes, when ground signals are completely cut off," Chen Suzhen, head of the Blue Sky Rescue Team in Xiamen, told CGTN.

2015年4月25日，尼泊尔发生了8.1级强震。水、电、通信全部中断；各国救援队间的通信不畅成为救援的障碍之一。陈素珍和队员们一起参与了这次国际救援行动。

On April 25, 2015, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, causing a complete outage of water, electricity and mobile signals. Lack of proper communication among international rescue teams created major obstacles in relief operations. Chen and her teammates were sent to the scene for international joint rescue operations.

“各个国家来了很多的队伍，然后都聚集在加德满都，救援人员都已经过剩了，”陈素珍回忆道。“因为我们有北斗可以发短报文，他们没有，所以我就跟尼泊尔的指挥部建议我们去更偏远的、更严重的地方去挖掘。”

"Rescue teams from different countries all gathered in Kathmandu and it seemed that there were more rescue workers than needed," Chen recalled. "Luckily, our team had BDS equipment. With the short message service, I suggested to the rescue relief headquarters that we could go to the remote areas where the situation was far worse."

救援过程中的一天晚上，陈素珍的应急灯没电了，电池恰巧在另外一个队伍的队员手中。因为手机完全没信号，陈素珍就使用北斗发短文来提醒他送电池过来。“北斗在尼泊尔救援的时候发挥了很大的作用。如果能发展到每个国家都用北斗救援的时候，我觉得是非常有效率的。”陈素珍说。

One night, Chen's emergency light ran out of battery, so she needed to borrow a spare one from a colleague in another team. As there was no signal on her phone, Chen contacted her colleague through the BDS and he brought her a new battery shortly afterward. "The BDS helped us a lot during the rescue. If every country uses the BDS, our future rescue operations will be far more efficient," Chen told CGTN.

“一般导航系统服务通过定位只能知道我在哪儿，而短报文服务可以把我的位置（和信息）通过卫星发送出去。通俗地说就是不但知道我在哪儿，还可以让别人知道你在哪儿（位置和信息），”聂欣解释道。

"An ordinary navigation system could only detect my location, but the BDS short message service can also send my location (and message) out. In other words, BDS not only knows where I am, it can also share my location (and information) with others," Nie explained.  

北斗系统采用三种轨道卫星组成的混合星座，与其他卫星导航系统相比，高轨卫星更多、抗遮挡能力强。此外，北斗系统提供多个频点的导航信号，能够通过多频信号组合使用等方式提高服务精度。北斗导航的功能非常丰富，被广泛运用到通信系统、电力调度、救灾减灾、应急搜救、森林防火、交通运输、海洋渔业、水文监测、精准农业等领域，其相关产品目前已经服务全球100多个国家和地区。

What is more, the BDS has a hybrid constellation consisting of satellites operating in three kinds of orbits. Compared with other navigation satellite systems, the BDS operates more satellites in high orbits to offer better anti-shielding capabilities. It also provides navigation signals on multiple frequencies to improve service accuracy by using combined multi-frequency signals. Now, the BDS has become extremely versatile and can be applied in various sectors, including telecommunications, electric power transmission and distribution, disaster prevention and relief, emergency response and rescue, forest fire prevention, transportation, marine fishery, hydrological monitoring and precision agriculture. BDS-based products are sold to more than 100 countries and regions.

聂欣说：“北斗系统它是一个面向全球服务的系统，同时它也是一个开放和别的系统兼容的系统，它会给全世界的人民带来非常大的便利。”

"The BDS is open to the whole world and is compatible with other navigation systems. It will surely benefit people from all over the world," Nie told CGTN.

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