Supported by innovation-driven platforms including Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth of CAS, CAS Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Sciences, Hainan Key Laboratory for Earth Observation, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, RSCROP has been devoted to developing the monitoring mechanism and applied technologies for quantitative remote sensing of vegetation. Up to date, relevant research has been conducted in fields regarding the monitoring mechanism for quantitative remote sensing of vegetation, multi-scale vegetation remote sensing products, application of remote sensing in the agricultural sector, application of remote sensing monitoring in ecology, and the commercialized application system of remote sensing monitoring industry.

Over the past 5 years, RSCROP has undertaken more than 60 major projects that have been funded by the National Science and Technology Major Project, National Basic Research Program (Program 973), National High-Tech R&D Program (863 Program), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (including its Excellent Young Scientists Fund, General Program, and Young Scientist Fund), CAS Hundred Talents Program, Newton Fund, or China-Italy International Cooperation Program. Apart from these projects, RSCROP has published 6 books and over 400 academic papers, including more than 100 papers in the SCI-indexed journals. Boasting over 20 patents, the team has 8 software copyrights registered, and has gained 7 awards for scientific achievements, such as the Second Prize of the National Award for Scientific and Technological Progress and the Third Prize of the Shennong China Agricultural Science and Technology Award.

Boasting a balanced age structure with young researchers serving as the main force, RSCROP is an innovation-oriented team working on quantitative remote sensing of vegetation. Its research domains are interdisciplinary and complementary, including remote sensing science, optics, mathematics, computer science, agricultural science, and science of plant nutrition. Academic exchanges and technological cooperation with leading institutes from home and abroad have been highly valued, with an eye to learning from each other and realizing synergistic and innovation-driven development. Moreover, the exchange mechanism for key members and a joint degree program for postgraduate and PhD students have been established. Up to now, the team consists of 2 Research Fellows, 3 Research Associates, 4 Assistant Research Scientists, over 50 postgraduates, 8 PhD candidates, 5 postgraduate students, 6 visiting researchers from China, and 8 visiting researchers from abroad.

Upholding the principles of “pursuing unity, rigorousness, diligence, truth, and innovation”, the whole team have attached equal importance to the basic theoretical research and the development of applied technologies. In the future, redoubled efforts will be made in nurturing and introducing professional researchers, and strengthening exchanges and cooperation with leading research institutes from home and abroad, thus to build RSCROP into an innovation-driven team providing professional services worldwide with strong global presence in the field of quantitative remote sensing of vegetation.