China has launched a remote sensing system for plant pests and disease monitoring and forecasting, according to the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

During an online conference focusing on plant pests and disease remote sensing on Aug. 29 and 30, the monitoring and forecasting system was introduced with its multi-source, multi-scale and multi-mode Big Earth Data covering vegetation parameter inversion, monitoring of pest and disease habitats, disaster identification and early warning, as well as loss assessment of farming and animal husbandry.

Based on the new system, the institute has released 92 reports on plant pests and disease monitoring and forecasting, and ten reports on the monitoring and assessment of desert locust plague in Africa and Asia.

The system has been used by government organs, international organizations, research institutes, universities and enterprises in China, Britain and Italy.

About 20,000 participants attended the online conference.