20世纪地球科学进步的一个突出标志是人类开始脱离地球从太空观测地球（Earth Observation from Space），并将得到的数据和信息在计算机网络以地理信息系统形式存储、管理、分发、流通和应用。比较全面地介绍了上述过程的若干关键技术：航空航天遥感技术、GPS技术和地理信息系统技术的最新发展及其未来计划。重点介绍了气象卫星、资源卫星、制图卫星、EOS计划以及我国航空航天遥感的主要成就；GPS全球定位系统及在我国的应用、卫星测高技术、我国的甚长基线干涉测量与卫星激光测距；GIS的发展历史及其特点、我国GIS的发展概况与现状等，最后提出“Geo-Information for all”的观点。

A significant flag of the progress of Earth Sciences in the 20th century is that the human being begins to observe the Earth from  space, and storing, managing, distributing, circulating and applying all the data obtained through computer networks by means of Geographic Information Science. This paper introduces the recently development and future tendencies of some technical issues involved in the above  mentioned process, which are airborne and spaceborne remote sensing techniques, GPS techniques and GIS techniques. The emphases are focused on climate satellite, resource satellite, mapping satellite, Earth Observation System (EOS) plan and the main achievements of airborne and spaceborne remote sensing of China; GPS techniques and their applications in China, satellite altimetry technique, very long baseline interferometry and satellite laser ranging in China; the history of GIS and its characteristics, current situation of GIS techniques in China. The author proposes the thought of “Geo-Information for all” in the last part.