The Yangtze Waterway Bureau organised a successful demonstration on 14 October of the digital mapping of Wuhan port. Experts from the Yangtze River Administration, the Yangtze Waterway Bureau and Sinotrans Yangtze Shipping Corp boarded a vessel and followed the digital map. They concluded that the shorelines, buoy positions, vessel location and other information were accurate and easy to follow, and satisfied the need to help vessel operators chart their journeys.

This is part of an ambitious programme to build a digital network for the entire waterway, including digital mapping and real-time transfer of data to measure and profile waves, currents, discharges and sedimentation. Information will be shared across the different sections of waterway management, such as emergency services, life-saving, piloting and safety inspection. By the end of 2010, the authorities hope to have built a framework for the digital waterway and to have started trial runs on some sections of the Yangtze.