The output value of the geographic information industry was expected to reach 100 billion yuan (about 14.6 billion U.S. dollars) this year, an association official said Monday.

"The geographic information industry has entered a stage of fast development in recent years," said Cong Yuandong, secretary general of the China Association for Geographic Information System (GIS).

Contrasted with the booming industry, China was lacking in professionals with relevant GIS skills, Cong told Xinhua, without elaborating on how many were still needed.

China started to encourage study related to GIS, which integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing and managing geographically referenced information, in 1998 in higher education institutions. To date, nearly 200 universities had set up majors related to GIS, Cong said.

In response to the growing market, the China Association for GIS has been hosting an annual GIS software development contest with the Beijing branch of ESRI, a leading American company focused on GIS, since 2004. The contest is dedicated to spreading GIS technology and encouraging more professionals to join the field.

Cong said more than 1,800 students from 120 colleges and universities took part in the event last year alone.

Source: Xinhua