On the afternoon of March 23, 2026, Lanzhou University's Academic Symposium on Information Geography was held in Meeting Room 502, Qilian Hall, Chengguan Campus. The symposium was hosted by the Department of Information Geography, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University. The event aimed to consolidate the advantageous resources in the field of information geography from universities and research institutions in Lanzhou, promote collaborative disciplinary development, and propose the establishment of a "Western Alliance for Information Geography". Experts and scholars from Lanzhou University, the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Northwest Normal University, the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and other institutions gathered together to discuss the future development of information geography in Western China.
The opening ceremony of the symposium was hosted by the Party Secretary of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University. Professor Li Yu, Dean of the School, delivered a welcome speech, extending a warm welcome to all guests and presenting the school's disciplinary layout and development vision in the field of information geography. Researcher Li Xin, Director of the Information Geography Committee of the Geographical Society of China and a researcher at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a speech emphasizing the unique position and strategic significance of Western China in information geography research, and strongly affirmed the importance of establishing the "Western Alliance for Information Geography".
During the subsequent proposal discussion session, participating experts engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as the alliance's goals and positioning, cooperation mechanisms, talent cultivation, and research collaboration. There was broad consensus that the establishment of the alliance would create a high-level academic exchange and cooperation platform for information geography in Western China, promote the integration of regional research resources and joint training of young scholars, and facilitate collaborative efforts on major national research tasks.
The academic presentation session was chaired successively by scholars from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Lanzhou Jiaotong University. Experts and scholars from Lanzhou University, the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (Chinese Academy of Sciences), the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Northwest Normal University, and other institutions shared their latest research findings across cutting-edge fields including atmospheric radiative transfer, glacier evolution, permafrost ecology, snow cover effects, remote sensing of water resources, geological hazard identification, drought monitoring, ice-marginal landform surveying, and Earth system carbon cycling. Their presentations fully demonstrated the frontier dynamics and broad prospects of information geography research in Western China.
This symposium was not only a profound exchange of academic ideas but also an important starting point for consolidating the strengths of information geography research in Western China. Participating experts unanimously expressed that they will take the "Western Alliance for Information Geography" as a bond to further strengthen collaboration, share resources, and pool their efforts, jointly advancing information geography in Western China to a higher level and serving national strategies and regional development.
