China´s economic zoning based on geographic information technology

The spatial pattern of economic zones is changing ceaselessly during the process of its natural, historical and objective evolution. In China, the scientific division and function of economic zones in the new period expedite the regional harmonious development and the building of a well-off society. With the support of geographical information technology, 16 regional central cities and 21 sub-central cities were selected by computing the center length of 287 prefecture-level and the above cities. The theoretic frame of economic regions was established by the model of expanding breaking point. The scheme of 12 first-order economic zones and 28 second-order economic zones were worked out through quantitative expression and gradual adjustment based on accessible traffic conditions, integral administrative divisions, relational natural conditions and unanimous regional development levels. Their leading industries and functions were finally determined with the analytic methods of SSM, principal components and composite index, and taking into consideration the synthetically developmental stage, advancement potential, resource capabilities and competitive industries of each economic region.