The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) has developed an automatic mapping system, military sources said.

The new computer mapping system called "Campaign Mapping Guarantee System" is a digital information processing program expected to be widely used in battles, exercises, drills and rescuing operations.

The PLA map database can zoom, display and draw diverse maps as well as search geographic information quickly and accurately.

The mapping system was developed in three years by a research group in the PLA Information Engineering University and will help mapping units fulfill all-weather tasks in various types of terrain at higher speeds, according to the sources.

"It has dramatically enhanced the army's maneuver and combat effectiveness," they stressed.

The mapping system was successfully used in the army's rescue efforts during last summer's worst flooding along the Yangtze and other major rivers.