Food delivery by drone is expected to become a reality in the foreseeable future, as the Beidou open laboratory in Chongqing has recently been set up to improve positioning accuracy of China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System, Chongqing Evening News reported.

The lab was unveiled at the Beidou IoT Global Launch Conference & IoT Innovation and Development Conference held in Shapingba District, Chongqing, on Jan. 8.

The director of the lab introduced that it will integrate Beidou’s communication and navigation technology with its ground-based augmentation system to improve positioning accuracy.

Food and parcel delivery is now technically possible, but more tests are needed before the service is widely promoted, the director said, adding that the world’s first IoT (Internet of Things) modules based on Beidou’s communication technology have been developed, accurate to the centimeter level.

In addition, the director noted that Beidou Aerospace Group also launched a map based on the Beidou system to provide users with accurate navigation and positioning services and life services. The map app is expected to be available for users in May 2018.

Compared with Gaode Maps and Baidu Maps, the Beidou-based map will provide positioning accuracy at the sub-meter level, and will be compatible with the GPS system to achieve indoor positioning and location-based services, said the director.