The measurement laboratory is one of the oldest teaching unit in South China Agricultural University, whose historical development is as old as the development of the school curriculum. At the beginning, the laboratory was belonged to the college  of Forestry. In 2003, during the reorganizational of the school departments, the laboratory was adjusted into GIS and Geomatics Institute in the college of Information. In 2012, the photogrammetry and remote sensing disciplines from the GIS department were added to the measurement laboratory, and the Department of Geomatics and Remote Sensing was set up since then. In 2015, during the new reorganizational, the department was turn into college of natural resources and environment.

Since the founding of the measurement laboratory, we have been responsible for the teaching of professional surveying and other related courses for different faculties, including forestry, garden, urban planning, urban forestry, land management, horticulture, agriculture, civil engineering, water conservancy, hydropower, and GIS. In 2006, the establishment of surveying and mapping engineering undergraduate was approved, and then the enrollment began in September, 2007. The department aimed at training students to master modern technology of surveying, and providing space technical support for the construction of the economy.

Up till now, there are 12 faculty members in the department, including 5 with senior titles and 7 with intermediate titles. 4 of the faculty members hold a doctorate degree, and 8 hold a master degree. The measurement technology laboratory of the department currently has a variety of professional measuring instruments, including 5 sets of GPS receivers, 3 units of handheld GPS, 1set of depth sounder, 18 sets of total station, 3 sets of digital level, 48 sets of theodolite, 40 sets of level, 18 units of compass and 1 graph plotter. All of these instruments worth about 2.4 million Yuan, and there is a digital mapping laboratory, with 36 computers, the total area of the laboratory is up to 680 Sqm,

The practice bases outside school of the department include: Surveying and Mapping Institute lands of Guangdong Provincial training base, Geological Survey and Mapping Institute of Guangdong training base, Surveying and Mapping Institute of Guangdong Province Nuclear Industry Geological Bureau training base, Guangzhou Guoce Digital Technology company training base.

For the scientific research, during the past five years, the department took charge of 4 provincial level projects, and took part in 9 provincial levels and above projects.