GPS meteorology has been become a frontier research field and intercrossed subject since 1990's, and the remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor using GPS also has made obvious progress. This new technique will play an important role in researches on atmospheric sounding, weather forecasting and climatic change, as well as on operational applications. The significance of remote sensing of regional atmospheric water vapor by GPS in meteorology is discussed and the peculiarity and superiority of GPS technique are compared with other sounding methods. The methods and principles of remote sensing of regional atmospheric water vapor by ground-based GPS are introduced, and the present situation and prospects in the remote sensing of potential water vapor in recent 10 years by using the regional ground-based GPS network at home and abroad are analyzed. Some major problems need to be solved in this field are pointed out.