News

LSGI PhD student won Outstanding Presentation Award in the Annual Conference of the Commission of Tourism Geography, Geographical Society of China

The Annual Conference of the Commission of Tourism Geography, Geographical Society of China (中国地理学会) was held in Chengdu, 12-14 July 2023. The conference had attracted over five hundred researchers to share their research work in eighteen sub-sessions of frontier topics related to tourism geography. We are glad to share that a PhD student, Xinyue CHEN (under the supervision of Dr. Yang XU), from Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) won the Outstanding Presentation Award in the mentioned conference. The research proposes a new method to portray complex forms and spatial structures of tourist activity spaces. The new method offers an improved solution over existing models that focus on investigating tourist activities and movements at fixed spatial scales (e.g., intra-destination scale; inter-destination scale). This research was recently accepted by Annals of the American Association of Geographers (AAAG), a flag-ship journal in the global geography society. Congratulations to our PhD student Xinyue CHEN ! Reference: Chen, X., Xu, Y., et al. A cross-scale representation of tourist activity space. 2023. Annals of the American Association of Geographers (Accepted).

LSGI students received multiple awards in ESRI Young Scholars Award 2023

Congratulations to the PolyU LSGI student team - Mr. LAM Yik and Mr. YU Kai Him Otto (Undergraduate students, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Faculty of Construction and Environment) who won the Overall Champion of ESRI Young Scholars Award 2023! The competition of Eris Young Scholars Award 2023 aims to encourage and recognize students who can create more innovative GIS applications that lead to a better society and meet the diversified needs of Hong Kong's smart city development. The Project Title of the Overall Champion is "The Hiking Sustainability - Discuss the effects of active hiking on suburban terrain." It explores the causes of ecosystem damage and proposed solutions through technology to restore the ecological environment of the mountainside. There are three groups of LSGI students who received the Merits. Of all the three groups of students, there is one group of students who won in the Individual Section, and two groups of students who won in the Group section. For the Individual Section, the Award project by Mr. ZHANG Chang Fan is entitled as “The Roads to Smart City, Exploring New Horizons - Improving Estimation of Urban Functional Zoning with a New Data Type”. It won the Best Introductory Video Clip, and the Best 3D GIS Application. For the Group Section, the Award project by Ms. CHU Wing Wai, Ms. FUNG Hoi Ying, Ms. WONG Hei Yin, Ms. WONG Yeuk Mei is entitled as “Unwrap the Heat Trap - Investigating the UHI effect in Yuen Long.” It won the Best Introductory Video Clip, the Best 3D GIS Application and the Best Group Project. Another Award Project by Ms. CHAN Tsz Tung, Mr. CHAN Yat Hei, Ms. HO Lok Yiu, Ms. TSIN Sau Kiu is entitled as “One day in Hong Kong - Extraordinary trip tasting both new and old elements in Hong Kong.” It won the Best Use of Map-Sensitive Dashboard, the Best StoryMap Design and the Best Use of Open Data. Congratulations to the Overall Champion, and the three groups of Merit awardees winning the Eris Young Scholars Awards from LSGI!

LSGI Student, Deanna Xu, teamed up with international peers and won the grand prize for Water Challenges

“Engaging this new generation of water leaders and connecting them with a bigger platform to make global impact is critical. We’re energized by the insight, ingenuity, and ambition so many students have brought to this challenge.” This justifies why the young innovators from 78 Countries were coming together joining hands in hands to illuminate ideas to develop new solutions to world’s water challenges in an international competition. “The water issues of today and tomorrow won’t be solved by simply doing things the same way they've always been done. Solving today’s greatest water challenges demands innovative ideas and fresh approaches,” Patrick Decker, President and CEO of Xylem, said. Deanna,Yi Nam XU, the recipient of Outstanding Student Award of Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) 2022 as well as the recipient of the Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2022 (offered by Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government, HSBC and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups), embarked on a journey as a representative of Hong Kong in The Ocean Rescuers Team from India, Hong Kong, and Pakistan to identify, map, and propose a solution for a waterway impacted by plastic pollution, which enabled her and her team to win the 2023 grand prize in the tertiary (university) category. Congrats to Deanna Yi Nam Xu! “Our project developed a detailed scoring system to identify and rank high-risk plastic pollution sites in India,” noted the team. “But our approach has universal relevance. It can be applied to other regions to identify pollution hot spots and develop effective, targeted solutions.” “The Ocean Rescuers team had a very systematic and comprehensive approach,” said Chiara Lucia Tregnago, member of the Engineering Leadership Development Program (currently in Product Management) and head of the 2023 Xylem Ignite Global Student Innovation Challenge. “They took this problem, fully broke it down, and then proceeded step-by-step in a really structured and sophisticated way to solve it. It was thorough, creative, and easy to follow and understand. And they tackled all the different aspects in the complex challenge statement.” Deanna Yi Nam XU, who won the 2023 grand prize in the World’s Water Challenges, was being interviewed about what the big challenge was and what could be gained from the challenge. “ Q: What was the most challenging part about the competition? Deanna: The hardest part was how to assign different scores to each dump site… to develop a formula or grading system to rank the highest or most serious dump sites. We tried different methods as this was not our expertise. We spent some time researching online about how to calculate the scores in order to be more objective. That’s how we found we can use some codes to automatically assign different weights and consider different factors, or that some factors may have higher weight. Through this iterative process, we eventually got the final scoring and selected our final dump sites in India. Q: What did you learn from the Challenge? Deanna: You will really grow a lot after participating in this challenge. You learn more skills like how to communicate with different team members or how to deal with data science. You need to know how to collect the data – this is real data not imaginary figures. You are utilizing real data that may be helpful or useful in terms of suggesting a practical solution. ” Aspired young innovators from 78 countries including Deanna Yi Nam XU to develop solutions to the World Water’s Challenge highlight the responsibilities of worldwide youngsters to solve the global issues in concerted efforts.  Our future is theirs! Congrats to Deanna Yi Nam XU from LSGI and her international peers win the 2023 Grand Prize of the World’s Water Challenge!

LSGI Impact Case Study: Seamless Positioning and Navigation

In the fourth episode of PolyU FCE Impact Case Studies 2023 video series - “Seamless positioning and navigation in a confined urban environment”, Prof. Wu CHEN, Professor and Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), featured various technologies developed by LSGI in improving positioning accuracy and availabilities suited for highly dense urban areas.  Although Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is the cornerstone for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) service in modern society, this technology was adversely affected by the multipath effects in dense urban areas like Hong Kong. Therefore, LSGI has developed a range of new technologies and innovative solutions in tackling the multipath effects and contributing to the development of smart city. Let’s check out the video and explore these fabulous technologies!

LSGI Empowers Secondary School Students to Build a Smart City

What does it take to build a smart city? The Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been partnering with local secondary schools to answer this question through an Innovation for Smart City Competition. Launched in late 2022, the competition aimed to foster students’ knowledge and creativity in building a smart city. The crux of the competition is to formulate any smart city initiatives or deliverables based on the 6 areas of Smart City Blue Print 2.0 of Hong Kong: Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Government as well as Smart Economy. The competition has attracted over 80 students from different local secondary schools. To support students' understanding of smart city applications and development in Hong Kong, LSGI organized a public seminar on “Smart City Development in Hong Kong” in December 2022, featuring government representatives and PolyU professor. On July 7th, 2023, the programme culminated with a final round competition and presentation held in PolyU's Chiang Cheng Studio Theatre. Five finalist groups presented their projects and answered questions from the judging panel. While their supervising teachers and some of the school principals also came to learn their creative ideas and share the happiness in award presentation. In additional to Prof. Wu CHEN, Head of PolyU LSGI, the Judging Panel comprises three officials from the Government units: Ms Cari WU, Chief Systems Manager (Smart City) from Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Season CHAN, Senior Engineer (Smart Mobility) from Transport Department and Mr Alvin CHEUNG, Senior Land Surveyor, Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department, HKSAR Government. To reward the best team, the Overall Champion team and Teacher Supervisor are awarded an overseas smart city visit to Singapore in this summer while two groups of second runner-up and first runner-up winning teams each received prizes. Six groups of students also received merit awards, and all awardees will receive individual certificates. Additionally, students who choose PolyU's relevant BSc programme in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics as their first choice and record the award properly in the "Other Experiences and Achievements" section of the application form for the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) will be invited for interviews. The event marks a successful initiative to promote smart city education among secondary school students. In the meantime, participants and Government representatives can learn innovative ideas from students. Announcement of Award Teams: Award Type  School Name   Team Members Project Topic   Overall Champion    Ying Wa Girls' School MAK Cheuk Hei Emily, SHIH Maan Chi Gigi, KO Man Yee Sonia and LIU Ue Tung Heather 綠色煮易 1st Runner Up Diocesan Girls' School LAU Yan Yu, SO Hei Tung, AU Cheuk Yi and CHAN Hoi Chi Galie Smart Medical System 1st Runner Up QESOSA Tong Kwok Wah Secondary School YIP Tsz Yeung, KENG Kam Ying, CHAU Cheuk Yin and LAU Kin Yuen   iStop for Minibuses 智能小巴站 2nd Runner Up Sheng Kung Hui Chan Young Secondary School CHAN Tsz San, YU Lap King and CHEN Yan Tai  Way to Goal (奇·跡) 2nd Runner Up Ying Wa Girls' School LEUNG Tsoi Lam Phoebe, LAM Hiu Ching and CHUNG Janice We Are Trailblazers - hiking app using3D mapping technology Merit CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School WONG Ching Pong, CHEUNG Hoi Ching and LAM Ho Lun 預訂快線巴士服務 Merit Lok Sin Tong Ku Chiu Man Secondary School ZHEN Ching Ho, FONG Yu Ki, SIT Sing Kit and CHAN Yu On  智慧環境探測器 Merit Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section) CHENG Nga Lam Claudia, CHAN Wing Lam Alice and LAW Sum Yu Cloris App that promotes healthy lifestyle Merit Queen's College Old Boys' Association Secondary School   鍾曜蔚, 李汝森, 劉憲滔, 鄭耀宗 利用人工智能 及 大數據分析及預測未來急症室的輪候情況 Merit Ying Wa Girls' School WONG Tsz Wing, WONG Sum Yi Frances, CAO Yan Tung and YIM Yan Tsai Promoting Healthy Food Merit Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School CHEUNG Kin Lam, CHENG Paak Ting, CHEN Chui Mei, and HO Ka Leong  Plastic Bottle Recycling for 3D Printing Usage  

LSGI Scholars Recognized for Outstanding Research Achievements and Funding Success

Congratulations to the following LSGI scholars who achieved excellence in research and have been awarded The Dean's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Funding in 2023! These scholars have secured at least two major external grants in the past 3 calendar years. LSGI received 4 out of 15 Dean’s awards in research funding category this year. Their remarkable contributions to research are a testament to their hard work and dedication. Below is a list of their awarded projects. Awardee in LSGI Allocation Date Project Title (Funding Scheme) Prof. Wu CHEN 1 Jul 2018 A New Approach for UAV Auto-pilot System in Underground Tunnel Inspection Based on RGB-D Sensors (RGC General Research Fund) 15 Feb 2019 Trial: Integrated Navigation System with Advanced BLE IoT Network (Innovation Technology Fund – LSCM) 8 Oct 2020 Enhance Performance of HK GNSS positioning infrastructure with Beidou III and other GNSS constellations (Innovation Technology Fund – LSCM) 29 Dec 2021 Reliable Multi-Agent Collaborative GNSS Positioning for Intelligent Transportation Systems (LSGI-1) (RGC Research Impact Fund – sub-project) 29 Jun 2022 Hong Kong GNSS signal quality monitoring and interference detection system (Innovation Technology Fund – LSCM) Prof. Charles WONG 1 Jul 2021 Assessing the Impact of Urban Spatial Context on NO2 Concentrations: A New Perspective under Variable Socioeconomic Activity Restrictions (RGC General Research Fund) 4 Jan 2022 Study of Carbon Sequestration in Hong Kong’s Vegetation: from Present to Future Prediction under Climate Change (RGC Collaborative Research Fund) Dr. Wallace LAI 1 Jul 2020 Time-lapse Imaging and Diagnosis of Urban Subsurface Hazards by Ground Penetrating Radar (RGC General Research Fund) 1 Jul 2021 Multi-scale and Multi-array Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Diagnosis of Underground Hazards (RGC General Research Fund) 30 Nov 2022 Next-generation Imaging Technologies of Rapid Leakage Diagnosis of Underground High-Pressure and Large Water Mains in Carriageway (Innovation Technology Fund – LSCM) Dr. Xiaolin ZHU 18 Sept 2020 Remote sensing: time series image processing (NSFC Excellent Young Scientist Fund (HK & Macau)) 1 Jul 2022 Reducing uncertainty in daily nighttime light remote sensing due to angular and cloud effects (RGC General Research Fund) .telerik-reTable-4 { border-collapse: collapse; border: solid 0px; font-family: Tahoma; } .telerik-reTable-4 tr.telerik-reTableHeaderRow-4 { border-width: 1.0pt 1.0pt 3.0pt 1.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; width: 119.7pt; background: #4F81BD; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; color: #FFFFFF; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableHeaderFirstCol-4 { padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableHeaderLastCol-4 { padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableHeaderOddCol-4 { padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableHeaderEvenCol-4 { padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 tr.telerik-reTableOddRow-4 { border-width: 1pt; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: top; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: #4F81BD; } .telerik-reTable-4 tr.telerik-reTableEvenRow-4 { color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: top; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableFirstCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableLastCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; border-bottom-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableOddCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; border-bottom-style: solid; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableEvenCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; border-bottom-style: solid; } .telerik-reTable-4 tr.telerik-reTableFooterRow-4 { color: #355C8C; background-color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: top; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableFooterFirstCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableFooterLastCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; border-bottom-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableFooterOddCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; border-bottom-style: solid; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } .telerik-reTable-4 td.telerik-reTableFooterEvenCol-4 { border-width: 1pt; border-color: #4F81BD; border-bottom-style: solid; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; } Congratulations to the LSGI scholars for their outstanding contributions to research excellence! We are proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing more groundbreaking research from LSGI in the future.

Multi-Billion-Yuan National Project's First Space Weather Station Installed in Hong Kong

On June 6, 2023, the Chinese Meridian Project, a multi-billion-yuan National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure Project funded by the National Development and Reform Commission, China, installed its first instrument in Hong Kong, in partnership with Prof. George Zhizhao Liu from the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI), Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). This instrument, named Ionospheric High-Frequency Doppler Monitor (IHFDM), is the first instrument ever installed in Hong Kong by the Chinese Meridian Project. Ionospheric high-frequency Doppler monitor is a classic technique to use continuous and stable short-wave standard frequency signals to observe and estimate the vertical movement of the ionosphere. The ionosphere, located approximately 60 km to 2,000 km above the Earth surface, has a crucially important impact on satellite navigation such as GPS and Beidou, ground- and space-based communication, and space programs. The IHFDM can be used to study the disturbances and irregularities in the ionosphere, ionospheric response to solar flares, ionospheric disturbances caused by magnetic storms and typhoons in China. Investigating the ionosphere on satellite navigations such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is one of the major research areas in relation with the Micro-Laboratory of Atmospheric Research and Geomatics Engineering (Micro-LARGE), led by Prof. Liu at the PolyU. His group has been working on the ionosphere scintillation characteristics and the impact on GNSS positioning and navigation for more than one decade. His Lab was the first one in the world to use satellite signals from all the four GNSS constellations to study ionosphere scintillation. The Chinese Meridian Project is a major national project for space weather science and infrastructure development in China. This project aims to explore the propagation, evolution, and impact of space weather events on China’s space by monitoring the space from the solar atmosphere to near-Earth over the whole China with a high spatiotemporal resolution. As the southernmost station, the Hong Kong observation station will play a significant role in realizing the scientific and application goals of this project.

LSGI hosted the 2023 Croucher Foundation Summer Course on GPS/Beidou/GNSS Satellite Positioning and Navigation and Earth Observation at PolyU

During 28 May to 3 June 2023, the Croucher Summer Course 2023 on GPS/Beidou/GNSS Satellite Positioning and Navigation and Earth Observation was successfully held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). This Croucher Summer Course, funded by the Croucher Foundation, is the third and last one of the Summer Course series generously funded by the Croucher Foundation. This 6-day Croucher Summer Course was lectured by 5 internationally distinguished lecturers invited from Canada, Germany, Mainland China, and UK. About 30 MSc and PhD students including PolyU volunteers from various universities and research institutes were attracted to this premium Summer Course on modern satellite positioning and navigation technologies. The Croucher Foundation generously provided financial supports to the one-week accommodations for the lecturers and students’ stay in Hong Kong.  The Director of the Croucher Summer Course, Prof. George Zhizhao Liu from the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI), said “The satellite-based positioning and navigation is one of the key technologies in 21st century that change people’s lifestyle. The Croucher Summer Course offered an excellent opportunity for all the students to gain the state-of-the-art knowledge about GPS/Beidou/GNSS Satellite Positioning and Navigation and Earth Observation. At the same time, it is also a unique opportunity for the students to conduct social networking and get to know the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.” The opening ceremony was officiated by the Course Director Prof. Liu, with welcome speeches delivered by the then Faculty Dean Prof. Xiangdong Li and LSGI Department Acting Head Prof. Bo Wu in the morning of 28 May 2023.

FCE Staff Corner – LSGI Session

On June 2, 2023, the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI) hosted the 2nd FCE Staff Corner on the 6th floor of Block Z. This initiative, supported by the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), aimed to strengthen connections and encourage academic and personal interactions within the Faculty. Prof. George Liu, Associate Head (Partnership), welcomed all participants on behalf of LSGI. Prof. Xiangdong Li, Dean of FCE, and Prof. Linda Xiao, Associate Dean (Partnership) of FCE, also joined the event and interacted with different staff members.  About 40 staff members from FCE joined the event and gathered for an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon filled with snacks and refreshing beverages.

LSGI held the International Conference on Geomatics Education – Challenges and Prospects (ICGE) on 10-12 May 2023

The International Conference on Geomatics Education – Challenges and Prospects (ICGE) was successfully held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University during 10 – 12 May 2023. The ICGE is organized by the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), co-organized by the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, sponsored by International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS); co-sponsored by International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and International Cartographic Association (ICA); supported by Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and The Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors (HKIES). Near 100 participants from local and other 13 countries attended while 34 of participants gave presentations in Geomatics education. There were diverse and knowledgeable group of individuals came together to share their insights on Geomatics education. Every sharing, engagement, and contribution made this conference a great success. During the opening ceremony, Prof. Xiangdong LI, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment gave welcome remarks, followed by the opening addresses by Sr CHANG Kwok Fai, Deputy Director of SMO, Lands Department of HKSAR Government; Prof. Derek Lichti from ISPRS and Prof. Tao WANG from ICA. There were total of 9 sessions throughout the Conference, including Session 1: Web-based Tools for Surveying Education, Session 2: Curricula Development, Session 3: Promotion of Young Professional, Session 4: Multi‐level Education, Session 5/6: Promotion of Materials on Geomatics & Emerging Techniques in Surveying, Session 7/8: Multi‐level Surveying Education & Cost-effective Surveying Education and Session 9: Innovation for Asset Management. Below are keynote presentations of ICGE. Keynote Speech 1: Sailing Through Radical Changes in the Geomatics Education by Prof. Liqiu MENG, Technical University of Munich Keynote Speech 2: Integrating New and Emerging Concepts into a Geomatics Engineering Curriculum by Prof. Derek LICHTI, The University of Calgary Keynote Speech 3: Experiences from several Erasmus+ Education Projects by Prof. Georg GARTNER, Vienna University of Technology Their contributions helped us explore new ideas and perspectives on Geomatics education. We are delighted to see much fruitful sharing and discussions that took place during these 3 days. The connections and relationships formed during the conference will undoubtedly continue to benefit our community and discipline for years to come. For more conference photos and materials, please visit our photo gallery, highlights video, or social media channels of LSGI (links provided below). LSGI Website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/lsgi/ WeChat: PolyU-LSGI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSGI.PolyU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lsgi.polyu/