News

Hong Kong Smart City Awards 2018

Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) is pleased that a team of researchers from LSGI was honoured with two Hong Kong Smart City Awards on 11 June 2018. Prof. Wu Chen, Prof. Xiaoli Ding, and Dr Zhizhao Liu were the members of the winning team in the categories of Smart Mobility: “Differential GPS for Outdoor Positioning” and Smart Environment: “DGNSS for Tracking System.” The awards were based on the research outputs from their Innovation and Technology Commission-funded projects. The research for both projects was conducted in collaboration with the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research Centre and the Lands Department of the Hong Kong Government. Congratulations to Prof. Wu Chen, Prof. Xiaoli Ding, and Dr Zhizhao Liu!  

Malaysian Delegation visits LSGI

A delegation of 4 teachers from Tsun Jin High School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, visited the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) on 5 October 2018 to learn more about its undergraduate programmes. They included Ms Choy Yuen Leng, Vice Head of the Teacher Education Department, Ms Wong Han Ni, Assistant Head of the Development Department, Ms Pan Pei Chien, Assistant Head of the Academic Department, and Ms Wong Yoke Leng, Assistant Head of the Counseling Department. After a detailed introduction of the Faculty and its various programmes for international students by Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (Partnership), and Dr Wallace Lai of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), the delegation toured the Fire Lab of the Department of Building Services Engineering and the Lab for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics of LSGI with Dr George Liu, Dr Wallace Lai, and Dr Matthew Pang. The visit is expected to build a strong partnership between the high school and FCE.

Community Service Project Touching is touching

In the summer of 2018, a group of over 130 students and staff from the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) engaged in various community service projects at the Ebenezer School for the Visual Impaired which included students from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI). Not only were they exposed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the process, students also learnt about the importance of commitment, teamwork and empathy. For their efforts and dedication, eight of the FCE students including 2 degree students from LSGI were selected for Prize Awards from the Rotary Club of Wanchai, which they received in a sharing session organized by the Ebenezer School at its campus on 5 September 2018. After welcoming speeches from Dr Alice Yuk, CEO of Ebenezer School, and Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (FCE), students from the Ebenezer School and PolyU took turns expressing their thoughts on the community service project “Touching is Touching.” Led by Dr Matthew Pang and Mr Nelson Chan of LSGI, students from LSGI applied their knowledge of land surveying and spatial data processing to produce a 3-dimensional computer model of the school for the visually impaired students of Ebenezer to touch and feel. According to Mr King Wah Lau, a fourth-year student from LSGI, the project was mutually beneficial for both PolyU students and the Ebenezer community. On the one hand, LSGI students practised their technical skills in conducting a Global Positioning System (GPS) survey and piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to take aerial photos as part of the modelling process. On the other hand, the sight-impaired students gain a better idea of their school through touching the 3D model. His classmate, Mr Gabbo Ching, agreed it was definitely a worthwhile project, even though it was not without its share of difficulties, such as processing the data from the many photos taken by the photogrammetry survey and operating the UAV in windy weather conditions. Awarded students all welcomed the opportunity to serve the community in such a meaningful way. Serving the Ebenezer community was indeed a valuable experience for these students, who all exemplified PolyU’s motto of “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind.” Video sharing for the project in Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5EwQ1eSbTQ&feature=youtu.be Media interview on the project “Touching is touching”: Sing Tao Daily: 【教育要聞】理大義製三維模型 心光視障生看校園 (2018-09-26) (星島日報報道)學生是最熟悉學校全貌的人，但對失明學生而言，這個最熟悉的場所卻不知從何描述起。理工大學智慧城市與空間大數據分析實驗室，花耗逾三個月，特意為心光盲人院暨學校的學生，測量並製作出一個一比二百的校舍三維模型。心光教師認為模型助視障學生更認識自己學校，「我希望每個學生畢業後，別人問起『你的母校是甚麼模樣』時，都能夠自豪地描述出來。」 https://goo.gl/4raKyk

LSGI Delegation Visited Kazakhstan

 A 20-strong delegation from Singapore and Zurich visited the Department of Land Surveying and GeoInformatics (LSGI) from 16 to 20 April 2018 to learn about underground utility and technologies for Smart City in PolyU and Hong Kong. The study visit was part of the ‘Digital Underground’ initiative in Singapore. Led by the Chief Executive of Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Mr. Tan Boon Khai, and the Future Cities Laboratory of Singapore-ETH Centre, participants included land surveyors and engineers from government agencies in Singapore as well as geomatics experts from Switzerland. The visitors were greeted by Prof. You-lin Xu, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), and Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), who introduced the Faculty and the Department on the first day. Several case studies were subsepquently introduced in the Underground Utility Survey Lab by Ir. Dr. Wallace Lai and Dr. Janet Sham, who led a field demonstration on different aspects of utility management and survey in Hong Kong. A visit to the Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics afterwards gave the visitors a chance to learn from Prof. Shi the latest Smart City development by LSGI, including spatial data infrastructure. 2 For the rest of the week, the delegation was led by Wallace to visit the China Hong Kong Society of Trenchless Technology, Black & Veatch’s office, the Hong Kong Institute of Utility Specialists, the Housing Department, the Drainage Services Department, the Survey and Mapping Office of the Lands Department of the HKSAR Government. Various experiences related to geophysical utility mapping to “see the unseen”, building information modelling and related matters were shared amongst the participants. Potential collaboration between PolyU, SLA and the Singapore-ETH Future Cities Lab was discussed on the last day of the delegation’s visit, which ended with a lecture by Dr Gerhard Schrotter, Director of Department of Geomatics, City of Zurich and Dr Victor Khoo, Deputy Director of SLA, on Smart City development in Zurich and Singapore, particularly with resepect to the digital underground. It was a rewarding trip for all concerned.

LSGI Delegation Visited Kazakhstan

A delegation from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) visited university and high schools in Kazakhstan from 20 to 24 April 2018 for promoting the department and its programmes. Led by Prof. John Shi, Head of LSGI, the delegation gave presentations on PolyU, the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) and LSGI to some staff and students at the Nazarbayev University, the Kazakh Agro Technical University, and the International Science Complex – Astana. An interest in research collaboration and academic exchanges with LSGI was expressed by these Kazakhstan institutions as a result.

Visit of Mainland Industry Giant

Guided by Ir Allen Yeung, JP, Government Chief Information Officer of HKSAR Government, Mr Zuxin Zhang, Chairman of BD International Technology Group Limited and two assistants took a visit to the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and our Lab for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics on 27 April, 2018.   Prof. John Shi, Head of LSGI, gave an introduction on our research directions and recent research projects in Smart City which were also aligned with Blue Print of the HKSAR Government on Smart City Development. The Prof. Xiao-li Ding and Prof. Wu Chen also joined the tour and discussion. Participants exchanged their ideas and had fruitful discussion on the topic.   The Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics was officially launched in March 2018 which would serve as a platform for scientists, scholars and researchers from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and the world, to share an interest in Urban Informatics. We look forward to more future collaborations with industry and Government on Smart City Development.