News

LSGI scholar interviewed by China Surveying and Mapping magazine for groundbreaking research on China’s space missions

Prof. Bo WU, Associate Head (Research) & Professor of LSGI and Associate Director of the University Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE), has recently been interviewed by China Surveying and Mapping magazine. The interview highlighted Prof. Wu's remarkable contributions to national space missions through his research team's utilization of remote sensing data. By analyzing the terrain of various planets involved in China's space missions, including the lunar surface for the "Chang'e-4" mission and the Mars surface for the "Tianwen-1" mission, Prof. Wu's team provided invaluable insights. Their innovative research aided the astronaut team in identifying safe and scientifically significant landing sites, ultimately contributing to the success of the Nation's interstellar exploration. Read the full interview article here: https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_24316095>

LSGI Alumni won “Best Smart Mobility Award” in Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Data Forum cum Open Data Challenge 2023

The Awards Presentation Ceremony of “Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Data Forum cum Open Data Challenge 2023” (Open Data Challenge) was held in Shanghai on 14 August. In order to foster the advancement of Innovation and Technology (I&T) in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, this initiative aimed to inspire participants to develop applications utilizing open data. Participating teams had the opportunity to construct their project content based on four themes: Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, and Smart Economy. We are glad to share that Micro Dimension Technology Limited, directed by Yaxin LI, a LSGI alumni, won the Best Smart Mobility Award in the mentioned competition. Their project "Barometer Assisted Smartphone Localization for Vehicle Navigation in Multilayer Road Networks" (基於智能手機氣壓計對多層路網的道路精準定位) utilizes barometric pressure sensors inside smartphones, combined with open data such as urban 3D models, to reduce positioning errors in navigation systems within multi-level road networks. Congratulations to our alumni Yaxin LI!

Singapore Smart City Visit for Champion of Innovation for Smart City Competition 2023

The Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatic (LSGI) expresses the sincere congratulation to the amazing winning team from Ying Wa's Girl School for their incredible achievement in the Innovation for Smart City Competition 2023. The objective of competition is to recognize outstanding innovation in the smart city development. We received application by over 80 students from local secondary schools to the competition. As one of the five finalist teams, the team of Ying Wa’s Girls received the overall champion award with the project “綠色煮易” during the final presentation ceremony on 7 July 2023 at PolyU. As a reward for their achievement, the victorious team celebrated their remarkable success by going on an overseas smart city visit in Singapore during 6 -9 August 2023, immersing themselves in the forefront of global smart city innovations. During the 5-day Smart City Visit in Singapore, the group firstly visited the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). SLA presented various kinds of technologies and excellent quality products and services which driven the smart nation transformation in Singapore. At the Centre for Nature-Based Climate Solution, students had a unique opportunity to learn directly from a highly respected team specializing in mangrove conservation and climate resilience research. Another visit day was arranged to the Future Cities Lab Global at Singapore ETH Centre, we were presented with the innovative ideas behind Future Resilient Systems and showcased the innovative Cooling Singapore initiative. The Smart Nation CityScape hosted the Urban Renewal Authority, showcased how Singapore has been transformed into a smart nation. Students understood how technologies have been incorporated to enhance not limited to citizen services but also the urban management and even the overall quality of life. It is our pleasure to offer the team from Ying Wa's Girl School an unforgettable oversea visit in Singapore which they gained a greater understanding of smart cities and innovative technologies.     Sharings from Awardee Group: Ying Wa Girls’ School Mak Cheuk Hei Emily, Shih Maan Chi Gigi, Ko Man Yee Sonia, Liu Heather Ue Tung Residing in an innovative city brimming with technology, we observe a strong desire among people and the government to establish a Smart City in order to enhance people’s quality of life and city management. To contribute to this vision, we have joined the Innovation For Smart City Competition organized by LSGI, and conceptualized our app, 綠色煮易, with the aim of promoting Smart Living. Through the utilization of technologies like GIS, our app intends to serve as a platform for citizens to effortlessly order local food ingredients. By doing so, we aspire to assist local farmers in expanding their customer base, thus fostering sustainable agriculture development and encouraging the adoption of green diets. We are honored to have the precious opportunity to visit Singapore and know more about the innovation done in Singapore for a smart nation. During the trip, we got the chance to visit the Singapore-ETH center and Center for Nature-Based Climate Solutions in NUS, Singapore Land Authority, CapitaSpring and Singapore City Gallery. We have learnt a large range of information such as impacts of climate change and the implementation and challenges of potential solutions, 3D mapping technology and even architecture and history of some landmarks in the nation. We were also impressed by the government's creation of innovative apps, such as MOGUL.sg, which facilitates property search and sales. Apart from gaining a deeper understanding of various technologies and issues, this trip provided us with a clearer vision of a smart city. Beyond mere reliance on technological hardware, we realized soft factors like community engagement are equally vital. Singapore's diverse population and inclusive attitude towards different cultures left a lasting impression on us. As we explored the streets, we encountered numerous churches, mosques, and other places of worship, reflecting Singapore's remarkable acceptance of cultural differences. This inclusiveness even extends to the relationship between people and nature, reflected by Singapore's commitment to greening and environmental conservation to combat climate change. A smart city, in our view, is where humans, trees, and other living beings can thrive in an environment that promotes innovation and creativity. We are grateful for the opportunity to visit Singapore and would like to express our gratitude to the department and professors that guided us and provided invaluable insights. We hope to apply the knowledge gained to contribute to the development of a better and smarter city in Hong Kong.

The First Earth Observation for Ecosystem, Infrastructure, and City (EO4EIC) Workshop was successfully held at PolyU

The First Earth Observation for Ecosystem, Infrastructure, and City (EO4EIC) Workshop, organized by the JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations and the Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Geomatics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, took place successfully on August 7. We are delighted to have had an audience of over 100 attendees, including academic and research staff and graduate students from the LSGI, CEE of PolyU, as well as from HKU and CUHK.  This workshop aims to discuss compelling and emerging topics surrounding how to improve our understanding of the nexus among city, urban infrastructure and ecosystem with the latest earth observation technologies, and particularly how to better support the following three goals: (I) enhancing understanding on human-ecosystem interactions; (II) steering sustainable urban development’ and (III) improving urban infrastructure management and planning.  Professor Weng Qihao, Chair Professor of the LSGI at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Director of the JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations and the Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Geomatics delivered a warm welcome speech and provided an overview of the Lab and the Research Centre. We are fortunate to have four distinguished speakers in the workshop: Professor Zhang Xiaoyang (Professor, South Dakota State University); Professor Li Jun (Professor, China University of Geosciences); Professor Ma Peifeng (Vice-Chancellor Assistant Professor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong); and Professor Wu Jin (Assistant Professor, The University of Hong Kong). Each speaker brought a unique perspective and extensive experience in their respective fields, enriching the discussions and inspiring critical thinking about the role of Earth observation in shaping ecosystems, infrastructure, and cities. Interactive sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities were thoughtfully incorporated to facilitate knowledge exchange, idea sharing, and the fostering of collaborations that can drive tangible change. In closing, Professor Weng expressed gratitude to each distinguished speaker by presenting them with souvenirs as a token of appreciation for their insightful contributions to the workshop. Following the seminar session, an engaging follow-up discussion was initiated with all distinguished speakers to explore opportunities for academic exchange and potential research collaborations with PolyU. This post-workshop interaction allowed for deeper engagement and the nurturing of relationships that can drive future advancements. In summary, the EO4EIC Workshop marked an important milestone in our mission to promote a holistic and integrated perspective on EO  technology and urban science. The success of this workshop encourages us to continue organizing similar initiatives in the future, facilitating ongoing collaboration and exploration of innovative solutions. By harnessing the knowledge and networks formed during the EO4EIC Workshop, we aim to contribute to the transformation of cities towards greater sustainability, efficiency and resilience, three major goals of future cities.

LSGI and Mainland Universities Foster Academic Collaborations and Cultural Exchange via Summer Exchange Programme 2023

The Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI) partnered with three Mainland universities, Tongji University, China University of Mining and Technology, and National University of Information Science and Technology, to co-organize the Summer Exchange 2023. The exchange, which took place at PolyU and other visiting locations from July 23 to July 29, 2023, provided near 100 participating students (including both undergraduate and postgraduate students) with an enriching experience. During the week, professors and students from all 4 universities showcased their latest research and projects for academic exchange. In addition, the students were given tours of notable locations within PolyU and LSGI. These included visits to various LSGI labs such as the Laboratory for Deformation and Geohazards Studies, Navigation Laboratory, Underground Utility Survey Laboratory, and Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics. As part of the program, the participants had the privilege to visit two government units in Hong Kong, including the Survey and Mapping Office of the Lands Department, HKSAR Government, and the King's Park Meteorological Station of Hong Kong Observatory. These visits offered valuable insights into the cutting-edge advancements in land surveying and smart city development in Hong Kong. The students also got the opportunity to understand the operation and applications of various equipment in research related to meteorology. The exchange programme provided an invaluable platform for the students to gain exposure to a wide range of academic perspectives and activities. It was a resounding success in fostering academic collaborations and facilitating cultural exchange.

LSGI Students received Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievements

The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) held the Prize Presentation Ceremony at the Surveyors Learning Centre on 25 July 2023. The HKIS President, Sr Paul Wong, the Chairman of Board of Education, Sr Steven Tang and the Chairman of Research Committee, Sr Dr. Mei-yung Leung delivered inspiring speeches and presented the prizes to the award winners. In this year’s ceremony, we are proud to have 12 awardees from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI). 2022 Dissertation Awards were presented to four of our LSGI students from both bachelor and master categories for their outstanding dissertations in Land Surveying Division. Eight students from LSGI have also been awarded the HKIS Scholarship in recognition of their academic excellence in LSGI’s programmes.   Below is the full list of LSGI awardees: Dissertation Awards Prize Bachelor Category Merit Award: TANG Yin Leuk Top Award: KEUNG Pui Chun, Berman Master Category Merit Award (Master Category): TONG Man Po Top Award (Master Category): NIE Xuexue HKIS Scholarship Prize BSc(Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics First Prize: SIN Ka Hei, WONG Tsun To Second Prize: CHEUNG Lai Sze, LAU Chung Tung Higher Diploma in Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics First Prize: CHU Wing Wai, WONG Hei Yin Second Prize: AU Kim Long, WONG Yeuk Mei   We are confident that our students and graduates will continue to excel in their studies and contribute significantly to the surveying industries. Congratulations to all the awardees on this well-deserved recognition!

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!