The 1st Cross-Strait, Hong Kong and Macao Conference on the Development of Surveying, Mapping and Geospatial Information was successfully convened from 21 to 22 October 2026 at the Jockey Club Auditorium, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), attracting over 500 participants. The landmark event was jointly organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) and the Hong Kong Geographic Information System Association (HKGISA). It was co-organized by the China Association for Geospatial Industry and Sciences (CAGIS), the Chinese Society for Geodesy Photogrammetry and Cartography (CSGPC), the Land and Urban Construction Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (DSSCU), the Chinese Federation of Surveying and Mapping (CFSM), and the Taiwan Geographic Information Society (TGIS). The Department of Land Surveying and Geospatial Science (LSGS) at PolyU proudly hosted the event, with the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) at PolyU serving as supporting organizers. Held in conjunction with the Asia GIS Conference 2026, this biennial forum represents a newly merged entity uniting two formerly independent regional platforms, marking a milestone era of cross-strait academic and professional collaboration under the theme "The Era of Digital-Intelligence: Integration and Application of Surveying, Mapping, and Geospatial Information."
The opening ceremony featured welcoming remarks from leadership representatives of the organizing institutions, including Professor Xiaoli DING, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) at PolyU, Sr Tony Wai-ming WAN (President of HKIS), Professor Peixin WANG (President of HKGISA), Mr. Qing YU (Deputy Secretary-General of CAGIS), Ms. Wenhui ZHANG (Chair of the Supervisory Committee of CSGPC), Ms. Qingxin ZHAN (Acting Head of the Department of Surveying and Geospatial Information of DSSCU), Mr. Jianli LI (Secretary-General of CFSM), and Professor Chih-Hong SUN (President of TGIS). Mr. MAURICE Kam-wah LOO, JP, Director of Lands of the HKSAR Government, delivered the opening address, highlighting the vital role of geospatial intelligence in driving smart city developments. Following the official launch ceremony and a traditional souvenir exchange, the conference entered its high-profile keynote session. Plenary reports were presented by world-renowned scientists, including Academician Deren LI (Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering), Professor Anthony YEH (The University of Hong Kong), Professor Joseph Hun-wei LEE (Macau University of Science and Technology), and Professor Chih-Hong SUN (National Taiwan University), sharing pioneering insights into geospatial theory, spatial intelligence, digital twins, and sustainable regional development. Over 20 thematic sessions followed, focusing on space-air-ground integrated sensing, GeoAI big models, 3D digital maps, satellite positioning, and smart territorial planning.
The conference concluded with a closing ceremony on 22 October, featuring summary remarks by Ms. Qing YU (CAGIS), Mr. Jianqian HUANG (DSSCU), and Mr. Kaiyuan XU (Vice President of HKIS). A flag-handover ceremony followed, where Mr. Kaiyuan XU and Professor Peixin WANG officially passed the rotating conference flag to Mr. Guoqing CUI, President of the Chinese Federation of Surveying and Mapping (CFSM). The next edition of the conference will be hosted in Taiwan in 2028.
Beyond academic exchanges, a grand welcome dinner was hosted on October 21 at the Silverbox Ballroom, Hotel ICON, featuring a traditional Lion Dance performance supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. On October 23, delegates participated in half-day technical site visits to the Geospatial Lab (GeoLab) to examine open government spatial datasets under the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI), and the Hong Kong Science Park (HKSTP) Experience Centre to view PolyU's contributions to advanced national engineering and deep space exploration, concluding a highly successful and comprehensive regional event.
