On December 29, researchers and students from the Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Geomatics (RCAIG) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University gathered for the fourth monthly workshop in a series designed to showcase cutting-edge research in geomatics and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Prof. Qihao Weng, Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence, and chaired by Dr. Pir Mohammad, Research Assistant Professor, the series provides an energetic setting for members to present novel concepts and debate emerging trends within the discipline.
During the workshop, Dr. Md Mizanur Rahman discussed decoding mangrove ecosystem functions through land–sea thermal pulses and biodiversity linkages, offering new insights into the stability and resilience of global coastal blue carbon systems. Dr. Pir Mohammad explored disparities in urban-rural warming within Indian cities and discussed their implications for the urban heat island phenomenon. Dr. Kalingga Titon Nur Ihsan presented a framework for integrating geostationary satellite data with open building height data to optimize the ratio of BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics) implementation in complex urban areas. Dr. Chouaib El Hachimi shared progress on a framework that integrates physical principles, artificial intelligence, and remote sensing to map reference evapotranspiration across Africa, and introduced an approach leveraging foundation models with embedding techniques to map crop types and irrigation practices.
The workshop also featured presentations from doctoral students. Miss Yuhan Zhou proposed a new metric for evaluating incomplete, hierarchical data and updated the results of the hierarchy-constrained pseudo-label learning process. Miss Qianbao Hou introduced an interpretable AI-based framework that utilizes pre- and post-disaster street-view imagery to support faster and more reliable post-disaster damage assessment. Mr. Hamza Mukhtar presented his research proposal investigating upward vegetation expansion in the Himalayas under climate warming, exploring whether increased greenness leads to enhanced carbon uptake or decouples due to climatic and cryospheric constraints. Mr. Zhixing Chen proposed a framework for estimating mobility-related carbon emissions in cities to enable low-carbon urban planning. Miss Mingyue Xu presented a framework that leverages commuting patterns, trip chain data, socio-economic characteristics, and real-time operational constraints to optimize shared micro-mobility system deployment. Mr. Longjie Ye developed a geometry-aware hybrid network tailored for tree extraction from Unmanned Laser Scanning data, aiming to improve the differentiation of individual tree instances.
Professor Weng’s expert feedback and strategic recommendations were a highlight of the workshop, providing researchers with valuable guidance to refine their projects and shape future research directions.
At the conclusion of 2025, Professor Weng presented the Spirit of Laboratory (SoLa) Award to three outstanding lab members: Dr. Pir Mohammad, Dr. Baoling Gui, and Mr. Longjie Ye, in recognition of their diligence and achievements throughout the year. He also expressed his gratitude for everyone’s dedication and hard work and extended his best wishes for a successful 2026 by presenting a thoughtful Happy New Year gift to each lab member. As the team looks ahead to 2026, the spirit of collaboration and innovation continues to inspire all members to pursue excellence in geomatics and artificial intelligence research.
