As a brand-new start of 2023, our first Alumni Tourcation was held on 7 January. On the theme of “Let’s be a Smart Citizen”, the campus tour brought a relaxing and intellectually rewarding morning to 40 alumni.
The tour began at Pauline Tsang Po Yan Gallery of the Alumni Atrium, where Ms Wanze Li, Interim Director of Alumni Affairs, and Ms Mandy Tang, Vice President of the Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics Alumni Association (LSGIAA), gave a big welcome to all participants. The group first had a journey of memories by visiting various PolyU landmarks; after that, they headed to the laboratories at Block Z to learn about smart cities – one of the notable research areas of their alma mater.
In the Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics, we were privileged to have Prof. John Shi, Director of Smart Cities Research Institute and Chair Professor in Geographical Information Science and Remote Sensing, to share with us their impactful research works in collaboration with different units of PolyU. An impressive example was the spatial data infrastructure platform, which has been useful for identifying COVID-19 risky areas in Hong Kong, as well as advising the government on adopting timely measures in light of the latest situation. In the Remote Sensing Laboratory, we were delighted to have Sr Prof. Charles Wong, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment and Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics, to illustrate their smart city tree management project and Augmented Teaching and Learning Advancement System (ATLAS). The former aimed at sustaining a longer tree life while the latter introduces a new technological path of engagement between teachers and students.
All participants were proud of the impactful innovations by their alma mater, which have been addressing societal needs and improving everyday life on all fronts. Once again, the Alumni Tourcation received tremendous compliments. Thank you for your support! We will strive to organise more and more fruitful campus tours. See you next time!
