The landing of Chinese spacecraft Tianwen-1 on Mars in mid-May 2021 has made aerospace history. It was the first time in the world that a spacecraft has completed orbiting, landing and roving in one single mission. Two PolyU research teams had supported the successful mission. One was led by Prof. Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics (LSGI). From 2017 to 2020, his team had shortlisted three potential landing regions on Mars, one of which was the southern Utopia Planitia, the largest recognised impact basin in the northern hemisphere of Mars. It was eventually chosen as the target landing region after detailed topographic and geomorphological mapping and analysis. Using the high-resolution images sent from Tianwen-1 of the target landing region covering an area of about 11 times larger than the size of Hong Kong’s territory, Prof. Wu and his team generated high-resolution and high-precision 3D digital topographic models of the target landing region using the integrated 3D mapping model developed by them to analyse the detailed topography and identify large slopes hazardous for landing. They also developed AI-based techniques for more automated and robust analysis of geomorphological features like craters and rocks from the high-resolution images in a short period of time. More than 670,000 craters, over two million rocks, and hundreds of volcanic cones distributed over the target landing region were analyzed in 1.5 months, achieving much higher efficiency in the automatic extraction of rocks and craters with an accuracy of about 85%.

The spacecraft for the Tianwen-1 probe comprises an orbiter, a lander and the Zhurong rover. In collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the latest mission aims to obtain scientific exploration data on the Red Planet. With orbiting and landing completed, the Mars rover Zhurong is set to begin its exploration. The whole world is waiting to see what it finds.

Prof. Wu (middle) with some research staff/students of the Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory

With buildings consuming more than a third of the world’s energy use, it is imperative that more cost-effective ways are adopted to manage them more efficiently. The Intergovernmental International Cooperation on Scientific and Technological Innovation Scheme of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) National Key R&D Programmes has awarded RMB 4,120,000 to Prof. Fu Xiao of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE) to conduct research on smart energy management technologies for complex building energy systems in high-density cities. She leads an international multidisciplinary team of experts from the Technical University of Denmark, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Midea Group in this project to develop innovative data-driven knowledge discovery, prediction, modelling, control and fault diagnosis technologies by leveraging advanced big data and artificial intelligence to improve the energy efficiency, flexibility, reliability and sustainability of building and district energy systems.

The development of high-density cities poses major energy and environmental challenges. With urbanization, buildings have increasingly become larger and more complex in high-density cities. The existing physics-based domain knowledge about buildings and building energy systems faces enormous difficulties in dealing with big systems, big data, uncertainties, coupled dynamics and interactions as well as occupant behaviours. This project will demonstrate and test the cloud-based deployment of the technologies in a number of buildings and districts in Hong Kong, Fo Shan, Shanghai, and Copenhagen.

A graphic representation of the project

A research project led by Prof. Wu Chen, Head of Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, and funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund and the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) was awarded a Silver Medal in the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days.

Entitled “Seamless Navigation in Urban Environment,” the research developed a new technology to improve mobile phone positioning accuracy with reasonable cost. It enables the positioning to achieve an accuracy of 2 metres in open areas, and less than 10 metres in dense urban areas, for mobile phone-based and location-based services. It uses a position-domain DGNSS (Differential Global Navigation Satellite System) platform with an accuracy of 2 metres, a multipath mitigation engine with the integration of GNSS observation, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial sensors and a 3D map for greater positioning accuracy.

Two scholars in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) have recently been supported by the PolyU Areas of Excellence Committee (AoEC) for their projects of strategic importance. Details are as follows:

The Board of Education of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) has supported a book proposal by Dr Daniel Chan of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) and his former PhD student, Dr Timothy Olawumi. Entitled Sustainability Practices and BIM in the Built Environment – Trends, Adoption and Green Building Assessment, the book will present the underlying principles of building sustainability assessment, discuss the various existing green building rating systems, and highlight some available tools which can assist in assessing the ‘greenness’ of building projects. Real-life case studies of green building projects across regions will also be illustrated and examined. A wide spectrum of readers will find the scholarly text useful and informative, from government authorities, through industrial practitioners and undergraduates.

In the fourth round of the PolyU Postdoc Matching Fund Scheme 2020/21, 18 academics in the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) have been supported with funding to each engage a postdoc fellow (PDF) in their research for 2 years. Following are the details:

To help prospective students learn more about admissions strategies, interview skills as well as the programmes offered by the university, PolyU organized a Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) online Consultation Day for them on 22 May 2021. The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) provided 13 info seminars on various programmes of its four departments, attracting over 550 JUPAS applicants. It was a rare opportunity for prospective students to consult and chat with our professors directly and get a deeper understanding of the programme of their choice.

Two graduates of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) have recently won Best Project Awards from the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC). Dr Tiantian Chen was rewarded for her dissertation entitled “Safety of professional drivers in Hong Kong,” and Mr Ka-ho Chau, BSc in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health, was rewarded for his final-year project entitled “Safety effect of visual and audio distraction on taxi drivers.” Their project advisor was Dr Tony Sze.

Organized by the OSHC to promote the importance of occupational safety and health, the annual awards are given based on the relevance, quality, and originality of a submission.

Two graduates of the erstwhile Hong Kong Polytechnic in surveying have recently been honoured with the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Awards 2021. They are the Hon. Tony Wai-chuen Tse, who received a Higher Diploma in Surveying in 1976, and Sr Augustine Ho-ming Wong, who received a Diploma in Building Studies in 1980, a Higher Diploma in Surveying in 1982, an Advanced Higher Diploma in General Practice Surveying in 1983 and MSc in e-commerce for executives in 2002 from PolyU.

The Hon. Tse is currently Legislative Councillor representing the architectural, surveying, planning and landscaping sectors. As a bridge between practitioners and the government, he has successfully lobbied the government on policies that benefited the industry, including over HK$110 million of subsidies amid the recent pandemic. Mr Tse serves in various advisory committees under the HKSAR government, playing key roles in shaping critical policies. A Lifetime Achiever of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, he is concerned about young professionals and enthusiastically supports the mentorship programmes of PolyU and its Department of Building and Real Estate, serving as a student mentor.

Sr Wong, Executive Director and General Manager of the Property Development Department, Henderson Land Development Company Limited (HLDCL), has made tremendous contribution to real estate and housing development in Hong Kong. Under his leadership, HLDCL has become one of the most active players in urban renewal. He has worked closely with the government and NGOs to turn residential units pending redevelopment into affordable temporary housing and is helping the implementation of the largest transitional housing project in the New Territories using modular integrated construction. Sr Wong served in various advisory committees under the HKSAR government, giving advices on government policies regarding housing and real estate. He was a member of the Advisory Committee of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) and was honoured with an Outstanding Alumni Award of BRE in 2018.

In a series of informal meetings in May 2021, Prof. Xiangdong Li, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), met in small groups with over 30 new faculty members of FCE departments who shared their research interests and focuses. They learnt from Prof. Li different aspects of the Faculty, including teaching and research as well as potential funding opportunities. Prof. Li also shared his own experience of developing a career in academia and encouraged the new colleagues to expand their network and identify collaborators both inside and outside the university, as well as across disciplines.

Prof. Li (middle) with some of the new recruits

The Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) was recently established by the University to facilitate impactful interdisciplinary collaborative research on developing and optimal use of land and space. As a constituent research unit of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), RILS aspires to be a world leader in developing innovative solutions for creating affordable and environmentally friendly land and space. The RILS draws expertise from various academic units of PolyU, including LSGI, BRE, CEE, DISI, ABCT and APSS. Extensive collaborations with leading experts around the World, the government and the industry will be carried out. Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Associate Dean (Partnership) of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), has recently been appointed as its Director.

Dr Lilian Pun, Associate Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) has recently retired. She worked for the university for more than 30 years, beginning with the then Hong Kong Polytechnic in September 1990. On her last day serving the PolyU in May 2021, she was presented with a souvenir as a token of appreciation by Prof. Xiangdong Li, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE).

The senior management of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) had a meeting with PolyU President Prof. Jin-guang Teng on 11 May 2021. Accompanying the President were Deputy President and Provost Prof. Wing-tak Wong, Executive Vice President Dr Miranda Lou, Vice President (Education) Prof. Kwok-yin Wong, and Vice President (Student and International Affairs) Prof. Ben Young. Various issues related to teaching, research, academic programs and human resources were discussed at the meeting. The fruitful meeting opened a channel of communication between the Faculty and the University administration. The President suggested to invite participation of interested colleagues to join such meetings in the future.

In appreciation of the funding support from the Jockey Club Charities Trust for the Smart City Tree Management Project, Dr Charles Man Sing Wong, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Academic) of LSGI, hosted a visit on campus for the voting members of the Jockey Club on 14 May 2021. The visitors learnt about the development and achievement of the Smart Tree Monitoring System. Dr Wong also introduced an operating sensor installed on PolyU’s landmark tree outside the library and demonstrated the dashboard visualization platform showing the in-situ tilting angle, direction of displacement and relevant environmental data. According to him, “The Smart Tree Monitoring System checks the structural stability of a tree daily. If any unusual tree movement is detected, the system will send an alert to the tree management personnel for their follow up so appropriate mitigation measures can be implemented as early as possible to enhance tree preservation.” The occasion was marked by the presence of the Executive Vice President of PolyU, Dr Miranda Lou.