News

LSGI scholar was appreciated with national award for remarkable contributions to 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 been awarded the Outstanding Award (Individual) for his contribution to China’s First Mars Exploration Mission. The awards are presented by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China National Space Administration, and four other ministries to recognize individuals and groups who have significantly contributed to China’s space missions. In addition to Prof. WU, Prof. Kai-leung YUNG, Director of RCDSE, and a PolyU team also received awards, representing PolyU. Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, congratulated the awardees and commented that PolyU would continue to advance the technology and make contributions to the national space missions. Prof. Wu and his research team utilized topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis technologies to analyze the terrain of the Mars surface. This analysis allowed them to estimate a landing site with both safety and scientific value on Mars for the Tianwen-1 mission, thus greatly contributing to the success of China's Mars mission in 2021. Congratulations to Prof. WU!

LSGI Research Project Awarded Key Programme of the National Natural Science Foundation of China

As a prestigious research funding organization dedicated to supporting and promoting fundamental scientific research in various disciplines throughout China, the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced the application results of the NSFC Programmes in September 2023. Among the applications, various research projects and researchers in PolyU are awarded. The LSGI research “Detection of underground water pipe leakage based on multi-temporal PollnSAR technology”, led by Prof. Xiaoli DING, Chair Professor of Geomatics and Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space, was one of the three PolyU projects which have been funded under the Key Programme of NSFC. Congratulations to Prof. DING!

PolyU Researchers Advance Smart City Development through Remote Sensing Satellites and Low Earth Orbit Satellites

PolyU and Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group (HKATG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster their collaboration in satellite navigation, communication, remote sensing, and payload development in August 2023. Under this collaboration, as the key involving department, LSGI can be benefited from provision of optical remote sensing and radar observation data, as well as access to near-Earth orbit satellite payload space and testing services. A media briefing was arranged on 30 August 2023 to share the latest and future research development under the collaborative framework. Prof. Charles Wong, Associate Dean (Teaching) of FCE and Professor of LSGI, stated that LSGI would utilize the provided resources in multiple researches, like monitoring land use, estimating solar energy potential, and water quality mapping. The partnership can not only reduce the cost of data acquisition significantly, but also enhance the resolution of satellite images which can benefit the research. In addition, Dr. Bing XU, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Aviation and Civil Engineering (AAE), said that AAE was launching a low Earth orbit cube satellite project for navigation and MeV astronomy. The project will enhance positioning accuracy and safety by transmitting navigation signals from LEO orbit to Earth. The cube satellite is scheduled for launch in May 2025.   Online coverage (on 5 Sept 2023): Ming Pao Daily News  Hong Kong Economic Times   Sing Tao Daily   Headline Daily   Wen Wei Po   Ta Kung Pao   Hong Kong Commercial Daily

LSGI Impact Case Study: Urban Big Data Analytics of COVID-19

In the seventh episode of PolyU FCE Impact Case Studies 2023 video series - “Urban big data analytics for COVID-19 risk prediction and control” was published. It shared the research output - a series of extended Weighted Kernel Density Estimation (E-WKDE) models for short-term prediction of COVID-19 symptom onset risk by Prof. John SHI, Chair Professor of Geographical Information Science and Remote Sensing of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), Director of Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), and his team. The models presented offer an improvement over traditional COVID-19 risk predictions, as they can accurately predict the transmission trend for a period of 4 to 5 days. These models have been utilized for various purposes, including assessing the impact of the Wuhan lockdown on decreasing the risk of infection in other parts of China, devising a vaccine distribution plan based on risk for Hong Kong, examining the transmissibility of different variants of SARS-CoV-2, and evaluating the effectiveness of global anti-epidemic measures. Since the beginning of 2020, the team has submitted over 40 reports to the Hong Kong Government utilizing the predictions from the E-WKDE model as a point of reference in evaluating COVID-19 control measures. Let’s check out the video and explore these fabulous technologies!

LSGI scholar assisted in the study of sudden shifts from drought to flood

Dr. Shuo WANG, Associate Professor of LSGI, collaborated with the international researchers in the study of climate change in many parts of the world. Through analysis on climate data from 1980 to 2020, the study demonstrates the positive relationship between the severity of climate change and the occurrence of wild weather swings from drought to downpours. Based on the above finding, the scientists further investigated in the cause of such sudden change in weather, and discovered the “land-based feedback loops”. This concept explains how the movement of moisture from humid regions to dry regions increases the opportunity of downpours after drought, facilizing to the accuracy of predictive climate models. “Climate change is fueling back-to-back droughts and floods which have caused widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life and damages to property, infrastructure, and the environment,” Dr Wang said. “Our findings provide insights into the development of early warning systems for mitigating the impacts of rapid dry-wet transitions.” The study has been published in Communications Earth & Environment.   Online coverages: Yahoo UK Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin

LSGI Orientation 2023

On 28 Aug 2023, LSGI Orientation Day was held successfully at PolyU for all undergraduate and master programmes freshmen of LSGI in face-to-face format. Prof. Wu Chen, Professor and Head of LSGI, welcomed the students and gave introduction of department, as well as introduced our academic, teaching and supporting staff to all the students. The orientation was a chance to meet our students in person that our academic staff and supporting staff met near 120 new faces on the day. To have a good starting for the new semester, in addition to programme introduction by co-responding programme leaders, we also invited representatives from Library and office of general university requirement to give sharing for students. Miss Cherry Cheung, our BSc graduate in 2023, came back to give sharing for new students on how to utilize different resources and enjoy their fruitful university time. Bachelor degree’s students also met their academic advisors at the break-out session. We hope all students received this useful information to plan their study ahead, so as to enjoy a wonderful university life at PolyU.

PolyU and HKATG Strengthen Collaboration in Satellite Navigation and Remote Sensing

PolyU and the Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group (HKATG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster their collaboration in satellite navigation, communication, remote sensing, and payload development. Within this collaboration, HKATG will provide a variety of resources, such as conventional optical remote sensing and synthetic aperture radar observation data in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, as well as low-Earth orbit satellite measurement and control services for research and education purposes. Moreover, HKATG has donated the naming rights of a multispectral optical remote sensing satellite to PolyU. With these supports of HKATG, it is believed that the data and equipment provided can benefit LSGI in related research areas, including carbon neutrality research, tree health monitoring, land cover classification, marine water quality monitoring and research on urban surface characteristics. Therefore, PolyU organized an appreciation ceremony on 23 August to appreciate the support from HKATG. In the ceremony, Dr Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President of PolyU, commented that HKATG’s generosity would empower the faculty members to further strive for excellence in education and research, nurture future aerospace-related professionals, and contribute to the Nation. Meanwhile, Dr Daniel Yip, Non-executive Director of HKATG, shared that the collaboration would help nurture future talent for the development of new industries and the advancement of aerospace technology in Hong Kong. As we move forward, we eagerly anticipate the research output that will emerge through this fruitful collaboration, and are confident that the partnership between PolyU and HKATG will continue to yield remarkable advancements in the field of aerospace technology.

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.