News

Prof. Charles Wong Appointed to the QAC’s Register of Auditors

Prof. Charles Wong, Associate Dean (Teaching) of FCE and Profess of LSGI, is appointed as a local auditor to the Quality Assurance Council (QAC)’s Register of Auditors, on the nomination by the University. With the appointment effective from April 2022, Prof. Wong will serve in an Audit Panel and obligate to assist the University Grants Committee (UGC) in assuring the quality of programmes and educational experience offered in UGC-funded universities. The QAC is a semi-autonomous non-statutory body under UGC to conduct institutional audits and promote quality assurance and enhancement.

PolyU’s Supporter Joins Hands with the University to Advance Research on Aerospace Technology through the Endowed Professorship Scheme

The PolyU Endowed Professorship Scheme recognises the achievements of world-renowned researchers in their specialised discipline to create societal impact for the betterment of mankind. Prof. Wu Bo, Associate Head (Research) and Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), is appointed to the newly established Fiona Cheung Professorship in Spatial Science under the scheme. Prof. Wu has been a key contributor in several National Space exploration missions. His innovative 3D topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis techniques were utilised in the landing site mapping and selection for China’s Chang’E-3, Chang’E-4, Chang’E-5 lunar missions, and the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars. The development of “Novel Integrated 3D Mapping Model” in 2016 for improved accuracy and consistency in mapping products is another proud achievement of Prof. Wu. Ms Fiona Cheung Sum-yu, MH, Chairman of Forest Zone Limited, has been a key supporter of PolyU and has been actively engaging herself in community service and philanthropic activities within and beyond Hong Kong. This endowed professorship, generously supported by Ms Cheung, encourages young scholars to follow the footstep of Prof. Wu Bo in devoting his career to research and innovation, making positive contributions to the development of the Nation and the world.

Research Projects led by LSGI Scholars Awarded near $12 Million Funding from RGC

2 outstanding collaborative projects led by LSGI scholars have been supported by the Research Grants Council (RGC), with the total funding amounting to near HK12 million. The project led by Prof. John Shi aims to address the impact of COVID-19, while the one led by Prof. Charles Wong focuses on carbon sequestration under climate change. Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2021/22 Project Project Coordinator Amount Awarded (HK$) Spatiotemporal Prediction and Real-time Early Warning of COVID-19 Onset Risk This project aims to develop the methods for predicting the onset risk of COVID-19 symptoms, like fever and cough, in space and time at a fine scale (i.e., within a city). To achieve high prediction accuracy, the methods will incorporate fine-scale transmissibility and other epidemiologic features of different SARS-CoV-2 variants, at the same time the impacts of fine-scale urban characteristics and social contacts on COVID-19 transmission. A mobile application system will be developed to deliver the risk predictions and send active real-time early warning of high-risk areas or routes to the public. The project is expected to support lower-cost and more effective long-term control of COVID-19 and potential future epidemics. Prof. John Shi 6,964,000 Study of Carbon Sequestration in Hong Kong’s Vegetation: from Present to Future Prediction under Climate Change Carbon stock and carbon sequestration of vegetation play a pivotal role to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. For a low carbon economy under the Government’s Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2030+, study on carbon storage capacity of local vegetation and sequestration rates for rural and urban areas becomes crucial. The project proposes to use geospatial technologies to map and estimate the biomass and carbon sequestration of Hong Kong’s vegetation, by integrating satellite-, airborne-, and ground-based remote sensing technologies. Prof. Charles Wong 4,949,639 Administered by RGC, the CRF supports investigators across disciplines and/or across universities to engage in creative and multi-disciplinary research projects, while the RIF aims to foster impactful and translational collaborative research beyond academia for the benefit of wider community.

Showcase of Smart Monitoring System for Urban Tree Management

Smart Tree Monitoring and Management System, developed by Prof. Charles Wong and his research team at the LSGI, is showcased at the Smart Countryside Exhibition from 20 December 2021 to 19 February 2022 at the Heung Yee Kuk Exhibition Hall. A simulated tree model, leveraging on smart sensing technologies, is set up to demonstrate how the system keeps track of the angles at which trees are tilting to assess the stability of their roots. This exhibition, in alignment with the Government’s objectives on Smart Village Pilot under “Smart City Blue Print for Hong Kong (Blueprint 2.0)”, promotes smart use of the technologies in the villages to bring convenience and benefits to the residents for better living.

PolyU's supporter joins hands with the University to advance research on aerospace technology

The Endowed Professorship Scheme recognises the achievements of world-renowned researchers in their specialised discipline to create societal impact for the betterment of mankind. The newly established Fiona Cheung Endowed Professorship in Spatial Science is a great example to showcase the community's recognition of PolyU's research achievements.

Prof. Qihao Weng elected as Fellow of American Association of Geographers

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) Fellowship is a recognition programme established in 2018 by the century-old association. To recognize geographers who have made significant contributions to advancing geography, every year, AAG elects ten fellows worldwide.  We are glad to share that Prof. Qihao Weng, Chair Professor and Global STEM Scholar of Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, was elected as the 2021 Class of AAG Fellow. Prof. Weng is a global leading figure in the development of the field of urban remote sensing. He is widely known for having developed a methodology for estimating land surface temperatures that has been widely applied and cited in a range of other disciplines. “He has helped lead the field of remote sensing at the AAG and beyond.”, remarked the renowned association. More about AAG Fellows of 2021 Class can be found: http://news.aag.org/2022/01/aag-announces-2021-class-of-aag-fellows/  

LSGI Career Talk 2022

Graduates' careers and development is always one of our biggest concerns as an academic department. LSGI is a unique source of graduates in disciplines of land surveying, geo-information systems and utility surveying. To share the latest career opportunities in our disciplines for existing students, the Career Talk 2022 was successfully held on 7 Jan 2021 at PolyU Campus by LSGI and LSGI Students' Society.   Dr Wei Yeung YAN, deputy programme leader of BSc(Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, welcomed our guest speakers and kicked start the talk with admission information for senior place of our bachelor's progrmame in 2022. Prior to this talk, we also invited the representatives from Survey and Mapping Office of Lands Department to give sharing on career opportunities and path in land surveying at the Government during regular class for students.   In this Career Talk, we invited 4 LSGI alumni working in public sector to share their jobs and career opportunities. Speakers include: Ms Yvonne Cheu, Technical Director, GIS, Innovative Solutions Department, AECOM Ltd.; Ms Lai Mei Yee, Product Manager, Leica Geosystems, Hong Kong; Ms Helen Chan, BIM Manager, China State Construction Engineering (HK) Ltd.; and  Mr Hanson Li, Assistant Technical Manager, Castco Testing Centre Ltd.   Speakers shared their company development and rising demand in private sector in related disciplines and recruitment tips.  Speakers stayed after the talk to have group chat with our students. The alumni speakers also shared their contacts with students for further questions.  Thank you to all speakers for their fruitful sharing to near 100 HD, BSc and MSc students of LSGI.  

LSGI participates in Project Avenger to dig up Wreckage of US Warplane in WWII

Assisted by Ir Dr. Wallace Lai, Associate Head of LSGI, and his research team with latest surveying technologies, an international team of archaeologists and forensics experts, and over 250 volunteers identified an aircraft wreckage field located at some two-hour uphill climbing to the closest access point at Tai Tam Country Park. The wreckage is believed to be a US warplane ‘TBM Avenger’ crashed during WWII in the Operation Gratitude in 16 January 1945. Within the course of 12 days in November 2021, 80 years after the Japanese invasion, the team recorded 600 fragments in the crash site. Widely reported by few media, Dr. Lai’s team made use of CEDD’s air-borne LiDAR data to portrait the terrain model for identifying possible impact site in the wilderness of Tai Tam. Then during the field work, the team also recorded the coordinates with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) in accuracy of 2cm, re-constructed 3D models of the wreckage by close-range photogrammetry and laser scanners, and mapped the underground objects by ground penetrating radar and metal detector. A complete storyline can be found in here. The Project Avenger unfolds the untold and undiscovered HK wartime history in Tai Tam, and Dr. Lai’s team demonstrates how LSGI technologies can be used to enrich the content of wartime history and archaeology.

LSGI student received the Outstanding Student Award 2021 (Faculty of Construction and Environment)

We are glad to share that MAO Hoi Ching Jacqueline, a BSc Year 4 student of LSGI, was selected for the Outstanding Student Award 2021 of both Department and Faculty levels. The award presentation ceremony will be held on 11 March 2022 at Chiang Chen Student Theatre. Congratulations to Jacqueline!

PolyU introduces the University's Latest Developments and Research Facilities to 31 Secondary Schools

Prof. Geoffrey Shen, PolyU’s director of Global Engagement, and his colleagues invited principals and teachers from 31 local secondary schools to visit PolyU in late November.  During the visit, they shared the university’s latest developments and the salient features of the 4-year undergraduate curriculum, including the incorporation of two new elements: the "Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics” (AIDA) and the “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” (IE), starting from the 2022/23 cohort.  In addition, the group visited PolyU’s state-of-the-art facilities including the Aviation Services Research Centre, the lab for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics at the department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics (LSGI), and the laboratories at the School of Optometry and the School of Nursing.