News

New Academic Staff Onboarding

Dr Qing PEI is jointly employed by the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and the Department of Chinese History and Culture to the post of Associate Professor in September 2023. He obtained his Bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Economics and Management and in Law (double degree) from Renmin University of China, and received his MPhil and PhD in Geography from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He has rich postdoctoral experience in universities around the world, including HKU, the University of Cambridge in the UK, and the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Prior to joining PolyU, he served as the Assistant Professor (2016 - 2021) and Associate Professor (2021 - 2023) at The Education University of Hong Kong. Dr Pei’s multidisciplinary research covers topics across physical and human geography, including historical geography, climate history and social-ecological resilience. Welcome Dr Pei to LSGI! 

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!