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PolyU, CUMT, and MUST Establish Remote Sensing and Environment Professional Alliance for Sustainable Development

Initiated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), the Remote Sensing and Environment Professional Alliance of Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macau Universities (referred to as the Professional Alliance) has been established on 22, March 2023 in Xuzhou, China. More than 100 leaders, scholars and students from 18 universities in Jiangsu, Hong Kong and Macau participated in this activity. Prof. Charles Wong, Associate Dean of our faculty, attended the event and congratulated the establishment of the Professional Alliance. The Professional Alliance was approved by the second executive council of the Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macau University Cooperation Alliance on 5 December 2022. The goal of this alliance is to focus on China’s national strategic needs of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutral, to continuously enhance the cooperation level among experts and scholars in the field of remote sensing and environment, and to achieve collaborative innovation between Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland. In addition to the primary initiators, this alliance was jointly initiated by Nanjing University, Hohai University, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing University of Technology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Jiangsu Normal University, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Nantong University, Jiangsu Ocean University and other universities. During the unveiling ceremony, Prof. Charles Wong, Associate Dean and Professor from Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), PolyU was appointed as Director of the Professional Alliance. Prof. Lu Haitian, Director of the Mainland Development Office of PolyU, said that the Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macau University Remote Sensing and Environment Professional Alliance is the first professional alliance in which PolyU has contributed to its establishment. He hoped that through the construction of professional alliances, the academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation among university scholars in Jiangsu, Hong Kong and Macao will be further promoted, so as to help the sustainable development of the environment. Prof. Shuncheng Lee from Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (CEE), PolyU presented a keynote speech on “Urban Air Pollution Control and Data Analysis”. After the unveiling ceremony, Prof. Charles Wong, Dr. Guoqiang Shi from LSGI, Prof. Donghai Wang from MUST and outstanding student representatives from CUMT joined a communication salon, which discussed and shared exchanges on future studies and scientific research. Through the in-depth discussions between scholars among different universities in the alliance, more collaborations and exchange opportunities are expected in the near future.

Joint-LSGI Alumni Association and LGSI hybrid Distinguished Lecture by Emeritus Professor Yong-Qi Chen

To celebrate Global Surveyors’ Day, a Distinguished Lecture jointly organized by the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and Alumni Association (LSGIAA) was held on March 21, 2023. The Distinguished Lecture was in hybrid mode with over fifty participants from different parts of the world online or face to face. The name of the Distinguished Lecture is entitled as ‘Development of a Monitoring System for Power Cable Tunnels with Optic Fibre Sensors’ delivered by Emeritus Professor Yong-Qi Chen. The Lecture is a presentation that gives a discussion on the features of a power cable tunnel compared with traffic tunnels, the difficulties with the existing monitoring techniques, fiber optic sensors, and the system development for a real project. It was an honour for Professor Yong-Qi Chen to deliver a Distinguished Lecture at PolyU when he was still in Emeritus status. Professor Yong-Qi Chen first joined the University in January 1994 as the Head of Department of LSGI, and Chair Professor of Land Surveying. He had been both Chair Professor and Department Head for fourteen years until June 2008. With him at the helm, LSGI achieved exponential growth to become a leading academic department in the field of geomatics. At the start of the Distinguished Lecture, Prof. George Liu, Associate Head of LSGI, represented LSGI to introduce and greet the speaker – Emeritus Professor Yong-Qi Chen. At the end of the Distinguished Lecture, Sr Paul Tsui, Chairman of LSGI Alumni Association, presented the souvenir to Prof. Yong-Qi Chen.

LSGI Research Seminar by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Heipke

On 7 Feb 2023, the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) successfully organized a research seminar. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Heipke from Leibniz Universität Hannover, Departmental Academic Advisor of LSGI, was invited to give a presentation on “Photogrammetric Computer Vision”. More than fifty staff, students, and guests from PolyU attended the seminar. Prof. Weng Qihao, a Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence of LSGI, and Director of JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations at PolyU, introduced the speaker before the seminar. Participating academic staff included Prof. Wu Chen, Head of LSGI, Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Prof. John Wenzhong SHI, Sr Prof. Charles Man Sing WONG, Prof. George Zhizhao Liu, Dr. Xiaolin Zhu, and other academic staff and researchers. Prof. Heipke is a professor of photogrammetry and remote sensing at Leibniz Universität Hannover, where he currently leads a group of about 25 researchers. His professional interests comprise all aspects of photogrammetry, remote sensing, image understanding, and their GIS computer connection to has authored or co-authored more than 300 scientific papers, more than 70 of which appeared in peer-reviewed international journals. He is the recipient of the Otto von Gruber Award 1992, the most prestigious award for young scientists in photogrammetry and remote sensing, the Frederick J. Doyle Award 2012 for outstanding and sustained qualities in the profession, both offered by ISPRS, and the Photogrammetric (Fairchild) Award 2013 from ASPRS. His talk focuses on geospatial applications of photogrammetric computer vision, dealing with aerial images, digital surface and terrain models, digital orthophotos, digital landscape models, and 3D city models. An overview of current sensor systems for geospatial data acquisition and automatic data processing procedures is given during his talk. A particular focus is laid on methods borrowed from machine learning. After his sharing, audiences showed strong interest in how machine learning could be used in image recognition and classification. Participants discussed with Prof. Heipke on the future opportunities for graduates in related fields. Questions were raised on technical issues too. At the end of the seminar, on behalf of the LSGI and JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations, Prof. Weng presented the souvenirs and certificate of appreciation to Prof. Heipke.

ASTRI Team Visited JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations for Potential Collaborations

The core members from Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) visited the JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations (JC STEM Lab) and discussed with the principal investigator – Prof. Qihao Weng and some major lab members about the potential collaborations on 6th Feb, 2023. ASTRI was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness through applied research. Over the years, ASTRI has nurtured a pool of research, I&T talents and received numerous international awards for its pioneering innovations as well as outstanding business and community contributions. ASTRI has recently set up a framework for cultivating the university technology transfer and collaboration ecosystem. Under the initiative, ASTRI will pursue opportunities to apply funding to do joint projects with universities. With the aim of discovering potential collaboration opportunities with our lab, a total of six core members from ASTRI’s University Tech Transfer Committee, led by Ms. Priscilla YEUNG discussed with Prof. Weng and lab members. The project meeting was led by Prof. Qihao Weng, Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence and Global STEM Scholar at LSGI, and Director of JC STEM Lab at PolyU. Ir Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering, attended the meeting and gave an opening speech on behalf of the university. Prof. Wu Chen, Head of LSGI, and Prof. Xiaoli Ding, Director of Research Institute of Land and Space, also attended the meeting. Other participated members included: Dr. Zhiwei Li (Research Assistant Professor), Dr. Cheolhee Yoo (Research Assistant Professor), Dr. Qiming Zheng (Research Assistant Professor), and Dr. Jessie Jia (Postdoc Fellow). Participants introduced their research field and how they can work hand in hand with ASTRI to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem. In the meeting, Prof. Weng introduced the focus areas of the JC STEM Lab with eleven examples of research: (1) Apartment/house vacancy estimation; (2) Building energy efficiency; (3) Nighttime lighting safety; (4) Accident surveillance; (5) Lighting sources discrimination and pollution monitoring; (6) Bird monitoring for biodiversity conservation; (7) Land cover and land use mapping; (8) Vegetation carbon uptake monitoring; (9) Extreme heat waves and vulnerability; (10) Public health concerns constrained by environmental factors; and (11) Urban Flood Hazard Monitoring and risk assessment. The ASTRI members showed sincere interest in the research areas of the JC STEM Lab. Mr. Andy Lam introduced the opportunities for future collaborations. Ms. Priscilla YEUNG explained such collaborations in much detail, e.g., the function that ASTRI plays in the collaborations, the kind of support they can provide, and the expected outcomes, as well as the foci of immediate research collaboration. Other ASTRI members provided additional information related to the collaboration. Through the in-depth discussions between ASTRI’s University Tech Transfer Committee and the JC STEM Lab at PolyU, more collaborations and business opportunities are expected in the near future.

LSGI student shines in the Universities Rowing Championships

Our Higher Diploma (HD) Second Year Student, Nimbus Kwun Ho TSANG, represents PolyU participating the Hong Kong Universities Rowing Championships 2022 held on 25 December 2022. Together with a first-year undergraduate student, Anakin Chun Hei CHAN from BRE, they took the first place in the Heat round, and 2nd runner up in the Final in the Men’s double sculls event. Nimbus is also the class representative of the HD programme in LSGI.   

LSGI Career Talk 2023

To share the latest career opportunities in various related disciplines for undergraduate and master’s degree students, the LSGI Career Talk 2023 was successfully held on 13 Jan 2023, at PolyU Campus. Ir Dr Wallace Lai, Associate Head in Teaching and Associate Professor, welcomed our guest speakers and kicked start the seminar with admission information for senior place of our bachelor's progrmame in 2023/24. 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 another classes. In this Career Talk, we invited 4 guests from public and private sectors to share their jobs and related career opportunities. Speakers included: Ms. KO Mun-wah, Connie, Chief Survey Officer, Planning Department, HKSAR Government; Mr. CHEUNG Ho-tim, Alfred, Survey Officer, Planning Department, HKSAR Government; Ms Yvonne Cheu, Executive Director and Technical Director, GIS, Innovative Solutions Department, AECOM Ltd.; and Ms Phoebe Sze, BIM Manager, CHAIN Technology Development Co. Ltd. Speakers shared their company development, career path and recruitment tips. Speakers stayed after the talk to have group chat with our students. Thank you to all speakers for their sharing.

Training for Malaysia Land Surveyor Board

Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) received a delegation of six top-rank Malaysian land surveyors from Board of Land Surveyor Malaysia during 10-16 November 2022 and 9 – 13 January 2023. The purpose of the visit is to attend the 2-phase underground utility survey training at Q-Leak of Water Supplies Department of HKSAR Government, conducted by Ir Dr. Wallace Lai of LSGI, his research team, and several overseas/local trainers from the academia/industry. In addition to theatrical training and practical demonstration, the training included two courtesy visits to Survey and Mapping Office of Lands Department and Hong Kong Accreditation Services of the HKSAR Government. The 10-day training does not only foster knowledge transfer and information exchange but also accelerates future collaboration between Hong Kong and Malaysia on the underground utility survey matters from perspectives ranging from practice, innovation technologies, management and tech-driven policy & legal framework.

2022 Dean's Honours List

We are glad to announce that 11 students from LSGI have earned a place in the Dean's Honours List of the Faculty of Construction and Environment at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. These students have been recognized for their outstanding academic performance during the 2021/2022 academic year. BSc (Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-informatics (34478) FONG Tung Sum HUI Man Kwong HUNG Ling Sum LAU Chung Tung LEUNG Lok Hei MAO Hoi Ching Jacqueline WONG Tsz Chung XU Yi Nam BSc (Hons) in Land Surveying and Geo-informatics (34478-SY) TANG Justin Hayse Chi Wing G. WU Kin Wai HD in Land Surveying and Geo-informatics (34379) YUEN Chi Chung We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all the recipients on their outstanding academic achievements. The full list of recipients can be found at here. We are proud of our students and wish them continued success in their academic pursuits.

HKIE Delegation and FCE Alumni visit LSGI

On 9 Jan 2023, LSGI received 2 delegations, 39 members from Hong Kong Institution of Engineers – ITD and 40 members from FCE alumni group. The first delegation was led by Ir Ricky Kwong, Chairman of IT Division while the second delegation composed PolyU alumni from different departments led by AAO colleagues. Tours to 2 laboratories of LSGI was arranged: i. Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics (Smart City Lab) (ZN607) ii. Remote Sensing Laboratory (ZB213) Professor John Shi, gave demonstration on research output at Smart City Lab while Professor Charles Wong, shared the applications and key research facilities in Remote Sensing Lab. The lab tours provided good opportunities to visitors to understand the latest research development in Smart Cities and Remote Sensing of LSGI. Valuable exchange of idea was also conducted among visitors and 2 laboratory-in-charges.

LSGI Research Retreat 2023

The first LSGI Research Retreat was held on 3 Jan and 4 Jan 2023 at the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel. Prof. Wu Chen, Head of LSGI, kicked off the retreat with a welcome speech for the 1.5-day event. Following the welcome speech, Prof. Bo Wu, Departmental Research Committee Chairman, provided an overview of the departmental research performance, which covered research performance in recent years, the new policy on PhD student recruitment, academic staff appraisal and Mock RAE 2016. After that, Prof. George Liu, Dr Shuo Wang and Dr Yang Xu shared their progress reports on LSGI Collaborative Research Projects respectively, followed by Q&A session. The second day of the retreat focused on Collaborative Research Topics. Some colleagues were invited to present their ideas on proposed research direction. The following presentations were given in the morning session: Data Driven Approach for Better Mitigating Impacts of Geohazards by Prof. Xiaoli Ding Research Opportunities in Urban Informatics by Prof. John Shi Carbon Emissions and Sinks: Geospatial AI Approaches to Urban- and Nature-based Solutions by Prof. Qihao Weng Global and Regional Sea Level Rise by Prof. Jianli Chen In the afternoon session, all staff were divided into 4 groups for discussion under group leaders and representatives from each group gave sharing on their views and suggestions on further development in the topic. It was a valuable occasion for staff to exchange ideas and interact with each other. We look forward to more collaborative research projects by our colleagues to come.