Forum on the Low-Altitude Economy and Smart City Synergies

Dr. Liao Xiaohan obtained his D. Phil from Oxford University in 1992, and became a remote-sensing researcher at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA in his early career. For the past 20 years, he worked as a deputy director general of high-tech department and of basic research department under the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. He also served as the director general of the National Remote Sensing Center of China, the head of the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research（IGSNRR）, Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) until 2022. He is now a professor of IGSNRR, and served as the director general of CAAC Key-Lab for Low-Altitude Geographical Information and Route Planning. He worked as PIs for serval national science projects and his academic contributions include 1) a pioneer and an earlier leader in planning a protocol distribution of UAV remote-sensing network nationwide, and the first to introduce the concept of data carrier for UAV observational network, which received recognition from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, 2) the chief designer leading the development of a UAV regulation cloud management system (CAS SKYNET) and received an official license for experimental operation from CAAC, 3) development of  a technological framework of UAV public air-route planning, which were endorsed by CAS and CAAC, 4) the chair of the IEEE SA P1939.1 working group and promoted the approval and publication of the Standard for a Framework for Structuring Low Altitude Airspace for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Operations.

Sr CHAN possesses over 20 years professional experiences covers engineering surveying, hydrographic surveying, cadastral surveying and geospatial data analysis/management. Over the past few years, Sr CHAN has been actively involved in the smart city and Common Spatial Development Infrastructure (CSDI) development.

Professor John Shi is currently the Director of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute of PolyU, Chair Professor in Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing. He is Academician of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, Fellow of Academy of Social Sciences (UK), Fellow of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, and Fellow of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He earned his doctoral degree from Germany in 1994. Professor Shi also serves as President of International Society for Urban Informatics and Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Urban Informatics.   His research covers urban informatics for smart cities, geographic information science and remote sensing, artificial-intelligence-based object extraction and change detection from satellite imagery, intelligent analytics and quality control for spatial big data, and mobile mapping and 3-D modelling based on LiDAR and remote sensing imagery. He has published over 300 research articles in journals indexed by Web of Science and 20 books. He is among the world’s top 2% cited researchers had owns over 40 patents.   Professor Shi has won State Natural Science Award, China’s highest award for fundamental research, in 2007; Distinguished Scholar Prize by CPGIS and Smart 50 Awards (US) in 2021; Gold Medals in 2021 & 2023 International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva; Founder’s Award by International Spatial Accuracy Research Association in 2020; Science and Technology Progress Award in Surveying and Mapping (Grand Award) in 2017; and Wang Zhizhuo Award by International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in 2012.