“Data is a strategic asset for any industry and enterprise,” Prof. Li said, “the value of data is not just based on its sources, quality or formats, but also very much depends on how and what we do with it. We seek to deliver value through a greater understanding, alignment and actioning of data”. Data science is an interdisciplinary field, involving different bodies of knowledge (e.g., scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems) and techniques (e.g., statistics, machine learning, data visualisation, and programming) for analysing a large data set.
Revolutionising the travel industry with data-led transformation
In January 2024, PolyU established the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCdTT) as a new constituent unit under PAIR. Prof. Li, appointed as RCdTT Co-Director, is determined to steer the Centre toward new data-led tools and technologies that are conducive to the economic and sustainable development of tourism.
The establishment of RCdTT is a response to the call for “optimised” travel experience and ESG (Environment, Social and Governance). “The aim of RCdTT is to reshape tourism and hospitality operations, destination governance, and international collaboration to promote sustainable travel experiences and business practices,” Prof. Li explained. RCdTT combines PolyU expertise across disciplines, including hotel and tourism management, engineering, applied mathematics, land surveying and geo-informatics, design, computing, management and marketing, for data-led interdisciplinary solutions that help the travel industry “go digital”.
“To do so, the Centre is embarking on research with two foci: a Digital Tourism Decision-making and Monitoring System, and AI-Driven Business and Experience Innovations,” Prof Li said. “The former focuses on the development of digital systems and tools for monitoring carbon emissions, tourist satisfaction and sustainability in the industry. The latter focuses on innovating tourism and consumer experiences using artificial intelligence, robotics and immersive reality.”
Beyond tourism: Transcending impact of data science
At PAIR, Prof. Li contributes his computing expertise extensively. “With the fundamental importance of artificial intelligence and data science, I have been involved in several PAIR units,” he shared. Currently, Prof. Li is a Management Committee Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT) and the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), an International Advisory Committee Member of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM), and a Member of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports).