ISDE President Dr Alessandro Annoni delivers opening remarks via video. [Photo provided to China Daily]
During the 2nd Youth Innovation Forum on Digital Earth held in Hong Kong recently, nearly 500 delegates from 18 countries and regions, including government officials, experts from universities and institutes, educationists, industry representatives and students discussed over the theme "Digital Technology Innovation Driving Sustainable Development".
The forum presented a state-of-the-art platform for young researchers in the relevant fields of digital earth, fostering seamless integration between academia and industry and facilitating vibrant exchanges of ideas, according to one of the organizers International Society for Digital Earth.
Professor Michael F. Goodchild, member of the US National Academy of Sciences, delivers a keynote speech on the theme of "Digital Earth as a Digital Twin". [Photo provided to China Daily]
The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals were also organizers of the forum.
At the opening ceremony of the forum on Dec 5, Dr Alessandro Annoni, the president of ISDE, extended a warm welcome to the young scientists, encouraging them to embrace the spirit of creativity, innovation, collaboration, and commitment in pursuit of the shared Digital Earth vision.
"In recent years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has supported local universities in conducting space-related education and research, and achieved notable results. The successful launch of the CUHK satellite is one of such landmark achievements," said Professor Sun Dong, secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry in the Government of the HKSAR.
Plaque unveiling of the International Satellite Data and Application Cooperation Council Unit. [Photo provided to China Daily]
"In this year's Policy Address, we also announced the establishment of a new research center under the InnoHK research cluster to participate in the Chang'e 8 China lunar exploration mission. We are confident that the new research center will further enhance our local capabilities in space science and technology, and foster the next generation of aerospace-related talent," he said.
The plaque for the International Satellite Data and Application Cooperation Council Unit was also unveiled at the opening ceremony. The CUHK celebrated the launch of the first remote sensing satellite this year and introduced a collaborative double major program in Aerospace Science and Earth Informatics with the CUHK-Shenzhen.
The Hong Kong Youth Aerospace Innovation Alliance is initiated to be established. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The Hong Kong Youth Aerospace Innovation Alliance was also initiated to be established during the event. The alliance aims to promote innovation and collaboration among young talents in the field of aerospace, serving Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in areas such as disaster prevention and mitigation, carbon neutrality and sustainable development. It seeks to open a new chapter for Hong Kong in the aerospace industry, technology, talent cultivation, and international cooperation and applications.
In total, 152 abstracts were submitted to the forum, and 132 oral presentations were made in 20 parallel sessions. The parallel sessions covered 17 topics, including Digital Earth in Support of Urban Sustainable Development, Smart Transportation for Disaster Emergency, Geospatial Optimization, 3D Digital Modeling for Culture Heritage, and others.
