The Significance and Role of

GIS and CSDI in Smart City

Development

Dr. Kenneth TangImmediate Past President, HKGISA

Chairman, Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) Committee,

Smart City Consortium

20 June 2018

“a process by which cities become

more liveable, resilient and

able to respond to new challenges”

“the use of information &

communication technology to make

infrastructure and public service

interactive”

What is a Smart City?

No universal definition

World Bank: • Technology-intensive city

• A city that cultivates a better relationship between

citizens and governments by technology

Ultimate goal: to improve Quality of

Living

Key Aspects of Smart City(Source: Smart City Consortium)

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Informed

Decision-making

Enhanced breadth and depth of information

Breadth: comprehensive understanding of site’s

social and physical contexts

Depth: detailed information (attributes) at

multiple scales

Comprehensive and in-depth feasibility and cost-

benefit analysis at project planning stage

Reduced uncertainty in project implementation

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Informed decision-making is

a necessary but not

sufficient condition for

Smart City Development

DATA (ingredients)TECHNOLOGY (recipes,

cooking methods)

TALENT (good cook)POLICY (restaurant

management) 9

Smart City Policy in HK

High-level direction and planning in

the application of technologies (e.g.

GIS)

Inter-agency coordination

Platform for data sharing

Financial incentives (e.g. funding)

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2015 Policy AddressKowloon East as pilot area for

smart city development

2016 Policy AddressITB to formulate digital

framework and standards for

smart city

2017 Policy AddressDEVB to study CSDI

development

ITB to publish smart city blueprint

2017 Policy AddressEstablishment of Steering

Committee on Innovation &

Tech.

by Central Policy Unit

by Planning Department

by ITB

by Development Bureau

(DEVB)

2014 Policy AddressEstablishment of Innovation &

Technology Bureau (ITB)

2014 BudgetRelease of gov’t data in

machine-readable digital

formats

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DATA

Spatial Data Infrastructure

(SDI)

TECHNOLOGY

GIS

BIM

AI

VR

…………..

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GIS and Smart Cities:

What is GIS? How is it related

to Smart City?

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Concept of GIS

(source: hillnotes.files.wordpress.com)

Everything is GIS

• Location of every object (including human being and

environmental objects) can be identified by X/Y/Z

coordinates with a temporal scale

• Relationship between objects can be analysed and

presented by GIS

• Examples: books of a library, buildings of a city

• 2 major capabilities: spatial data analysis and

presentation

GIS is a tool to "make sense of” spatial data and

essential for making informed decisions

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What is the capability of

GIS?

Overlay Analysis

(source: innovativegis.com)

Buffer Analysis(source: telus.net)

3 Key Types of Analysis

Overlay analysis

• Integrated analysis

• e.g. weighted analysis of land use suitability

Buffer analysis

• Proximity

• e.g. the availability of public service within a

certain buffer distance of a site (500m from

railway station)

Network analysis

• Indoor/outdoor navigation (car/people)

• e.g. the shortest route from a site to an expressway

Network Analysis

(source: desktop.arcgis.com/)

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Buffer Analysis

(source: desktop.arcgis.com/)

2D Map

(source: gis-studio.nl)

3D Visualisation

(source: gislounge.com)

StoryMap

(source: matsutc.org)

Key Types of Presentation

2D Maps

• Conventional presentation of spatial data

3D Geo-design and Visualisation

• 3D model of a city or structure

• Simulate development scenario

Interactive Presentations (e.g. StoryMap)

• Engage users to facilitate interaction

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Report of disasters

Pinpointing an exact location to minimise

communication flaws

A thread-format discussion forum for

citizens to refer to posts on similar issues

A platform for government to

communicate local disaster-related

information to citizens

Visual evaluation of policy alternatives

Identified benefits:

• More personal responsibility (sense of citizenship)

• Increased locally-specific data

• Wider endorsement of decisions

Example: PPGIS for Flood

Risk Management in UK

PPGIS for reporting incidents(Source: White et al. (2010))

Threaded layout for reviewing similar incidents

(Source: White et al. (2010))Reference: White, I., Kingston, R. & Barker, A. (2010). Participatory geographic information systems

and public engagement within flood risk management. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 3(4), 337-

346. 18

SDI and Smart Cities:

What is SDI? How is it related

to Smart City?

2

What is Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)?

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It is a coordinated series of agreements on technology

standards, institutional arrangements, and policies that

enable the discovery and use of geospatial information by

users and for purposes other than those it was created for

(Kuhn 2015)

Spatial Data Infrastructure

(SDI)

Critical component of GIS

Characteristics of the era of Big Data

• Increased volume

• Increased variety

• Produced within short intervals

• Unstructured datasets

Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) for

integrated management and dissemination of

spatial data

GIS + CSDI —> high-quality output for decision-

makingMultiple Data Sources for

GIS (source:

blog.rankwatch.com)

8 V’s of Big Data

(source: m-brain.com)

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Data-Related Technologies

Innovation in data collection by sensors

• Drones, beacons, mobile signals, etc.

Innovation in data storage and processing

• Cloud storage

• Cloud GIS

FOG Technology

• Processing takes place in a data hub or smart

mobile device

• The distributed approach grows in popularity due

to the great amount of data generated by IoT and

sensors

Use of Drone for GIS Data

Collection

(source: sensefly.com)

Concept of FOG

(source: blog.rankwatch.com)

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Example: Los Angeles’

GeoHub

Integration of 40+ government departments’

technical system to form a centralised platform

Everyone as data contributor and user

Data comprehensiveness and accuracy —> clear

identification of possible benefits and obstacles of

each project

StreetWize: indication of location of road works

Location of road works displayed on StreetWize(Source: City of Los Angeles)

A user-friendly layout for users to look for data(Source: City of Los Angeles)

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Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) Development in Hong Kong

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• Government’s strong commitment to establish a CSDI

• Innovation and Technology Bureau (ITB) has launched a number of

projects for implementing a CSDI

• Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is exploring

means to align and integrate spatial data

• The Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) has set up an

Open Data Studio to provide communication channels for stakeholders to

share and exchange datasets

Future Outlook

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CSDI

• Collaboration of public and private sectors

• Application-driven

• Data accuracy and timeliness

• Centralised vs distributed database

• Data privacy issues

GIS

• Promotion of technologies through education (STEM)

• Integration of technologies (e.g. BIM)

• Grooming of talents (e.g. training and competition)

Example: Construction

Project with BIM-GIS

Integration

An URA project in Tai Kok Tsui

Construction in densely-developed

old urban area

BIM-GIS integration for solar

study

BIM-GIS integration for

community impact evaluation

Modelling of Cityscape after Construction(Source: Yau Lee Holdings Ltd.)

Solar Study for the Site(Source: Yau Lee Holdings Ltd.)

Analysis at Community Scale(Source: Yau Lee Holdings Ltd.) 16

Example: Combination AI and GIS to Predict Market Demand (Forbes,

May 2018)

Companies replying on traditional methods to plan and deliver products could not keep pace with

the changing market demand

Location intelligence through application of GIS allows merchants to visualize and analyze

specific customer behavior where and when they occur.

e.g. During the flu season, a pharmacy or supermarket could make use of AI and GIS based on

when and where the outbreaks occur, combined with environmental conditions to predict

purchasing demand in the upcoming days and weeks.

By analysing the pattern of buying behaviour, in-store and online, companies can channel the right

merchandise to the right locations

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Grooming of Talents

Technical know-how and awareness of

the new generation (e.g. STEM, Young

Scholar Award)

Firms’ awareness of the possible benefits

brought by geospatial technology

Effective and efficient government

policies

GIS Education for the Next Generation(source: cie.hkbu.edu.hk)

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An Example of Noise

Impact Analysis

Grooming of Talents

Winner of 2017 Young Scholar

Award (HK)

Kenneth Wong

An Example of Public Transport Study

Grooming of Talents Winner of 2018 YSA (HK)

Frankie Choy

Conclusion

• GIS and SDI are major pillars

for smart city development

• Essential components of smart

city development: data,

technology, policy support and

talents

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Thank you

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