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"Planetary Science" Workshop at ISPRS TCIII Mid-term Symposium on Remote Sensing, 4-8 November 2024, Belém, Brazil

The ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) Technical Commission III Mid-term Symposium on Remote Sensing will be held in Belém, Brazil, 4-8 November 2024. The ISPRS Working Group III/II "Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping" will organize a workshop on "Planetary Science" at the Symposium.

Conference Website: https://selperbrasil.org.br/events/belem-2024-tc3-symposium/

Import Dates:

Abstract/Paper submission deadline: April 15, 2024
Notification Authors: May 30, 2024
Early registration deadline: June 30, 2024
Camera-ready Papers: July 15, 2024
Standard registration deadline: September 30, 2024


Abstract/Paper Submission Website: https://www.conftool.org/belem-2024-tc3-symposium/
Please select "Planetary Science" among the topics listed when submitting.

 

ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing - Special Issue on “Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping”


 

The ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) Working Group III/II “Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping” is currently organizing a Special Issue on “Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping” to be published by ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (a top journal in the Remote Sensing area with an impact factor of 11.774).

The Special Issue will focus on the latest developments and innovative methods and applications of planetary remote sensing and mapping. Submissions are invited on, but not restricted to the following topics:

- Planetary remote sensing techniques and new instrument technologies
- Planetary topographical mapping from photogrammetry, photoclinometry, laser altimetry, etc.
- Planetary geomorphology and geology from remote sensing - methods and recent advances
- Planetary remote sensing data fusion and synergistic use
- Machine/deep learning applied to planetary remote sensing and mapping
- GIS applied to planetary remote sensing data
- Planetary remote sensing data dissemination, formats, and interoperability
- Planetary science and exploration mission planning based on remote sensing data - ongoing and imminent missions


All submissions fitting the above topics are welcome. Papers must be original contributions. Papers published or submitted for publication in conference proceedings may be considered only if they are considerably extended and improved. Papers must follow the instructions for authors at http://www.elsevier.com/journals/isprs-journal-of-photogrammetry-and-remote-sensing/0924-2716/guide-for-authors.

To submit your manuscript please select the Special Issue Article type as ‘VSI:Planetary RS & Mapping” at https://www.editorialmanager.com/photo by April 1, 2024.

Please refer to the Call for Papers of the Special Issue for more information.

Bo Wu (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Prasun Mahanti (Arizona State University)
Irina Karachevtseva (Moscow University of Geodesy and Cartography)
Cristina Re (Italian National Institute for Astrophisics)
(Guest Editors)

 

Workshop on "Lunar and Planetary Mapping, Remote Sensing and Gravity Fields" at 2023CGU

The 2023 Annual Meeting of Chinese Geoscience Union (CGU) was successfully held at Zhuhai, China, during 14-18 October 2023. The Technical Committee on Deep Space Remote Sensing and Geomatics of the Chinese Society of Surveying and Mapping organized a Workshop on "Lunar and Planetary Mapping, Remote Sensing and Gravity Fields" at the 2023CGU. 22 oral presentations covering various topics in lunar and planetary mapping and remote sensing were delivered during the Workshop.

Prof. Bo Wu attended the Workshop as one of the
conveners. PhD student Zhaojin Li made a presentation about "Pixel-level 3D reconstruction of the Martian surface based on multiple HRSC images using combined photogrammetry and photoclinometry" in the Workshop.

 

"Deep Space Explorations" Workshop at the PAIR Conference 2023

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) Conference 2023 was successfully held from May 8 to 11, 2023 in Hong Kong. The Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) organized a workshop on "Deep Space Explorations" during the conference on May 10.

Dr Joseph Mickalski from the University of Hong Kong delivered a keynote on "Geological diversity and strategic exploration potential of lakes and seas on Mars". Speakers from Macau University of Science and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University,  PolyU, and other institutions gave presentations on different topics including Chang’E-5 sample analysis, Martian atmospheric studies, anoxic chemical weathering on early Mars, geologic study of the lunar South Pole, mechanical properties of planetary rocks, etc. The workshop attracted more than 70 researchers of different background in the planetary community to attend. Fruitful discussions facilitated potential future multidisciplinary collaborations.
 

 

Research Assistant Professor Positions Opening for Application

The Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and the Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University are looking for suitable candidates for two Research Assistant Professor (RAP) positions:

  • Research Assistant Professor in Planetary Mapping: Applicants should have a doctoral degree in areas including but not limited to photogrammetry, remote sensing, computer vision, artificial intelligence, or robotics and automation, preferably with applications or experiences in planetary research;

  • Research Assistant Professor in Planetary Science: Applicants should have a doctoral degree in areas including but not limited to planetary geology, mineralogy, spectroscopy, impact cratering, or planetary science.

A highly competitive package including a medical benefits plan and a gratuity payable upon completion of the term which is normally for three years initially, with possibility of extension for another three years.

Consideration of applications will commence on 1 April 2022 until the position is filled. Please send application and resume via e-mail to Prof. Bo Wu (bo.wu@polyu.edu.hk).

More information about the posts can be found from the website of the Human Resources Office at: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/hro/careers/external_adv/rap/.

 

PolyU and Hong Kong Space Museum collaborate on “Moon | Mars VR” interactive exhibition


Prof. WU Bo (left) and Mr Timothy HO (right) officiated the ceremony


The VR system showcased at the 2022 Zhuhai Aerospace Exhibition

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has collaborated with the Hong Kong Space Museum to showcase an interactive exhibit “Moon | Mars VR”, starting on 3 December 2022 for one year. The virtual reality exhibit, powered by PolyU’s cutting-edge technology that assists the Nation’s space missions, allows the public to experience spacewalking and explore the landing sites of Chang’e-4 and Tianwen-1 spacecrafts on the Moon and Mars. The launch ceremony was held today at the Museum.

The VR exhibit makes use of data provided by the relevant space agencies of China and the PolyU research team led by Professor WU Bo, Fiona Cheung Professor in Spatial Science, Associate Director of Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations and Associate Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, to create a virtual reality environment of the landing sites on the Moon and Mars, allowing visitors to virtually experience spacewalking on the two celestial bodies. Invited by the China National Space Administration, this VR system was also recently showcased at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition held at Zhuhai and enthusiastically received by audience.

The launch ceremony today was officiated by Prof. Wu Bo and the Curator of the Hong Kong Space Museum Mr Timothy HO Man Hung.

Prof. Wu is the developer of the innovative 3D topographic mapping and intelligent geomorphological analysis techniques which contributed to landing site mapping and selection for China’s Chang’e-3, Chang’e-4, and Chang’e-5 lunar missions, as well as the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars.

Tying in with the theme of the exhibit, Prof. Wu was also invited to deliver a public lecture titled “Space Exploration: A Journey to the Heavenly Questions”, discussing recent space missions by China and other countries exploring the Moon and Mars, and introducing the application of topographic mapping, remote sensing, artificial intelligence and other technologies in support of these space exploration missions. Prof. Wu also discussed the prospects for further space exploration and education with the audience.

Read the full story at PolyU Media Releases.

 

Dr. WANG Yiran Receives the Annual Research Award of the PRSLab

Congratulations to Dr. WANG Yiran, who has been awarded the 2022 Annual Research Award of the Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory (PRSLab). The award is given to research staff or student(s) who have made a significant contribution to the research conducted at the PRSLab of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).

Yiran obtained her Ph.D. in July 2020 at PolyU, and since then she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and then a Research Assistant Professor at PolyU. She is now a Tenure-Track
Assistant Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology, China.
 

 

LI Yuan's PhD Dissertation Won 2020/21 FCE Award for Outstanding PhD Theses

Congratulations to LI Yuan, whose PhD dissertation won the 2020/21 FCE Award for Outstanding PhD Theses.

LI Yuan’s PhD dissertation “Relation-based Modelling of Point Cloud for 3D City Reconstruction” addressed a challenging problem in photogrammetry and 3D GIS, which is automatic 3D city reconstruction and modelling from point cloud data. Her PhD dissertation emphasized three interrelated essential parts for 3D city reconstruction from point clouds: segmentation of point clouds, classification of point clouds, and 3D modelling in CityGML format. LI Yuan developed innovative ideas to incorporate multiple relations including the geometric, contextual, and topological relations into the three parts for more automatic 3D city modelling with better performance. The research and developments are of important value for 3D city modelling and smart city development.

The FCE Award for Outstanding PhD Theses is a very competitive award scheme funded by the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Only top 10% PhD theses in FCE can be considered for this award. The award includes a cash prize of HK$10,000 and a certificate.

LI Yuan graduated from PolyU with a PhD in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in 2019. She is now an Assistant Professor at Zhongshan University, China.

 

Chief Designers of the Tianwen-1 and Chang'E-4 Probes Visited the PRSLab


SUN Zezhou (right), ZHANG He (left) and  Prof. Bo Wu

The chief designer of the Tianwen-1 Mars probe, SUN Zezhou, the executive director of the Chang’E-4 lunar probe, ZHANG He, and the entry system designer of the Tianwen-1 Mars probe, DONG Jie, visited the Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory (PRSLab) on 23 June 2021. Prof. Bo Wu and members of the PRSLab met the guests, and had fruitful discussion and exchange with them.

 Prof. Wu and the guests also discussed the ongoing research collaborations to support China's first asteroid exploration mission to be launched around 2024/25.
 

 

PolyU contributes to the Nation’s first Mars mission with multidisciplinary research


Prof. WU Bo and Prof. YUNG Kai-leung


The research team at the Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory (PRSLab)


Postdoctoral researcher WANG Yiran at CAST assisting landing site mapping and localization

Two research teams at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) contributed to the Nation’s first Mars exploration project Tianwen-1. By harnessing their extensive experience in the field of aerospace science and technology, as well as their commitment to research excellence, PolyU researchers played an important role in the Tianwen-1 mission, in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). Professor WU Bo helped identify possible landing regions with advanced topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis technologies. Professor YUNG Kai-leung developed a sophisticated space instrument, the “Mars Landing Surveillance Camera (Mars Camera)”, for capturing images of the surroundings of the Red Planet and monitoring the status of the Zhurong Mars rover.

The spacecraft for the Tianwen-1 probe comprises an orbiter, a lander and the Zhurong rover, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one single mission, which is the first such attempt in global aerospace history. The mission aims to obtain scientific exploration data on the Red Planet, and currently, Tianwen-1 has completed orbiting Mars and has successfully landed on a pre-selected landing region on the Utopia Planitia of Mars. The Mars rover Zhurong has also started exploration on the Martian surface.

Mars landing site mapping and evaluation

Landing on Mars is a challenging endeavour due to several reasons, such as the complicated Martian surface, the thin atmosphere as well as possible dust storms. There is also a 5-20 minutes time delay between Mars and Earth communications. It is therefore of paramount importance to select a landing site that is safe and of scientific significance.

From 2017-2020, upon invitation by CAST, Professor WU Bo from PolyU’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics led a team to carry out global-scale analysis and evaluation to help shortlist three candidate landing regions, namely the Amazonis Planitia, Chryse Planitia, and Utopia Planitia, that are all located within a latitude ranging from 5° - 30°N on Mars. These regions have adequate solar illumination for optimised power generation and moderate temperature, lower elevation for longer deceleration time, and a flat terrain surface for safe landing.

The team further conducted detailed mapping and analysis of the candidate landing regions, including their elevations, slopes, rock abundances, crater densities, and geological contexts. As a result of the evaluation, a region in the southern Utopia Planitia, the largest recognised impact basin in the northern hemisphere of Mars, was selected as the target landing region. Some features in the Utopia Basin like extensive sedimentary materials on the surface have been interpreted as morphological indicators of potential water-ice underneath, which are of great scientific interest since they may offer new insights into the existence of life on Mars and the evolutionary history of the Red Planet.

Since entering the orbit of Mars on 10 February 2021, the Tianwen-1 probe has collected and sent back a large quantity of sub-meter-resolution images of the target landing region covering an area of about 70km × 180km, which is about 11 times larger than the size of Hong Kong’s territory. Using the high-resolution images from Tianwen-1, Professor Wu and his team generated high-resolution and high-precision 3D digital topographic models of the target landing region using the self-developed integrated 3D mapping model, to analyse the detailed topography and identify large slopes hazardous for landing.

To facilitate safe landing and roving on Mars, Professor Wu’s team also developed AI-based techniques for more automated and robust analysis of geomorphological features like craters and rocks from the high-resolution images in a short period of time. Professor Wu said, “With the aid of the AI-based techniques, we analysed over 670,000 craters, over two million rocks, and hundreds of volcanic cones distributed over the target landing region in 1.5 months. We achieved much higher efficiency in the automatic extraction of rocks and craters with about 85% correctness.” From the topographic and geomorphological mapping results, the team successfully identified several landing ellipses for the mission management team to finalise the landing site.

Professor Wu felt very honoured to be able to participate in and contribute to the Nation’s Mars exploration project. He said, “The Tianwen-1 mission is a mega project, and we are only a small part of an effort of thousands of people, to support the accomplishments of the mission. All of my team members were fully dedicated to the undertaking over the past months. I am thankful to them for working around the clock to get the task completed on time, yet without comprising accuracy and details.”

Read the full story at PolyU Media Releases.

Other media coverage:

South China Morning Post: China’s Mars mission: Hong Kong scientists behind Zhu Rong landing
China Daily: HK team plays crucial role in mission to Mars
Xinhua News: Hong Kong researchers contribute to Tianwen-1 Mars probe
CCTV: 奔火之路,香港科學家貢獻力量!
Now TV: 理大團隊協助天問一號探測器著陸火星 對貢獻感自豪
東方日報: 選取着陸點 研發相機監測環境 理大兩團隊助 天問一號登火星
明報: 助天問着陸 理大個半月分析67萬隕坑

大公报: 理大成立航天研究中心 贡献国家
澎湃新聞: 港理大祝賀天問一號著陸火星 該校兩支團隊深度參與探測計劃

 

Chang'E-4 Landing Site Paper Awarded First Prize for Best Scientific Paper in GIS from ASPRS

Prof. Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and his research team have won first place in the 2021 ESRI Award for Best Scientific Paper in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). Co-authored with He Zhang, the Deputy Chief Designer of the Chang’E-4 probe, partners from the China Academy of Space Technology, as well as postgraduate students of Prof. Wu and research staff at LSGI, the paper describes the innovative lunar topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis that contributed to identifying the best landing site of Chang’E-4 on the far side of the Moon in 2019. Entitled “Topographic and Geomorphological Mapping and Analysis of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site on the Far Side of the Moon,” the paper was published in the April 2020 issue of the ASPRS flagship journal - Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS).

The ESRI Award was established in 1991 to honour individuals who publish papers of scientific merit that advance knowledge about GIS technology. ESRI is the world’s largest company specializing in GIS and mapping solutions. Presentation of the award was held on 29 March 2021 in a ceremony at the ASPRS 2021 annual conference held online.

 

[Remote Sensing] Special Issue: Planetary 3D Mapping, Remote Sensing and Machine Learning



[Remote Sensing]

Special Issue: "Planetary 3D Mapping, Remote Sensing and Machine Learning"
 

Dear Colleagues,

Our knowledge and understanding of the physical processes of the Earth and Planets within our Solar System have been enormously enhanced since space-based remote sensing and photogrammetry was applied from orbital platforms in the 1960s. Over the last two decades, the pace of technology development and the associated quality of space-based data has accelerated to a point where we have details on planetary surfaces comparable to what we have on the Earth.

We would like to invite you to submit articles on new methods and their applications to 3D mapping of planetary surfaces, to landscape characterisation to new methods using deep learning and machine vision to different wavelengths including hyperspectral, visible to thermal IR, microwave and laser-based methods. Papers are also sought on robotic imaging systems and their fusion with space-based data.

We seek original research articles covering all aspects of planetary remote sensing and 3D mapping including:

- Planetary 3D mapping, clouds, aerosols, solid surfaces and subsurfaces
- Planetary remote sensing techniques and new instrument technologies
- Planetary topography: photogrammetry, shape-from-shading, and laser altimetry
- Planetary geomorphology: craters, domes, rocks/boulders, ridges/rills, dunes, etc.
- Machine learning applied to planetary mapping and remote sensing
- Robotic image simulations and fusion with orbital data
- Machine learning applied to planetary landscape characterisation in rover and orbital images and change detection in remote sensing
- Data product dissemination, formats, interoperability
- Web GIS applied to planetary remote sensing data
- Cloud computing and data streaming/analysis methods for large planetary data sets

We look forward to receiving your submissions which will be vigorously triaged and reviewed within a much shorter turnaround time than most current journals.

Jan-Peter Muller, University College London
Bo Wu, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Trent Hare, U.S. Geological Survey
(Guest Editors)

 

Congratulations to LIU Wai Chung, Morgan

Congratulations to LIU Wai Chung, Morgan, who successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation on 23 July 2020. Morgan's dissertation is entitled "Construction of High-resolution Lunar DEMs by Fusing Photogrammetry and Shape-from-Shading".

Morgan obtained his Higher Diploma and BSc degree both in Geomatics from PolyU in 2011 and 2013, respectively. In March 2014, he started his MPhil study at PolyU, and was promoted to Ph.D. in May 2016. Morgan has published several high-quality research articles in international journals during his study at PolyU. His Ph.D. dissertation was rated as excellent by the Board of Examiners.

We wish Morgan the very best in his future career!

 

 

Congratulations to WANG Yiran

Congratulations to WANG Yiran, who successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation on 23 July 2020. Yiran's dissertation is entitled "Spatial Distribution and Morphological Characteristics of Lunar Craters Based on Reliable Crater Detection from Lunar Imagery and DEM".

Yiran started her Ph.D. study at PolyU in July 2015 after obtaining her BSc degree from the Ocean University of China. She published a number of high-quality research articles in international journals during her study at PolyU. Her Ph.D. dissertation was rated as excellent by the Board of Examiners. She is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at PolyU.

We wish Yiran the very best in her future career!

 

 

Dr. Bo Wu Receives the Leader of the Year Award 2019

In recognition of his achievement in lunar topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis for help finding the best landing site on the far side of the Moon for the Chinese space mission of Chang’e 4, Dr Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics was recently honoured by the Sing Tao News Corporation Ltd. with a Leader of the Year Award 2019 in its Education/Professions/Technology & Innovation category. Prof. Yung Kai-leung of PolyU’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering was the other recipient of this award for the Camera Pointing System which enabled Chang’e 4 to send back stunning panoramic images of the lunar surface.

Established since 1994, the award aims to provide role models for a younger generation and inspire the public to strive for the best in the development of Hong Kong.

Read more information about the Leader of the Year Award 2019.

 

Congratulations to LI Yuan

Congratulations to LI Yuan, who successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation on 1 June 2020. Yuan's dissertation is entitled "Relation-based Modelling of Point Cloud for 3D City Reconstruction".

Yuan started her Ph.D. study at PolyU in August 2016. She published a number of high-quality research articles in prestigious international journals during her study at PolyU. Her Ph.D. dissertation was rated as excellent by the the Board of Examiners. She is now an Assistant Professor at Zhongshan University, China.

We wish Yuan the very best in her future career!

 

 

Congratulations to Faridatul Mst Ilme

Congratulations to Faridatul Mst Ilme, who successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation on 4 March 2020. Farida's dissertation is entitled "Research on the Hydrological Effects of Urbanization based on Multiple-Source Geospatial Data".

Farida started her Ph.D. study at PolyU in August 2016. She obtained the highly competitive Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship to support her three years of study in Hong Kong. She is now an Assistant Professor at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh.

We wish Farida the very best in her future career!

 

 

SCIENCE CHINA Publishes a Theme Issue on Chang'E-4 Lunar Probe


SCIENCE CHINA: Theme Issue on Chang'E-4 Lunar Probe
嫦娥四號月球探測器專刊 (in Chinese)
 

 

Research Project Funded by RGC Research Impact Fund (RIF)

The Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) announced the funding results of the Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2019/20. In the 2019/20 Exercise, the RGC received 182 preliminary proposals, 46 proposals were shortlisted for submission of full proposals and 18 proposals were selected for interview. Finally, 11 proposals were funded with a total amount of $72.7 million (exclusive of on-costs).

The research project
"Mapping and Characterization for Optimized Evaluation of Potential Landing Sites on the Moon and Mars to support Future Missions" with Dr. Bo Wu as the Project Coordinator (PC) has been successfully funded with a total amount of HK$ 6.38 million. Thanks to the anonymous reviewers and panel members who supported this project.

The project team includes Co-PIs from the University of Hong Kong, Collaborators from Europe, and Partners from mainland China and local institutions. In the next four years, the team will research on innovative approaches for topographic, geomorphologic, and geological mapping and characterization for optimized evaluation of potential landing sites on the Moon and Mars to support future missions.

 

The 1st China Space Science Assembly

The 1st China Space Science Assembly was successfully held in Xiamen, China, from October 25 to 28, 2019

Dr. Bo Wu gave a presentation about "A Rock Abundance Model on the Lunar Surface" in the Conference, and co-chaired a theme session: "Related Research Results from the Chang'E-4 Mission".

 

The 2019 ISPRS Geospatial Week and Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping Workshop (PRSM2019)

The 2019 ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) Geospatial Week was successfully held in Enschede, The Netherlands, during 10-14 June 2019. The ISPRS Working Group III/II "Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping" organized the 2019 Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping Workshop (PRSM2019) during the Geospatial Week on 13-14 June 2019. The PRSM2019 includes five sessions covering the topics of Planetary Mapping, Planetary Photogrammetry, Planetary Remote Sensing, Feature Extraction from Planetary Data, and the Chang’E-4 Mission.

Dr. Bo Wu, Dr. Han Hu (Postdoc Fellow), and PhD students Wai Chung Liu and Yuan Li attended the conference. Dr. Bo Wu chaired two technical sessions in the PRSM2019 and attended the editorial board meeting of the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Dr. Han Hu made a presentation about "Planetary3D: A Photogrammetric Tool for 3D Topographic Mapping of Planetary Bodies" in the PRSM2019. PhD student Yuan Li gave a presentation about "Structural Segmentation of Point Clouds with Varying Density Based on Multi-Size Supervoxels" in the Laser Scanning Workshop.

 
On 10-12 June 2019, Dr. Bo Wu and PhD student Wai Chung Liu also visited Prof. Christian Wöhler's group at
Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, for a Hong Kong RGC/Germany joint research project.

 

The 3rd Symposium on Payload Technologies and Data Processing of China's First Mars Exploration Mission


Group members with Prof. Ouyang Ziyuan at the Symposium

The Third Symposium on Payload Technologies and Data Processing of China's First Mars Exploration Mission was successfully held in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, during June 4-6, 2019. The PIs of the main payloads, engineers, and scientists met together and had fruitful discussion about the payload technologies and scientific returns.

Dr. Bo Wu and PhD students Yiran Wang and Peipei Xiao attended the Symposium. Dr. Bo Wu gave a presentation about "High-resolution and High-precision 3D Reconstruction of the Martian Surface" in the Symposium.

 

Visit of Prof. Stephanie Werner (University of Oslo) for Research Collaborations

Prof. Dr. Stephanie C. Werner, a Professor in Geophysics and Planetary Sciences from University of Oslo, Norway, visited the Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping (PRSM) Group of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) from 17 to 23 March 2019 for research collaborations on planetary sciences.

Prof. Werner gave a seminar talk on “The ExoMars Landing Site Selection Process” on 20 March, which was well received by students and staff from PolyU and HKU. Prof. Werner also met with the members of the PRSM Group and had fruitful discussions on various aspects.

 

PolyU provides multi-disciplinary support to the nation’s historic landing on the far side of the Moon


The PolyU team

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) proudly supported the nation’s current lunar exploration, Chang’e-4 lunar probe, which successfully performed the historic landing on the far side of the Moon on 3 January 2019. Adopted by Chang’e-4 mission was PolyU’s advanced technologies, namely the design and development of an advanced Camera Pointing System, and an innovative lunar topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis technique in landing site characterisation for the space craft.

“PolyU is very honoured to be involved in and to make contributions to the nation’s lunar missions, in particular in this debut landing on the far side of the Moon, the first-ever in the history of mankind,” said Professor Alex WAI, Vice President (Research Development), PolyU. “PolyU attaches great importance to the mission and mobilises multi-disciplinary resources to ensure the deliverables meet the stringent requirements of a space mission.”

Landing site characterisation

For the first lunar mission in the world to land a space craft on the far side of the Moon, the selection of a safe landing site with scientific value is of paramount importance. Dr Bo WU, Associate Professor of Poly’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, has led a team to conduct a research titled “Chang’e-4 Landing Site - Topographic and Geomorphological Characterisation and Analysis” since March 2016.

Funded by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the team amassed a large amount of lunar remote sensing data from multi-sources to create high-precision and high-resolution topographic models for two potential landing regions, one of them is the current Chang’e-4 landing site, the Von Kármán crater inside the South Pole - Aitken basin on the far side of the Moon.

Dr Wu and his team studied two landing regions for Chang’e-4 mission, each covering an area of about 1,500 square kilometers, which is 1.4 times of the total area of Hong Kong. They analysed in detail the terrain slopes, terrain occlusions to sun illumination and telecommunication, crater distribution, rock abundance, and geological history of the region. These analyses helped the team to put forward a sound and evidenced-based proposal of possible landing sites.

The team gathered information of more than 400,000 craters and over 20,000 boulders in the candidate landing regions. It had also analysed the terrain surface and calculated the gradient of the slopes to identify relatively flat sites for safe landing. Rock abundance of the region had to be considered in detail because boulders can be as large as 35 metres in diameter and can block the way of the rover, whereas small rocks may get into the wheels, hence creating problem in the rover’s movement.

“The Chang’e-4 landing site is on the far side of the Moon, without direct radio communication from Earth,” said Dr Wu. “In addition, the terrain surface of the landing region is also very rough with elevation differences up to 16 km, which required a nearly perpendicular descent design. These made the mission very challenging.”

The study in terrain occlusions to sun illumination and telecommunication is particularly important to ensure good illumination conditions to charge the solar panels on the lander and rover so that the onboard scientific sensors can be functional, and ensure good signal reception and data transmition between the control center on Earth and the lander and rover.

After the successful landing of Chang’e-4 on 3 January 2019, the team worked together with the CAST team to immediately locate the precise location of the lander and analysed the terrain occlusions to sun illumination and telecommunication around the lander for better scheduling of action tasks of the lander and rover.

Read the full story at PolyU Media Releases.

Other media coverage:

Nature: Journey to the far side of the Moon, Vol. 564, 15
South China Morning Post: Critical roles played by Hong Kong researchers on China’s Chang’e 4 mission to far side of the moon
The Standard: Camera whizzes over the moon
TVB: 嫦娥四號登陸月球背面 理大兩團隊參與探月任務
澳亞衛視: 嫦娥四號月初成功登月球背面
新华网: 嫦娥四号平安着陆是勘测的成功 也是避障系统的成功
中国新闻网: 香港科研团队协助“嫦娥四号”拍出世界首张近距离月背影像
明報: 理大AI技術 助嫦娥避坑降月背 電腦自動分辨40萬撞擊坑 找着陸點
星島日報: 理大團隊研發系統助嫦娥四號探月
RTHK: 嫦娥四號月球探測器成功著陸 理大研發系統獲應用
文匯報: 探月背後 港人幫眼
新华社: 香港理大研发“相机指向系统”随嫦娥四号探月


Dr. Bo Wu and PhD students at the Lunar Rover Remote Control Center in CAST


Dr. Bo Wu at the launch site of Chang’E-4 in Xichang Satellite Launch Center

 

A New Book "Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping" Published by Taylor & Francis

A new book "Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping" has been published by Taylor & Francis Group/CRC Press. Edited by Bo Wu, Kaichang Di (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Jürgen Oberst (German Aerospace Center), and Irina Karachevtseva (Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography), this book offers new insights and timely updates on the research and developments in planetary remote sensing and mapping.

The early 21st century marks a new era in space exploration. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States, The European Space Agency (ESA), as well as space agencies of Japan, China, India, and other countries have sent their probes to the Moon, Mars, and other planets in the solar system. This book introduces original research and new developments in the areas of planetary remote sensing, photogrammetry, mapping, GIS, and planetary science resulted from the recent space exploration missions.

The book include the following sections:
   • Reference systems of planetary bodies
   • Planetary exploration missions and sensors
   • Geometric information extraction from planetary remote sensing data
   • Feature information extraction from planetary remote sensing data
   • Planetary remote sensing data fusion
   • Planetary data management and presentation

The book serves scientists and professionals working in the planetary remote sensing and mapping areas, as well as for planetary probe designers, engineers, and planetary geologists and geophysicists. It also provides useful reading material for university teachers and students in the broader areas of remote sensing, photogrammetry, cartography, GIS, and geodesy etc.

A preview of the book contents can be found here.

 

The CNSA-ESA Lunar Science Workshop

The CNSA (China National Space Administration) - ESA (European Space Agency) Workshop on “Chinese-European Cooperation in Lunar Science” was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on 16-18 July 2018. This Workshop covers the current and near-future lunar science activities taking place in China and in Europe. Scientists and engineers from both sides meet together to explore common and synergistic areas of lunar science interest and expertise.

Dr. Bo Wu attended the Workshop and chaired a technical session "Recent Advances in Lunar Science 2: New results and future prospects" on July 18.

On July 19, Dr. Bo Wu also visited Prof. Stephanie Werner with the University of Oslo (UiO), Norway, and gave a presentation "Planetary Remote Sensing and Scientific Research at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University" at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics of UiO.

 

The 2nd Symposium on Payload Technologies and Data Processing of China's First Mars Exploration Mission

The Second Symposium on Payload Technologies and Data Processing of China's First Mars Exploration Mission was successfully held in Zhuhai, China, during June 15-17, 2018. The PIs of the main payloads, engineers, and scientists had fruitful discussion about various aspects of the mission.

Dr. Bo Wu made a presentation about "Inflight Calibration of Mars Orbiter Cameras and Data Support for Candidate Mars Landing Regions" in the Symposium.

 

The ISPRS TC III Symposium

The ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) Technical Commission III Symposium on "Developments, Technologies and applications in Remote Sensing" was successfully held in Beijing, China, during May 7-10, 2018. 

Dr. Bo Wu chaired a technical session "ICWG III/II- Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping" on May 9 and attended the business meeting of ISPRS Technical Commission III.

PhD student, Wai Chung Liu gave a presentation about "An Integrated Photogrammetric and Photoclinometric Approach for Pixel-Resolution 3D Modelling of Lunar Surface" in the Symposium.

 

Congratulations to YE Lei

Congratulations to YE Lei, who successfully defended his PhD dissertation on 11 January 2018. Lei's dissertation is entitled "Photogrammetric Point Clouds Generation from High-Resolution Imagery in Urban Areas".

We wish Lei the very best in his future career!

 

2017 International Symposium on Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping

From 13 to 16 August 2017, PolyU hosted an International Symposium on Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations. Jointly organized by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and PolyU’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) with the support of an organizing committee chaired by Dr Bo Wu, the Symposium provides an interdisciplinary forum for leading scientists and researchers from different countries to share the latest research and developments from the recent missions exploring the Moon, Mars, and other planets by NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), China, and other countries.

The opening ceremony on 14 August included speeches by Prof. Wen-zhong Shi, Head of LSGI, and Prof. Kaichang Di from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), Prof. You-Lin Xu, then presented souvenirs to the 5 keynote speakers: Prof. Raymond Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, Prof. Nicolas Thomas of the University of Bern in Switzerland, Dr Randy Kirk of the U.S. Geological Survey, Prof. Kaichang Di of CAS, and Dr Carsten Guttler of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany. The topics of the keynote speeches include Mars ancient geological exploration, Mars stereoscopic imaging system, lunar landing site mapping and rover navigation, planetary mapping and planetary spatial data infrastructure, and comet exploration.

In the three-day period, the Symposium was well received by approximately 100 participants with 10 different sessions, covering various themes including planetary photogrammetry, planetary remote sensing, GIS, cartography, planetary geology and planetary exploration missions.

PhD students Yiran Wang, Yuan Li, Morgan Liu, and Postdoctoral Fellow Han Hu of LSGI gave oral presentations in the Symposium with the topics of large-scale slope analysis on Mars, rock abundance analysis on the Moon, photometric stereo shape-from-shading, and photogrammetric processing of LRO NAC images, respectively.

For more details and programme of the Conference, please visit its official website: http://event.lsgi.polyu.edu.hk/prsm2017/.

     

 

Congratulations to Lab Graduates

Congratulations to our Summer 2017 graduates: BIAN Yufan, WU Jiaqi, and ZENG Hai, who will all be receiving their MSc in Geomatics in the 23rd Congregation in November. They have all done awesome work in the lab and we wish them well in all their future endeavors!

 

Dr. Bo Wu Appointed Associate Editor of International Journal PE&RS

Dr. Bo Wu, Associate Professor of the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI) has been appointed associate editor of the International Journal Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS) from May 2017.

Published since 1930s, the journal PE&RS is the flagship publication of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). It has been ranked as one of the best journals in the field of Imaging Sciences, Photogrammetry, and Remote Sensing. According to the 2016 Thomson and Reuters JCR database, PE&RS has an Impact Factor of 2.493.

Details about the journal PE&RS can be seen from its official website: https://www.asprs.org/asprs-publications/pers/manuscript-submission

 

 

Video "Integrated 3D Mapping Model" Posted by Hong Kong Research Grants Council



The video "Integrated 3D Mapping Model" has been posted by Hong Kong Research Grants Council at its YouTube channel.

The Model was developed by a research team led by Dr. Bo Wu for integrated processing of multi-platform multi-sensor remote sensing datasets to improve 3D mapping accuracy and synergistic use of datasets, which contributes to China’s lunar missions and facilitates smart city development.

 

Dr. Bo Wu Serves as an IEB Member of the International Journal "The Photogrammetric Record"

Since December 2016, Dr. Bo Wu serves as an IEB (International Editorial Board) member of the International Journal "The Photogrammetric Record" as a representative in Asia.

"The Photogrammetric Record" is the world's only international journal devoted to photogrammetry, with an Impact Factor of 1.622, ranked 9 out of 24 in the field of "Imaging Science & Photographic Technology" and 14 out of 28 in the field of "Remote Sensing" according to the 2015 ISI Journal Citation Reports.

Details about the journal "The Photogrammetric Record" can be seen from here.

 

HKIREA Technology Networking Seminar

 Dr. Bo Wu was invited to give a talk at the HKIREA (Hong Kong Institule of Real Estate Administrators) Technology Networking Seminar on 13 December 2016, before the 2016 Annual Dinner of the HKIREA.

The topic of Dr. Wu's talk is "Recent Advances in 3D Mapping and City Modelling". In his talk, Dr. Wu presented the latest developments in 3D city mapping and city modelling as well as their use in real estate applications . The event attracted about 100 participants from various parties.

 

Postdoctoral Fellow Position Opening for Application

A Postdoctoral Fellow  position is opening for application at the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, starting from July 2017 or a later date. The successful candidate will work on one or more research projects related to photogrammetry, planetary mapping, or other topics.

Applicants should have a recent PhD degree in photogrammetry, computer vision, GIS, or a related field. Knowledge and experiences in digital photogrammetry and programming are desirable. Applications are accepted until the position is filled. Please send application and resume via e-mail to Dr. Bo Wu (bo.wu@polyu.edu.hk).

(in Chinese)
香港理工大學土地測量與地理資訊學系博士後研究員職位正接受申請

香港理工大學土地測量與地理資訊學系一個博士後研究員職位正接受申請,該職位將從2017年7月或稍後開始。成功的申請人將從事攝影測量、行星測繪或其他相關的研究工作。

申請人須擁有攝影測量、計算機視覺、GIS或其它相關領域的博士學位,如具有從事數字攝影測量和程序開發的知識和經驗將獲優先。有意者請通過e-mail發送個人簡歷到bo.wu@ polyu.edu.hk.

 

HKIS CPD Talk

On 29 September 2016, Dr. Bo Wu was invited to give a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) talk for HKIS (Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors) members about "3D Mapping from Multi-Platform Multi-Sensor Data in Urban Areas". In the CPD talk, Dr. Wu presented the latest developments in photogrammetry and data fusion for accurate 3D mapping in urban areas by integrating multi-platform multi-sensor remote sensing data.  Dr. Wu also shared his experience and views in developing novel 3D mapping technologies and the impact of the advancement of geomatics to smart city development.

The CPD talk attracted over 80 participants from government departments and local companies.
 

 

The 2016 ISPRS XXII Congress

The once-every-four-years congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) was taken place on 12-19 July 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic. This ISPRS XXIII Congress attracted over 2,200 participants from 88 countries across the world. There were more than 1500 presentations organized in different technical and theme sessions. 77 companies exhibited their products during the Congress exhibition period. These make this ISPRS Congress a great place to share knowledge, learn, meet scientists and professionals working with geospatial technology.

 

Dr. Bo Wu chaired the technical session "II/1 - Spatio-temporal Modeling" on July 13 and the technical session "II/6 - Geovisulization and Virtual Reality" on July 15 and made two presentations in the congress period. One presentation is "Integration of GIS and BIM for Indoor Geovisual Analytics" in the technical session of Geovisulization and Virtual Reality and the other is "Shape and Albedo from Shading for Pixel-level DEM Generation from Monocular Images Constrained by Low-resolution DEM" in the technical session of Planetary Mapping.

 

PhD student, Yiran Wang made a presentation "Comparison and Co-Registration of DEMs Generated from Mars CTX and HiRISE Images" in the technical session of Planetary Mapping. Postdoctoral Fellow, Han Hu made a presentation "Texture-Aware Dense Image Matching Using Ternary Census Transfrom" in the technical session of Orientation and Surface Reconstruction.

 

The next ISPRS Congress will be held from 12 to 18 July 2016, in Nice, France.

 

International Symposium on Lunar and Planetary Science 2016

The International Symposium on Lunar and Planetary Science 2016 was held in Wuhan, China from June 9 to 10,  2016. This international symposium aims at the international academic exchange on the topics of processing, analysis, research and applications of lunar and planetary exploration data. The Symposium attracted more than 180 participants from USA, Japan, France, Italy, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Macau to present the latest results of research in planetary science.

Dr. Bo Wu gave a presentation about "Distribution and Population Characteristics of Lunar Craters in Orientale Basin" in the Symposium.

Details about this Symposium can be found in its official website.

 

International Workshop on Advanced Geospatial Technology and Urban Applications

The International Workshop on Advanced Geospatial Technology and Urban Applications was successfully held on 26-27 May 2016 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This workshop brings scientists and practitioners together to share experiences, practices and new insights on latest geospatial technology application in urban areas.

Dr. Bo Wu was invited to give a presentation about "Photogrammetric Point Clouds from High Resolution Imagery in Urban Areas" in the
Workshop.

Details of the
Workshop can be found here.

 

“Novel Integrated 3D Mapping Model” Won Top Awards at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva

A project entitled “Novel Integrated 3D Mapping Model” undertaken by the research team leading by Dr. Bo Wu has won the “Gold Medal” and the “Special Merit Award (R. Alekseev Award) from Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University, Russia” at the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. The Awards presentation ceremony was held in Geneva on April 17, 2016.

This novel model successfully integrates multi-platform satellite/aerial imagery and laser scanning data for 3D mapping, greatly reduces the inconsistencies among different datasets and improves the mapping accuracy. This invention has been deployed in China's lunar missions, and can be used in topographic mapping and 3D modeling of cities for smart city development.

The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is one of the most important specialized and large-scale invention exhibitions in the world. It is supported by the Swiss Federal Government, the State and the City of Geneva, as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization. The exhibition this year attracted more than 700 producers and inventors from 45 countries and over 60000 visitors during the five days exhibition from April 13 to 17, 2016.

Read the story in:

China Daily: A new dimension in the space war
星島日報: 理大研發3D測繪獲國際獎
東方日報: 理大測繪技術揚威國際
蘋果日報: 理大學者花7年「突破盲腸」 憑三維新技術奪日內瓦發明金奬
香港經濟日報: 三維測繪新技術 地理數據更精確
香港01: 理大研3D測繪新技術 模擬景觀可網上睇樓
文匯報: 理大3D測繪研塑城市風水
大公報: 理大測繪科技揚威日內瓦發明展


The research team Dr. Bo Wu, Mr. Lei Ye, Dr. Jian Guo, and Dr. Han Hu (from left to right)

 

Dr. Bo Wu Receives the 2016 Talbert Abrams Award of ASPRS

Dr. Bo Wu, associate professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, was selected as the First Honorable Mention recipient of the 2016 Talbert Abrams Award by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) for his paper published in the society’s journal Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS). The Talbert Abrams Award was established in 1945 to encourage the recording of current, historical, engineering, and scientific developments in photogrammetry.

Dr. Wu’s paper entitled “Accuracy Analysis of a Dual Camera System with an Asymmetric Photogrammetric Configuration” was published in the March 2015 issue of PE&RS with coauthors Lei Ye and Yuansheng Yang. The paper describes a new asymmetric photogrammetric system combining a surveillance camera and a pan-tilt-zoom camera providing simultaneous wide field-of-view and localized high-resolution imaging capability in addition to the stereo measurement capability through the dual cameras. This asymmetric photogrammetric system provides enhanced vision capabilities that can be used in various applications such as object tracking, robotic exploration, and traffic monitoring.

A Postdoctoral Fellow of Dr Wu’s research team, Dr. Han Hu, is the second Honorable Mention recipient of the 2016 Talbert Abrams Award for his paper "Reliable spatial relationship constrained feature point matching of oblique aerial images"
published in the January 2015 issue of PE&RS.

The presentation of the award was held on 13 April 2016 at the Awards Ceremony during the ASPRS 2016 Annual Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas.

 

Visit of Prof. Christian Wöhler (TU Dortmund, Germany) for Research Collaborations

Prof. Dr. Christian Wöhler, a Professor in Computer Vision from Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, visited LSGI on 9 and 10 March 2016, for research collaborations of a project funded by Hong Kong Research Grants Council, of which Dr. Bo Wu is the PI and Prof. Wöhler servers as a Co-I.

Prof. Wöhler met with the members of the Photogrammetry and Robotic Vision Group and had fruitful discussions on various aspects. Prof. Wöhler also gave a seminar talk on “Reflectance-based Construction of High Lateral Resolution DEMs of the Lunar Surface”.

      

 

2016 Oblique Photogrammetry Workshop

On 6 January 2016, the PolyU campus held the 2016 Oblique Photogrammetry Workshop. Jointly organized by the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and the Oblique Photography Technology Alliance of China, the workshop presented the latest research and developments in the principles, technologies, products, and applications of oblique photogrammetry, including a presentation by Dr Bo Wu of LSGI on automatic and reliable image matching in oblique photogrammetry. More than 150 participants from the government, industry, professional bodies, and universities in Hong Kong and mainland China attended the workshop.

An emerging technology with an important role to play in smart city development, oblique photogrammetry is a highly efficient and cost-effective way to build 3D models covering a wide range of applications. It can be used in real estate registration, land-related fields, planning, tourism, public security, disaster response, and military defense etc.

 

ISPRS Workshop on Planetary Mapping: Results from Current Missions

The ISPRS Workshop on Planetary Mapping was taken place in Berlin, Germany from September 24 to 25, 2015 under the auspices of the ISPRS Working Group IV/8: Planetary Mapping and Spatial Databases. This workshop attracted over 60 researchers from NASA, USGS, ESA, DLR and other universities to present results from recent missions to planets, satellites, and small Solar System bodies.

Dr. Bo Wu gave a presentation and chaired a session in the
Workshop.

Proceedings of the
Workshop can be found here.

 

New Research Project Funded by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong

A new research project "High-Resolution and High-Precision 3D Modeling of Lunar Topography by Integrating Multi-Image Shape-from-Shading, Image Matching and Range Data" has been funded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong - General Research Fund (GRF). Dr. Bo Wu serves as the Principal Investigator of the project and the project will be 3 years from 01/2016 to 01/2019.

 

NATURE INDEX: 2014 CHINA – Hong Kong

A global indicator of high-quality research, Nature Index, has referred to the work of Dr Bo Wu of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics in a recent analysis of the research produced by the universities in Hong Kong (NATURE INDEX: 2014 CHINA – Hong Kong, Nature, 516, S64–S65, 18 December 2014). Dr Wu's landmark paper on lunar topographic models in Earth Planetary Science Letters was one of five articles published in the field of geo-sciences that accounted for 9% of the weighted fractional count (WFC) for PolyU.

The Nature Index tracks the affiliations of high-quality scientific articles published in a small group of highly selective journals that have been chosen by an independent group of working scientists. The WFC of Nature Index is a weighted measure of author contributions to articles for an institution, a city, or a country.


Dr Wu has been working on lunar topographic mapping and analysis for several years. He developed innovative lunar mapping techniques and contributed to the Chinese Chang’E-3 lunar exploration mission by providing precision lunar topographic models for the selection of the landing site. From 2013 to 2014, Dr Wu published three articles in Earth Planetary Science Letters, a prestigious international journal in geosciences and one of the 68 journals in the Nature Index database.

 

Chang'E-3 Landing Site Mapping and Analysis: Findings Published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters

In a recently paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Dr. Bo Wu and several co-authors report their findings with regards to the Chang'E-3 landing site mapping and analysis.

The paper, “Topographic Modeling and Analysis of the Landing Site of Chang’E-3 on the Moon," can be found online via ScienceDirect.

In the paper the details about
Chang'E-3 landing site characterization are presented, including topographic modeling by integrating Chang'E-2 imagery, LRO NAC imagery, and LOLA data, slope analyses at long baseline in the Sinus Iridum area and at lander footprint scale in local regions, and analysis of crater size-frequency distribution and crater morphological statistics. The reported developments and results were used for the strategic planning to identify the landing site of Chang’E-3 and made a useful contribution to the success of the Chang’E-3 mission.

Co-authors include research students
Lei Ye and Si Qiao, and partners from China Academy of Space Technology including Fei Li, Jun Huang, Xueying Wu and He Zhang. Dr. He Zhang is the deputy chief designer of the Chang'E-3 probe.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters is the top international journal in geosciences, with an impact factor of 4.724 according to the 2013 Journal Citation Report by Thomson Reuters.

 

LSGI's innovative lunar mapping techniques on show in the "Exhibition on China's Lunar Exploration Programme" at Science Museum

An exhibition on China's Lunar Exploration Programme was launched on 21 July 2014 at the Hong Kong Science Museum. The exhibition features specially designed interactive exhibits, including the lunar lander for Chang'E-3, the Yutu Lunar Rover, Long March rockets, simulations of the launch site and the lunar rover. PolyU's participation in the space technology used for the Chang'E-3 mission, such as the innovative lunar mapping techniques and products developed by Dr Bo Wu, Assistant Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), and his team are also showcased in the exhibition.

Funded by the China Academy of Space Technology, the developed lunar mapping techniques and
generated high-precision lunar topographic models were deployed in the topographical analysis of the Chang’E-3 landing area and the selection of the landing site, ultimately contributing to the successful landing of Chang'E-3 on the moon last December.

Organized by the Home Affairs Bureau and the China National Space Administration, the exhibition is open to the public and runs until 24 August 2014.

Read the story in:
GoVHK: "Exhibition on China's Lunar Exploration Programme" opens today at Science Museum

香港商報: 玉兔號月球車模型亮相科學館

新华网: "九天揽月——中国探月工程展"香港开展

人民日报: 中国探月工程实施十年来第一次主题展览活动 “九天揽月” 亮相香港

 

ISPRS Technical Commission IV Symposium 2014

The ISPRS Technical Commission IV Symposium 2014: "Geo-spatial databases and location based services" was held in Suzhou, China from May 14 to 16,  2014. This Symposium attracted more than 200 participants from different countries and regions to attend. The themes of the Symposium include: Methods for the Update and Verification of Geospatial Databases, Global Status of Mapping and Geospatial Database Updating, Global DEM Interoperability, Geospatial Data Infrastructure,  Web and Cloud Based Geospatial Services and Applications, Sensor Web and Internet of Things, 3D Indoor Modeling and Navigation, Planetary Mapping and Spatial Databases, Computing Optimization for Spatial Databases and Location based Services, Global Land Cover Mapping and Services, LBS and Ubiquitous Cartography.

 

Dr. Bo Wu gave a presentation about "Multi-source data integration for lunar topographic mapping and analysis" in the Planetary Mapping session of the Symposium.

 

Details about this Symposium can be found in its official website.

 

Dr. Bo Wu Receives the 2014 John I. Davidson President's Award of ASPRS

Dr. Bo Wu, assistant professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, was selected as the third place recipients of the 2014 John I. Davidson President's Award for Practical Papers by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). The John I. Davidson Award was established in 1979 to encourage and commend individuals who publish papers of practical or applied value in photogrammetric engineering & remote sensing.

Dr. Wu’s paper entitled “A Flexible Method for Zoom Lens Calibration and Modeling Using a Planar Checkerboard” was published in the June 2013 issue of the society’s journal Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS) with co-authors Han Hu, Qing Zhu, and Yeting Zhang. The paper describes a zoom lens calibration and modeling method offering better flexibility and feasibility, which facilitates the use of zoom-lens camera systems in various applications such as robotic exploration, hazard monitoring, traffic monitoring, and security surveillance.

The presentation of the award will take place on 25 March 2014 at the Awards Luncheon during the ASPRS 2014 Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The award consists of a certificate and cash award. Former recipients of the award include, for example, NASA's scientists at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Founded in 1934, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific association serving over 7,000 professional members around the world. The mission of ASPRS is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies. The journal PE&RS is the flagship publication of ASPRS. It has been ranked as one of the best journals in the field of Imaging Sciences, Photogrammetry, and Remote Sensing.

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