17 July 2024

A student team from HSUHK’s School of Decision Sciences has been declared winners in the prestigious international EY Open Science Data Challenge 2024 after competing against over 1,800 teams from universities and commercial organisations worldwide. The winning team consisted of three Year 3 students from the BSc (Hons) in Data Science and Business Intelligence programme, Chan Ka-fai, Sin King-hin, and Lau Ngai-sang. They utilised data analytics techniques to develop solutions for pressing environmental issues.

The competition comprised of three phases. In Phase 1, HSUHK team developed a YOLO AI model to analyse satellite images to detect the damage and undamaged coastal infrastructures affected by Hurricane Maria. The HSUHK team’s exceptional performance earned them an impressive eighth place, surpassing numerous renowned universities and commercial organisations.

Advancing to Phase 2, the HSUHK team prepared a comprehensive proposal outlining the implementation of the AI model, covering damage assessments, socioeconomic impacts, and climate change risks. The team’s exceptional work secured their place as one of the top 3 finalists out of the ten teams.

As finalists, the HSUHK team had the opportunity to present their integrated proposal at the 2024 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium held in Athens, Greece. Their presentation impressed the judges, ultimately leading to their well-deserved victory and the title of winners.

Professor Chan Wai-sum, Dean of the School of Decision Sciences, expressed his excitement and admiration for students’ outstanding achievement in the competition. He stated “We are immensely proud of our students for their remarkable achievement. They demonstrated excellent innovative thinking and strategies, showcasing the strength of our curriculum in cultivating future leaders in the field of data science and decision-making. I would also like to extend my special thanks to the teachers at the School of Decision Sciences for their invaluable guidance in helping our students achieve these outstanding results.”