Community & Charities
Environmental Protection
Club-supported smart tree management system transferred to the Government
31/08/2021
To promote a healthy and sustainable community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has since 2018 been supporting the Jockey Club Smart City Tree Management Project which makes use of smart sensing technology to help improve the risk management of trees and bolster their invaluable role in the city.
With the Club-supported initiative successfully concluded, this technology is transferred to the Tree Management Office of the Development Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR as part of its tree management works. A ceremony was held on 20 August to mark the transfer of the system to the Government.
The project was funded by the Club with a donation of over HK$32 million through its Charities Trust. Through innovation and cross-sectoral collaboration, the project has contributed to the healthy and sustainable development of our community, echoing the Club’s commitment to acting for the betterment of society.
The Jockey Club Smart City Tree Management Project is led by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, co-organised by The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong), with support from various Government departments.
Tailor-made sensors are installed on the lower part of the trunks of selected urban trees to collect data and through smart sensing technology and Geographic Information Systems, the project has developed an early alert system for tree management. The system monitors tree stability in real-time, including the tilt, rotation and degree of movement of trees to evaluate their risk of falling. So far, smart sensors have been installed on about 8,000 urban trees across Hong Kong.
The three-year project has also organised public education programmes to enhance students’ and the public’s understanding of urban tree management and environmental protection, including through workshops, seminars, online promotion and an interactive app. About 4,000 local university and secondary students have gained better knowledge on urban trees and technology-based environmental asset management. The programmes have also benefited around 1,000 community stakeholders, such as property management professionals.
The project also won the Gold Medal at the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days - Virtual Event organised by the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, and the Smart 50 Award of the Smart City Expo in the United States.
