Over 100 experts from home and abroad discuss smart city development at UM

The State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City (SKL-IOTSC) of the University of Macau (UM) held the 4th Macao International Conference on Smart City Technologies. Themed ‘Powering Resilient and Sustainable Cities: Innovations in AIOT’, this year’s conference brought together more than 100 experts and scholars from home and abroad to explore key strategies, cutting-edge interdisciplinary theories, key technologies, and applications for smart city development.

Yonghua Song, rector of UM and director of SKL-IOTSC, was the general chair of the conference. In his opening speech, Song emphasised the critical role of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies in disaster prevention and mitigation, highlighting their indispensable contributions to the pursuit of urban resilience and sustainable development of cities worldwide. He added that the conference provided an excellent platform for researchers, scholars and professionals in related fields to share novel theories and experiences in smart city development, fostering deeper collaborations between industry and technology sectors.

Keynote speakers at the conference included Mark Girolami, professor at the University of Cambridge; Ramteen Sioshansi, professor at Carnegie Mellon University; Ahsan Kareem, professor at the University of Notre Dame; Hao Hong, Distinguished Professor at Curtin University. In addition, the panel discussion titled ‘Critical Issues in Internet of Things Technologies for Disaster Mitigation’, moderated by Yuen Ka Veng, Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology at UM, attracted many scholars to engage in discussions.

This year’s conference followed the format of previous editions, providing a platform for participants to engage in multidimensional and interdisciplinary exchanges, and for scholars and industry practitioners from around the world to present original and significant research findings. Focusing on smart communication, big data, smart energy, autonomous driving, urban safety and disaster prevention, the conference showcased a range of smart city development projects, and the latest research results in artificial intelligence technologies.

The conference was co-organised by the Faculty of Science and Technology of UM, the Science and Technology Development Fund of the Macao SAR, the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau, UMTEC Limited, the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Smart Cities. It is sponsored by the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions, the Hengqin Digital Zero-Carbon Island Shared Laboratory, and NEIIC. The event was also sponsored and supported by Huawei Services (Hong Kong) Co Ltd Macau Branch, CTM, and various departments of the Macao SAR Government, including the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau. The conference was also attended by Leong Weng Kun, director of the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau; Ip Chong Wa, deputy director of the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau; Ho Hong Pan, acting vice president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau; Lei Chon Kit, acting chief of the Technology Department of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau.