Background

Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS) was established in 2005. It is the Hong Kong Base of the National Remote Sensing Center of China. It was developed on the base of the Joint Laboratory for GeoInformation Science (JLGIS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences & The Chinese University of Hong Kong. ISEIS consists of three major units: research, education and training, and technology development.

The major objectives of ISEIS are as follows:

To be a remote sensing centre in the tropical and sub-tropical region in conducting and promoting various researches, including Cloud-prone and Rainy-areas Remote Sensing (CARRS) and Virtual Geographic Environments (VGE). Built upon Earth information science and technology, inter-disciplinary research and applications of social and natural science can be promoted to serve the needs of human society.
To be an academic exchange centre of GeoInformation Science at the both side of the Taiwan Straight in order to provide services with national culture characteristics for urban planning and management information system by collaborating with governments, universities and experts.
To be an international exchange and cooperation centre of GeoInformation Science in Hong Kong.

ISEIS's main research areas include Cloud-prone and Rainy-areas Remote Sensing (CARRS), Virtual Geographic Environments (VGE), emergency response and natural disaster monitoring and management, urban and metropolitan GIS, analysis and modeling of the urban settlement environment, public health and geographic information systems, Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and spatially integrated humanities and social science.

Graduate Division of GeoInformation Science has been formed under the Institute so as to offer M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes, taught M.Sc. programmes and related certificate programnmes. The Institute is equipped with a middle-high resolution satellite remote sensing ground receiving station, which provides a unique opportunity for researchers and students for carrying out earth observation related activities.