HKUST-DiDi Joint Research Laboratory Hosts 2019 Smart Mobility Workshop
Urban mobility has transformed drastically in recent years with the introduction of such taxi and ride-sharing services and platforms as Didi Chuxing. The market for on-demand ride services has now become a complex, dynamic system; its sheer volume of records containing orders, itineraries and monetary transactions has brought new challenges to the transportation industry. To facilitate the flow of ideas and discourse on developing and promoting smart mobility, the HKUST-DiDi Joint Research Laboratory hosted the 2019 Smart Mobility Workshop on 16 May 2019 at HKUST.
The workshop was co-chaired by Director of the HKUST-DiDi Joint Lab Prof. Hai Yang of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Prof. Lei Chen of Computer Science, and Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering Prof. Hong K. Lo. At the workshop, Dean of SENG Prof. Tim K. T. Cheng graciously gave the welcome speech, and Prof. Jieping Ye, Vice President of DiDi and Head of DiDi AI Labs, and Prof. Hongtu Zhu, Chief Scientist of Statistics of DiDi, discussed in broad terms the near future of urban smart mobility as well as its relationship and inter-dependence with both AI and the ride-sourcing market. Focusing on the emerging opportunities and challenges brought forth by the rising demand and popularity of ride-sourcing and ride-sharing, the speakers offered high-quality seminars and discussions. They proposed a solid theoretical basisfor several key research issues concerning the ride-sourcing market, including supply-demand forecast, routing, order dispatching, and drivers’ and passengers’ behavioral analysis, shedding light on the development of the ride-sourcing industry and modern smart mobility.
The 2019 Smart Mobility Workshop brought together leaders and scholars from mainland China, the US, UK, Singapore, as well as Hong Kong, and with this year’s success, the committee of the HKUST-DiDi Joint Research Laboratory has decided to make the workshop an annual event. This will not only encourage further exchange of academic ideas and industry-academia collaboration, but also position the HKUST-DiDi Joint Lab as a distinguished leader in smart mobility research.
About the lab
The HKUST-DiDi Joint Research Laboratory was established in April 2018 by an HKUST research team and Didi Chuxing. The Lab aims to draw business resources from the industry and research resources from the academia, and offer an enhanced platform where science and technology can be better implemented in the real world. The Lab will also promote innovations and foster talents to meet both opportunities and challenges in smart transportation, and help transform Hong Kong into a great smart city.
