Drainage Services Department

Exchanging Insights with South China University of Technology on XAI and Digital Twin Technologies for Developing the "Four Pre-functions" Platform

On 5 June 2025, President of South China University of Technology (SCUT), Professor TANG Hongwu, led a delegation of experts to the Development Bureau to meet the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky LAU Chun-kit, JP and also participated in a meeting with representatives from the Development Bureau, Drainage Services Department (DSD), Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), and the Hong Kong Observatory to exchange insights on leveraging innovative technologies to enhance flood forecast and warning capabilities, addressing challenges posed by climate change through in-depth knowledge sharing.

President TANG and the experts introduced their research on utilizing Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) and digital twin technologies to develop an intelligent "Four Pre-functions" platform at the meeting. They also analyzed comprehensively the flooding challenges faced by the Greater Bay Area and demonstrated innovative solutions. The SCUT team applied XAI for compound flood simulation and employed digital twin technology to establish the "Four Pre-functions" system, enabling smart management of flood forecasting, early warning, pre-simulation, and response plans. They also explored the potential application of these technologies in high-density urban environments, offering new perspectives for Hong Kong's flood forecasting and early warning. The DSD introduced its Integrated Flood Management Strategy for extreme weather events and showcased its in-house developed real-time flood risk visualisation system "M³". The CEDD also shared their shoreline management strategy. Additionally, President TANG and the delegation also visited the Yuen Long Barrage Scheme and the Tsui Ping River Revitalisation Project to understand Hong Kong's flood prevention infrastructure and innovative approaches in river revitalisation.

Moving forward, we will continue to maintain close collaboration with SCUT and jointly explore intelligent flood prevention initiatives to further strengthening Hong Kong's resilience against extreme weather events.

President of SCUT, Professor TANG Hongwu (sixth left), the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky LAU Chun-kit, JP (sixth right) and the Director of Drainage Services, Mr Ringo MOK Wing-cheong, JP (fifth left) and representatives from various parties attended the meeting on 5 June 2025.

President TANG Hongwu and expert team visited DSD's Yuen Long Barrage Scheme construction site.

President TANG Hongwu and expert team visited DSD's Tsui Ping River Revitalisation Project.