The government is pushing open access to location-based data to support Hong Kong's smart city push, with Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn highlighting new applications that range from accessible walking routes to AI-assisted searches for vacant government sites.

In her latest blog on Sunday, Linn said the Development Bureau's Spatial Data Office has formed a "geospatial lab" to run the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) portal, which offers more than 1,100 datasets from more than 70 departments and organisations for public use.

The data covers planning, lands, buildings, works, population, transport and more.

Raymond Choi, head of Spatial Data Office, said the office integrates, analyses and standardises digitalised information tagged with geographic locations, so the data can be shared and applied in different services.

The office is developing a conversational AI assistant, allowing users to query information on vacant government sites and access designated datasets directly, instead of having to browse individual websites, Linn wrote.

She added that the Lands Department's Survey and Mapping Office previously collaborated with Hong Kong Polytechnic University to launch the "Walk in HK" application.

It combines a 3D digital map with CSDI data to generate routes tailored to different needs, such as those of wheelchair users, offering barrier-free or flatter paths that avoid stairs or slopes.

Separately, a start-up has combined CSDI data to launch the "WayMe" app, which provides facility alerts and a "comfort score", and can issue instant warnings to hikers who stray off their planned routes.


Edited by Edmond Fong