Project of HKUST-MTR Joint Lab Claimed Best Smart Mobility Award at the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2025

Mr. Lo Chak-Yan (left), Assistant Research Engineering of HKUST Great Smart Cities Institute, and Mr. Nicholas Wong (right), Operations Data Studio Manager of MTR, were presented the Best Smart Mobility Award by Mr. Tony Wong (center), The Commissioner for Digital Policy, at the Awards Presentation Ceremony of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2025 in Shanghai on August 27, 2025. [Download Photo]

The ridership prediction model developed by the HKUST-MTR Joint Research Laboratory has garnered further recognition by claiming that Best Smart Mobility Award at the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2025 (HSODC 2025).

Titled Metro Maestro, the winning project is a smart solution that uses near real-time prediction to help metro companies manage disruptions. By forecasting how passengers will react and spread across the metro network, it allows them to quickly allocate resources and minimize chaos.

The project is led by Dean of Engineering Prof. Hong K. LO, Director of the HKUST-MTR Joint Research Laboratory and Director of HKUST Great Smart Cities Institute (GSCI). Team members include DU Kejun (PhD student), MA Qiru (PhD student), LO Chak-Yan (Assistant Research Engineering of GSCI), Bosco LEUNG (Research Assistant of GSCI), and GE Chengshen (Research Assistant of GSCI).

Previously, the project has earned multiple prestigious accolades locally and internationally, including the “Smart Mobility (Smart Transport) Gold Award” and the “Award of the Year” at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024, as well as recognitions from the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2024 and International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

Jointly steered by the Digital Policy Office of the HKSAR Government and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Data, the HSODC 2025 encourages contestants to harness the extensive open data resources available in the two cities to create innovative projects and develop frontier applications that emphasize four key areas, namely smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, and smart economy, thereby jointly driving deeper integration and fostering synergy in the digital economies of the two cities.

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