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Hong Kong need not build its 'AI City Brain' from scratch
The chief executive's latest policy address proposes to set up an "AI City Brain", an integrated management system that links and consolidates relevant big data collected by departments with city governance matters. I strongly welcome this. With extreme weather becoming more frequent, the risk of major incidents rising and public expectations for efficient services increasing, Hong Kong needs a central hub that can connect departmental information in real time and use artificial intelligence (AI) to support decision-making, breaking down long-standing data and administrative silos.
At present, different government departments run separate systems. Even when each system works well on its own, their interfaces are often incompatible, and their data cannot be shared smoothly between departments. This prevents true coordination when it matters most. Fully connecting all departmental systems into an "AI City Brain" will require significant effort – reallocating resources, unifying technical standards, and changing interdepartmental collaboration culture. It cannot be achieved overnight.
The most practical near-term approach is therefore to build on an existing platform with a proven foundation and cross-department involvement, then upgrade and expand it step by step rather than starting from scratch.
A strong starting point is the Civil Engineering and Development Department's Common Operational Picture (COP), developed over 10 years ago and formally operational in 2020. The COP is a geographic information system-based electronic information platform that enables departments to share incident information in real time, and it already involves over 20 government departments. However, the COP is currently limited mainly to natural disaster scenarios such as landslides and flooding. Its potential is not fully realised. Upgrading the COP – while introducing advanced technologies such as geospatial AI, digital twins, satellites, drones and sensors – could create a single platform for stronger collaboration and better data interoperability.
To deliver an AI City Brain quickly, the priority should be to integrate the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure, Underground Utility Information System and COP – using a geographic information system (GIS) as the coordinating backbone. These three platforms each unlock critical layers of urban data: above ground, underground and real-time incident intelligence. With a single GIS spatial framework, their information can be overlaid, aligned and acted upon together. This is the fastest, most reliable route to achieving data interoperability, strengthening cross-department operational coordination and ensuring AI analytics can translate information into better decisions. If Hong Kong is serious about making smart governance real, it’s the time to commit to this integration and scale it decisively.
Dr Winnie Tang
Adjunct Professor, School of Computing and Data Science, University of Hong Kong, and Founder and Honorary President, Smart City Consortium