Digital City and Urban Safety Laboratory,The Digital City and Urban Safety Laboratory is one of the sub-laboratories under the planned National Key Laboratory of Urban Human Settlements Environment Science and Technology at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School.
A "Digital City" refers to the integration of urban information resources through infrastructure platforms such as broadband multimedia information networks and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This integration establishes systems for e-government, e-commerce, labor and social security, and digital communities, achieving informatization in urban economic and social development. It empowers systems such as urban geography, resources, ecology, population, economy, and society with digitalization, networking, virtual simulation, optimized decision-making, and visualization capabilities. The Digital City enhances urban planning efficiency, data richness, analytical precision, and decision-making accuracy, while improving the timeliness of urban construction, the effectiveness of urban management, resource allocation, comprehensive competitiveness, and quality of life. It provides sustainable solutions and implementation strategies for cities.
The laboratory leverages the multidisciplinary expertise of Peking University’s main campus and Shenzhen Graduate School. Utilizing advanced concepts and technologies, it focuses on digital city development and urban safety, serving the Greater Bay Area and nationwide initiatives.
Core Research Directions:
Urban Expansion Mechanisms
a) Analysis of driving forces behind urban evolution
b) Urban expansion modeling
c) GIS platform development for urban expansion models
Key Technologies for Digital Cities
a) Policy and regulatory frameworks for digital cities
b) Geospatial infrastructure for digital cities
c) Spatial data exchange platforms and sharing mechanisms
d) Dynamic data acquisition, real-time updates, and information extraction technologies
e) High-speed broadband networks and public information platforms
f) Spatial data warehousing, modeling, virtual simulation, decision-making models, and network technologies
Applied Research in Digital Cities
a) Integrated management systems (e.g., digital cadaster, planning, ecology, disaster resilience, water management, transportation, energy, governance)
b) Digital communities and smart living environments
c) Remote sensing and GIS applications in land use change monitoring and urban planning
Urban Safety Research
a) Early warning systems for urban geological hazards
b) GIS applications in urban firefighting command systems
c) Emergency response systems and safety protocols
d) Urban ecological security
e) Comprehensive urban safety frameworks
Facilities and Expertise:
The laboratory is equipped with advanced tools including ArcGIS, ERDAS image processing software, servers, graphic workstations, dual-channel spectral analysis systems, GPS, and total stations. Its interdisciplinary team comprises experts in GIS, cartography, remote sensing, software development, land use planning, and urban studies.
Research Projects:
The laboratory has completed or is conducting three National Natural Science Foundation Key Projects, four General Projects, and over 40 government-commissioned initiatives, such as:
Shenzhen State-Owned Enterprise Land Use Database Construction
Ecological Analysis of Land Use in Dongguan Water Town Economic Development Zone
Verification of Township-Level Land Use Master Plans in Tianjin
Comprehensive Development Planning for Unutilized Land in Lanzhou
These projects have yielded significant research outcomes and societal benefits.
