For industries such as construction, transportation, and academic research, thorough preparation and assessment are essential before launching a project. It is necessary to clarify which areas have ecological value? Will it cause pollution? Will it have potential impacts on residents? Clear answers to these questions are required before the commencement of the project. The Hong Kong Environmental Database (HKED), developed by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), effectively collects, stores, analyzes, and disseminates various data for environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies. This not only greatly enhances the efficiency of the entire EIA process but also provides valuable educational resources for academia.
Since its establishment in 2022, the HKED (https://hked.epd.gov.hk/) has served a wide array of users from project proponents to educators, from industry to campuses, extending from Hong Kong to the Greater Bay Area (GBA). By integrating advanced smart technology and a comprehensive data system, the platform has substantially reduced the time required for EIA studies, improved research efficiency, and ensured the quality of EIA outcomes.
Open Platform Conveniences Citizens, Secures Three Major Awards
Clara U, Principal Environmental Protection Officer of EPD's Environmental Assessment Division, introduced that the database was developed and established by the EPD."In the past, when implementing projects, it often took time to conduct an environmental baseline survey, and collecting the data could take several months or even a year."The establishment of the database helps project proponents or consulting companies save time.
The HKED is an open platform freely accessible to the public, where they can view Hong Kong's past, present, and predicted future ecological environmental data. U stated that the environmental database integrates many smart applications and will introduce artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the near future to further enhance its efficiency, such as making air quality impact assessments faster, more accurate, and more effective.
U also pointed out that the database has received strong support and widespread use from the industry since its launch. Currently, the environmental database has won three regional and international awards: the"Best Environmental Innovation Award"at the Southeast Asia Forum held in Guangzhou in November 2024; the2025 "Corporate Initiative Award"from the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) in February this year; and the"Best Smart Environment Award" and the "Grand Award" at the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge (HSODC) 2025 this August. These accolades affirm the EPD's significant achievements in EIA innovation and the application of technology.
Assisting with the planning for the Northern Link, Improving EIA efficiency
Rodney Ip, Chief Environmental Manager (Capital Works) of MTR Corporation Limited, stated that the HKED provided significant assistance in planning for the Northern Link."We recently conducted an EIA for the Northern Link, utilizing environmental data provided by the HKED. This made it easier to choose different routes since we need to balance the locations of MTR stations to best serve future citizens, while also considering construction and environmental impacts."
Ip mentioned that the HKED contains much basic information, such as ecological data and noise-sensitive receivers, etc. When conducting railway planning, environmental consultants can directly input this data into various proposals for impact evaluation, greatly improving work efficiency. "We can download the data online, input it into the project-based data module for comparative analysis, and achieve great results."
Ip also suggested that he hopes the HKED can provide more information in the future, such as list of old and valuable trees and monuments, thus providing further convenience.
Over 40 years of data collection enriches educational experience and supports environmental research
Dr Cheng Jinping, Assistant Professor of the Department of Science and Environmental Studies of The Education University of Hong Kong, said that the HKED is a highly integrated platform containing over 150 datasets, covering data collected over the past 40 years and serving as an extremely valuable data collection platform, not only locally but also regionally. The integration of the environmental database simplifies the procedures for universities to apply for and use Hong Kong environmental data.
"The HKED also features some analytical and display functions, such as visualization for Hong Kong's environment data. This significantly enriches our teaching and helps students better understand Hong Kong's environment," Cheng praised, "HKED has played a good bridging role, effectively promoting communication between scholars and the government."
Cheng emphasized that besides local scholars, scholars from the GBA, across the nation, and even globally are paying attention to the database and trying to use this platform for big data and AI research to more effectively predict future environmental changes and enhance environmental management.
Taking the Chinese White Dolphin research she is currently focusing on as an example, Cheng pointed out that,"The ecological environment of Hong Kong and the GBA is closely related. For the Chinese White Dolphin, they do not distinguish whether this is Hong Kong waters or Zhuhai waters; the ecology of both waters is closely connected."She continued,"In the future, when Hong Kong cooperates with other GBA cities, the HKED will play an important role, promoting regional data sharing and collaborative innovation."
Speeding Up Cross-Department Communication, Usable Within and Outside the Industry
Alexis Lau, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals (HKIQEP), believes that the HKED has a groundbreaking position in enhancing the efficiency of the EIA profession. He pointed out that in a knowledge-based, data-driven society like Hong Kong, this is a significant breakthrough.
Lau emphasized that concentrating data on a single platform allows everyone to use it."This feedback loop didn't exist previously, and now communication between different departments becomes easier."
"Hong Kong is nearly the first in the world to have such vast data available for the EIA industry and even outside the industry," Lau said that he also uses the HKED in his teaching. "Sometimes we use this database for teaching, referring to its information to students. I haven't seen a similar database elsewhere in the world."
He hopes that the HKED can be promoted more in the future. "I hope the EPD can promote it more; I think they can introduce it more, promote it more and let them know that such great resources are in Hong Kong."
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