The HKUST LAviNET Team Awarded the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2012: Best Innovation & Research Award

Led by Prof. Gary Chan of the CSE department, the HKUST LAviNET wireless mesh team has won the bronze award in the category of the Best Innovation & Research Award (College & Undergraduates) in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2012. The project, titled "A Lean Wireless Infrastructure Network for Aviation and other Industries," has been under research and development over the past years and successfully transferred to local industries for commercial use. The award ceremony took place on 3 April 2012, in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Official website and the winner list can be found at Hong Kong ICT Awards.

Supported by Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong Productivity Council, and Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the HKICT Awards have been widely acknowledged by the industry. The awards have not only strengthened the image of HK ICT industry in both local and international market, but also provide great opportunities for the ICT elites to deliver their creative and innovative ICT ideas. According to its objective, "The Hong Kong ICT Awards recognise, promote and commend the excellent achievements to which Hong Kong ICT professionals and organisations contribute. The Awards also encourage local practitioners to develop innovative and creative ICT solutions, which will uplift the image of Hong Kong ICT sectors, both locally and internationally."

LAviNet is a novel multi-hop wireless mesh network researched and developed by Prof. Gary Chan's team to offer pervasive Wi-Fi access. Traditionally, smart Access Points (APs) can cost-effectively cover only part of an area, but it is often difficult to eliminate all the blind spots. LAviNet can complement those APs by enabling wireless routers with adaptive and intelligent channel assignment and routing algorithms to offer ubiquitous wireless access. This research and development project has been sponsored by the Innovation Technology Fund of Hong Kong Government. The details of the project can be found at LAviNet.