Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1997

Science • Minor Programme in Gender Studies 1998-99 • Doctor of Philosophy Programme in Environmental Science • Master of Accountancy Programme (Part-time, self-financed) • Master of Philosophy Programme in Gender Studies • Bachelor of Science Programme in Quantitative Finance • Bachelor o f Education Programme in Language Education • Bachelor of Science Programme i n Materials Science • Bachelor of Science Programme i n Molecular Biotechnology Joint Lab to Boost CIS Development The first laboratory for geo-information science i n Hong Kong was officially opened on 28th August at the University. The lab is set up by the University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences w i t h resources and facilities f r om the t wo institutions. Officiating at the inauguration ceremony were the heads of the two institutions — Prof. Arthur K.C. Li and Prof. Lu Yong-xiang, and representatives of relevant foundations and committees from Hong Kong, the mainland, and th e United Nations. The J o i nt Labo r a t o r y f o r Geoinformation Science wil l serve as a base for interdisciplinary an d collaborative research in geo-information science. It w i ll stimulate the d e v e l o pme nt o f geoinformation science-related programme s i n H o n g Ko n g, and enab l e l o c al academics and researchers to participate in important experiments and application programmes on the mainland. In turn, Ho ng Kon g experts are expected t o contribute to the development of aerial and satellite remote-sensing programme s in mainland China. Capitalizing on VOD Technology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Foundation Ltd., on behalf of its wholly o w n e d s ub s i d i a r y, I n f o r ma t i o n Networking Laboratories Ltd. (INL Ltd.), r ecen t l y s i gned an agreement w i t h Singapore's EastGate Grou p to form a joint venture company in Hong Kong. The new c omp a n y, n amed Vse r ve Technology Ltd., w i l l engage in i n t e r a c t i ve mu l t i me d i a - o n- demand products and services. It is granted an exclusive worldwide marketing right of video- on-demand (VOD) video server technology — VIOLA (video- on-lan). The V IOLA project wa s developed by the University's Depa r tmen t of I n f o r ma t i on Engineering w i t h grants f r om t he H o n g K o n g I n d u s t r y Department. The VIOLA video The Joint Laboratory for Geo-information Science News in Brief 49