Introduction

The "Visibility Measurement Method Design Competition" is organized by the Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund. It aims to enrich students' knowledge in both engineering and meteorology.

Objectives

Eligibility and Categories

All primary and secondary school students of Hong Kong are welcome to take part in the competition. Teams fall into either of the two categories: Junior and Senior. A team should comprise 1 teacher advisor and a maximum of 5 students. A student can participate in only one team, while a teacher is allowed to act as an advisor of more than one team. At most three teams can come from each school. Each team is required to submit one set of deliverables as follows:

Category Deliverables
Visibility Measurement Method Photo Report Presentation
Junior Design method for visibility measurement Digital photos taken for visibility measurement during the competition period Documentation on the methodology design, how the readings can be taken, analysis, etc 15 minutes
Senior Design automated method for visibility measurement, including software (and/or hardware) for measurement and data manipulation in calculating, recording and displaying data automatically through a computer Documentation on the design and operation of the automated method, software, how readings can be taken, trial records, etc.

Requirements

Both Junior and Senior teams should observe the requirements R-01 to R-08 below:

Reqt. Description
R-01 The methodology for visibility measurement should be capable of determining visibility readings, reporting the data automatically (senior teams) or manually (junior teams).
R-02 There is no restriction on the methodology design. In the case that the team would like to design a physical visibility meter, there is no restriction on the choices of materials used. The cost for the design and fabrication of the visibility meter, excluding computers (for data archival and analysis), should be less than HKD 1000. There will be no subsidy from organizers for making the visibility meter.
R-03 Photos taken for visibility determination during the competition should be delivered. There is no limit on the number of photos to be submitted. There is also no special quality requirements for the photos. The image quality is not part of the judging criteria.
R-04 Photos should be uploaded to the Co-WIN CWOS system using the account provided by the organizer. The team can upload the photos any time before the submission deadline.
R-05 All photos taken during the competition should also be delivered, on CDROM or DVD-ROM, before the deadline of submission.
R-06 The report should be concise, preferably with a length of no more than 10 pages (diagrams included). Submission of soft copy-only report in PDF format is encouraged, and should be included in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM containing other deliverables. In case hard copy report is produced, it should be printed on A4-sized paper.
R-07 Each group will be allocated 15 minutes for presentation. Participants are suggested to spend about 10 minutes for presentation and/or demonstration, and 5 minutes for questions and answers from the judges. VGA connection and a computer with projection facility will be provided at the presentation room.
R-08 Submission of deliverables should be sent to the address listed below. Email submission will not be entertained.

Senior teams should observe the following additional requirement R-9:

Reqt. Description
R-09 The visibility measurement method should be automatic, though data input (e.g., photos) can be done either manually or automatically.

Workshops and activities

Registered participants are eligible for attending workshops and visits organized by the HKU Faculty of Engineering and the Hong Kong Observatory. A tentative schedule of the activities, with highlighted important dates, is tabled in the Schedule page. Attendance certificates will be issued to registered team members and teacher advisors participating in talks and workshops.

Conditions

  1. The organizer reserves the right to disqualify entries and reclaim prizes awarded should the entries be found to have violated copyright or Hong Kong Laws.
  2. Decision of the Judging Panel is final.
  3. Participants accept that their prize winning entries may be released or published in media designated by the organizer.
  4. Acknowledgement of the receipt of the submission will be sent via email, fax or mail within one week of the receipt. Enquiries can be made by phone, fax, or email listed in the Enquiries page.

Registration

Registration forms should be filled in by the principal or teacher in charge of the participating school. Completed application forms should be sent to:

Organizing Committee,
Visibility Measurement Method Design Competition,
Department of Computer Science,
The University of Hong Kong,
Pokfulam Road,
Hong Kong

or fax to 25598447 on or before 2012-02-10[Fri](Update). You can register online, or print out this page as registration form. The submission time will be based on the date of postmark. Late submission will not be accepted.

Submission of Deliverables

The deliverables should be sent to the following address on or before 2012-05-31[Thu] 1700:


Address
Hong Kong Observatory
134A Nathan Road
1/F Centenary Building
Attn: Dr. CHAN Siu Wai
Office Hours  Mondays to Fridays: 0900–1300; 1400–1700
Saturdays: 0900–1300
Sundays and Public Holidays: Closed
Method Please inform Dr. CHAN Siu Wai at 29268342 or Mr. CHAN Kin Yu at 29268346 before delivery.

Submission checklist:

  1. A report
  2. Photos, on CDROM or DVD-ROM
  3. Deliverable submission form
  4. Software (Senior team)
  5. Your visibility meter (if applicable)

Presentation materials can be submitted on the day of presentation. The deliverables shall be accompanied by a duly completed deliverable submission form. The submission time will be based on the date of postmark. Late submission will not be accepted.

Judging Criteria

The judging panel consists of professionals from HKU Faculty of Engineering and the Hong Kong Observatory. The judging criteria are as follows:

Criterion Description
J-01 Research Content of report, data collection and testing methodologies.
J-02 Creativity How creative ideas have been used in the design of visibility measurement methodology.
J-03 Participation Participation of events and competition (e.g., daily/weekly/monthly visibility reading/photo contributions to CWOS).
J-04 Presentation Performance in the project presentation session.

Prizes

The prizes of each category are as follows:


Prize Award
Champion A trophy and a book coupon will be awarded to the team, and a certificate to each team member.
First runner-up
Second runner-up
The most creative award A book coupon will be awarded to the team, and a certificate to each team member.
The best presentation award

Results

All participating teams are invited to an award presentation ceremony on 2012-07-07[Sat] 10:30-12:30 when they will be presented participation certificates and the results will be announced. The list of winners will also be published in this web site.

Organizers

Supporting Organization


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