On March 20, 2025 the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced the list for the first batch of Low-altitude economy (LAE) Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects at the LAE Regulatory Sandbox Launch Event. Esri China (Hong Kong) has successfully enrolled three pilot projects in the Sandbox, a key initiative by the government to foster innovation and development in this emerging sector. 

These projects collaborate with three government departments to leverage drone technology for diverse applications —

• Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD): Conducting patrols to combat illegal fishing activities.
• Civil Aid Service (CAS): Inspecting training camp locations.
• Environmental Protection Department (EPD): Transporting air quality sensors to remote islands.

The Sandbox aims to enable industry stakeholders to test and conduct trials on various project concepts within pre-defined air routes and in a controlled and safe manner. Our company will leverage ArcGIS technologies to conduct pilot tests on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (B-VLOS) to support a more integrated and efficient low-altitude economy ecosystem, aligning with broader efforts to enhance this emerging sector. There are 38 projects which have been selected for the first batch of the LAE Sandbox. 

Low-altitude economy (LAE) is one of the country's strategic emerging industries. The Greater Bay Area Low Altitude Economy Alliance (GBA LAEA) was established on September 23, 2024 by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and the Smart City Consortium (SCC) to coordinate with various stakeholders and to address the growing need to support LAE development. Esri China (Hong Kong) is a member of the GBA LAEA. 

Dr. Winnie Tang (fourth on the left), Founding Vice President of the Greater Bay Area Low Altitude Economy Alliance,  Founder and Chairman of Esri China (Hong Kong); Sr Prof. Paul Tsui (second on the left), Chief Executive Officer of Esri China (Hong Kong) and Mr. Tony Chan (first on the right), Business Development Director of Esri China (Hong Kong) visited the exhibition booth led by Ir Professor Christopher Chao (third on the left), Vice President (Research and Innovation) of the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and his colleagues.

The LAE Regulatory Sandbox Launch Event was successfully held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 

Back