GeoAI & urban change
Detecting, delineating, and explaining change in central business districts using NPP-VIIRS nighttime light, NDBI built-up density, POI data, and spatial accessibility.
- NPP-VIIRS
- NDBI
- Amap POI
GeoAI · Urban analytics · International studies
Mapping cities.
Connecting regions.
I am DU Hangyu (DU Hangwoo), an interdisciplinary researcher using geospatial AI, computer vision, and spatial analysis to study urban transformation and cross-border connectivity.
- Yonsei University, GSIS
- HKUST (Guangzhou)
- Seoul · Guangzhou
01 — About
Research across
disciplines and borders.
My work sits where artificial intelligence, urban science, regional development, and international studies meet.
I combine satellite imagery, street-view computer vision, mobility and accessibility measures, and socioeconomic data to understand how cities change. Alongside quantitative urban research, I work on public diplomacy, transnational networks, population ageing, and regional value-chain transformation across East and Southeast Asia.
- 0geospatial images indexed for research
- 0conference papers presented
- 0MRIO economic sectors analysed
- 0universities and research institutes
02 — Research
Four questions,
one line of inquiry.
From pixels to policy — four connected streams shape the work I do now.
Street-view computer vision
Training and auditing deep classifiers on annotated Baidu Street View imagery to derive a longitudinal CBD visual-maturity score, with human-in-the-loop reliability checks.
- ResNet-18
- Annotation
- Reliability
Cross-border mobility & accessibility
A Potential Regional Cross-border Accessibility index linking commercial nodes to the border system through flow-weighted checkpoint exposure, metro embedding, and post-border transit.
- PRCA index
- Metro networks
- Border friction
Regional transformation in Asia
Population ageing, global value chains, public diplomacy, and transnational institutional networks across East and Southeast Asia — measured with input–output structural decomposition.
- ADB-MRIO
- Ageing
- Public diplomacy
03 — Selected work
Projects currently
on the desk.
GeoAI · Shenzhen · 2013–2023
Boundary frictions and the reconfiguration of CBD-like areas
A reproducible multi-source pipeline that fuses nighttime light, built-up density, POI, and street-view imagery with cross-border accessibility to track how Shenzhen's central business districts restructured around the Hong Kong border.
+157.33%net mapped area change
481annotated street-view images
Presented at Postgraduate Conference 2026, Lingnan University, Hong Kong.
Computer vision · Human-in-the-loop
TRACE-CBM street-view classification
An annotation and model-evaluation pipeline for classifying CBD-related streetscapes across years and locations, built so that every label decision stays auditable.
- ResNet
- Annotation
- Evaluation
Regional economics · East Asia
Ageing and value-chain transformation
An ADB-MRIO structural decomposition of how ageing-related final demand transmits value added across China, Japan, Korea, and ASEAN production networks.
- Input–output
- Ageing
- GVCs
Transnational history · East Asia
From Macao to Korea
Research on British-connected maritime spaces, clerical training, and the institutional networks that supported Catholic circulation across East Asia.
- Archives
- Networks
- Religious history
04 — Builds
From research questions
to working products.
Selected AI products and public demos. Each project is built around a concrete workflow, a visible safety boundary, and evidence that others can inspect.
AI safety · Prompt engineering
PromptGuard
A structured workflow and evaluation lab for high-risk AI agents. It separates intent parsing, risk screening, deterministic policy checks, and human confirmation instead of trusting one prompt to do everything.
- AI Safety
- Evaluation
- Human-in-the-loop
Agentic fintech · Testnet
FlowPilot
A cross-border payment-planning prototype that combines user intent, route and FX context, address screening, and an explicit confirmation step before a testnet transfer can proceed.
- AI Agent
- FinTech
- Policy Engine
Product engineering · Public deployment
Culchain
An independent web-product experiment focused on turning an idea into a polished public experience, while keeping the source repository and deployed presentation deliberately separated.
- Vite
- Cloudflare
- Frontend
04 — Publications
Papers and
conference talks.
Drag or flick the row to browse.
05 — Experience
A cross-institutional
academic path.
Computer science, urban research, and international studies, built up across four institutions in China, Hong Kong, and Korea.
-
Mar 2026 — Present
Research Assistant
HKUST (Guangzhou) — Urban Governance and Design Thrust
Urban GeoAI and cross-border mobility: the spatial restructuring of CBD-like areas in Shenzhen and its coupling with the Hong Kong–Shenzhen cross-border mobility system.
-
Sep 2025 — Jun 2027
M.A. in International Studies
Yonsei University, Graduate School of International Studies
Global systemic architecture, global economic structure, emerging issues in global politics, and cultural diversity in global society. Senior Officer at the Yonsei GSIS Human Rights Hub.
-
Sep 2020 — Jun 2024
B.Eng. in Computer Science and Technology, Minor in Law
Southwest University
Data science practice, object-oriented programming, data analysis methods, data structures, and database systems, alongside legal studies.
06 — Recognition
Awards and
public engagement.
2026
Outstanding Paper & Outstanding Speaker Award
1st International Conference on Social Innovation, ACSEC ASEAN–China Silver Economy Development Forum, Bangkok.
2025 · 2026
Korea–China Friendship Youth Angel
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China. Also recognised in the “Hello, Friend!” China–Korea Youth Short Video Contest with The JoongAng Ilbo.
2024
Second Prize, China–ASEAN Innovation Competition
Rural revitalisation category, 6th China–ASEAN International Education Cooperation Week — team leader.
2021 — 2024
Outstanding Innovation Team, three years running
“Tian Sheng You Wei” Makerspace, Southwest University student innovation and entrepreneurship incubation base — team leader.
07 — Contact
Let's build research
across boundaries.
I welcome conversations about GeoAI, urban analytics, East Asian regional research, conference collaboration, and interdisciplinary projects.
Based in Seoul, Korea. Open to visiting research, conference panels, and co-authorship.