'Besides being a beautiful work of art, a map also provides a common language for us to communicate about the world,' said Dr Tang who, three decades on, now heads ESRI China (Hong Kong), part of a California-based company that designs and develops geographic information system (GIS) technology.

'I became so fascinated with maps that it reached a point where I would listen to the news with my parents and would know more about all the foreign countries mentioned in the broadcast than they did,' she said.

Dr Tang has spent her entire adult life as a pioneer in the field of GIS. It requires an in-depth knowledge of hardware, software and geographic data to capture, analyse and display all forms of geographically referenced information.

This not only helps her to understand the world more clearly, but also has numerous commercial applications for mapping in minute detail and identifying precise locations. In Hong Kong, many organisations are already using the technology. Among them are the government's Lands, Planning and Water Supplies Departments; real estate companies which can now show intricate maps of their properties and allow customers to do their own online searches; public transport operators; and utility companies which use GIS to monitor the transmission status of power stations so they can quickly dispatch teams to problem areas.

A visionary, Dr Tang always believed the system would catch on, although she had to convince many doubters along the way. Now, they too can see the advantages of GIS in improving operational practices, saving costs and providing a much sharper competitive edge.

In 1995, Dr Tang took the plunge and set up her own company to become ESRI's sole distributor of GIS software products in Hong Kong. Like most start-up businesses, it was a struggle initially.

'I drew no salary for the first 11 months and had to do everything myself, from sales and marketing to cleaning the toilets,' she said.

'I worked in a tiny office and the first employee I hired and sent to the United States for training tragically died of cancer.' Those days were a severe test.

While trying to get the business up and running, Dr Tang was also completing her PhD in ecology and architecture and found it difficult to juggle all the demands on her time. However, she focused on her belief that GIS would be a success and never gave up hope.

'I knew Hong Kong needed proper interactive digital maps for businesses and to help guide visitors around,' she said.

To educate people about the benefits of an unfamiliar technology, she undertook a series of lectures at universities, visited secondary schools and gave radio interviews.

Soon these efforts started to pay off. By 1997, the software had been installed in about 250 client sites and ESRI was so impressed by this phenomenal success that it bought out Dr Tang's company and appointed her chief executive of the new entity.

There are now more than 70 staff working for the Hong Kong office, but Dr Tang still feels the most rewarding part of the job is seeing GIS work its magic.

For example, the system can help bus companies translate geographical information into useful data about routes, enabling customer service staff to check details with just the click of a mouse.

GIS can also provide a range of other miscellaneous information, such as the average travel time for specific routes. Dr Tang believes the system still has enormous growth potential. 'GIS is really just at a preliminary stage,' she said. 'There is much work to be done, particularly in deploying the technology on PDAs and mobile phones to make daily life easier.'

A chance meeting with a visiting lecturer from the US introduced Dr Tang to the possibilities of GIS. At the time, in the early 1990s, she was still an undergraduate, and while the technology was just taking off in the US it was virtually unheard of in Hong Kong.

Intrigued by where it might lead, Dr Tang took up a university teaching job after graduation and then worked for an environmental group, where she made her mark by establishing the world's first ecological database using GIS technology.

That helped her become the first person from Asia to win a scholarship to do further detailed studies with ESRI in California. On completing the scholarship, the next logical step was to start her own business.

In 2004, Dr Tang was named Young Achiever of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong's Women of Influence awards. This recognised both her commercial success and her participation in many community service projects.

Two of the causes she supports most actively are youth development and better use of IT to transform the city's public health system.

She attributes her accomplishments to having two guiding principles and applying them to everything - trust and integrity.

'I have never lost a client because I always deliver on promises,' she said.

'The other equally important thing is to have a vision. Rome wasn't built in a day and there will be ups and downs, but if you have a belief, it will keep you going.'

While handling her responsibilities as a chief executive, Dr Tang has continued to make leaps and bounds in the world of GIS research. She also teaches as a visiting university lecturer and has already written five books and more than 50 academic papers on the subject. Given her can-do attitude and talent for transforming ideas into reality, it will not be long before GIS technology is part of the everyday world for the people of Hong Kong.

Pioneer in technology

Pioneer of geographic information system (GIS) technology

This is now used by government departments, utility companies, property and transport companies

There is scope to expand GIS use via mobile phones and PDAs

Guiding principles include delivering on promises and having a vision

Active in GIS research