DOST, NDRRMC to launch central monitoring platform

MANILA, Philippines — A central monitoring platform enabling the public and disaster managers to access all pertinent information for preparing against natural hazards will be launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The NDRRMC Central Monitoring Platform for monitoring, warning and preparedness is scheduled for release in the first quarter of this year.

Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said the platform targets local leaders, whose role in disaster risk reduction is crucial.

“If your role is disaster management, you want to know the warnings for the day; you’ll see it in the platform,” Solidum told The STAR. “Included there are guidance and reports.”

Powered by artificial intelligence, the system will host locally contextualized information on cyclones, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural hazards.

The platform is part of the DOST’s Geospatial Analytics and Technology Solutions or GATES program, which supports numerous initiatives to use AI and other advanced technologies to transform large government datasets into actionable insights for national development.

The DOST will also launch the PlanSmart Ready to Respond, an AI-enabled tool focused on quick disaster response.

The agency recently unveiled PlanSmart for Sustainable Human Settlements, an automated planning tool that allows local government units (LGUs) to create risk-informed land use and urban development plans in a short period of time.

LGUs are also utilizing hazard maps developed by Project NOAH or Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, now managed by the University of the Philippines’ Resilience Institute.

UPRI executive director Mahar Lagmay yesterday welcomed the P1-billion allocation in the national budget for Project NOAH.