DOST’s Project NOAH integrated into Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines - The new weather and hazard modeling technologies developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will be transferred to its weather arm.

Projects NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) and DREAM (Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment for Mitigation) are expected to be fully integrated into the system of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to improve the state weather bureau’s capabilities.

“Three years since DOST launched Project NOAH in July 2012, we have created a great number of disaster management tools and science-based tools like flood hazard maps that we are now using to help identify risk-prone areas near the 18 major river systems in the country,” DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said.

“With these tools, we are able to institute an effective early warning system that can prevent loss of lives and extreme damage to properties,” he added.

With more advanced science–based tools, like flood modeling and simulation and storm surge mapping, PAGASA services will be upgraded a notch higher, making it a world-class weather information provider at par with other international organizations, Montejo said.

“With the completion of the DREAM project for NOAH, we are more prepared to address flooding in Metro Manila,” he said.

According to Montejo, the database of flood events from a five-year to a 100-year period can be accessed easily through its digital portal, giving a six-hour lead time for local government units and communities-at-risk to conduct evacuation measures and prevent the loss of lives.