BUILDING technological self-reliance in the country can address climate change, according to Raymund Liboro, assistant secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Speaking before officers and members of the Philippine Science Journalists Association Inc. during its general assembly and congress, Liboro said, “Technology is out there, but we should have mastery over [them] for us to continue and come up with appropriate programs that can directly benefit our people.”
He added that technological self-reliance is “achievable, saves time and cuts cost.”
He said early warning information provided by the DOST and other agencies has helped people and communities cope with weather nuances.
“The daily weather bulletin, current rainfall, seven-day forecast, rainfall warning, flood monitoring and hazard maps, among others, have more detailed information to help people make informed decisions. Moreover, these can be easily accessed by the public [through the Internet],” Liboro said.
He cited that the use of flood early warning system, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) 3D mapping and sensors are just some examples of technological self-reliance that helped in providing weather and geographical coverage in the country.
The DOST’s aggressive push in providing and promoting the use of the technologies resulted in more number of technologies being used at a lesser cost and more advantage to the country.
One example is the use of flood early warning systems.
“From 1972-2011, there were only [more than] 100 systems deployed,” Liboro said. “But with Project NOAH [Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards] and DREAM [Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation], it only took four years from 2011-2015 to increase the total number of sensors deployed to 1,400 plus.” In addition, the cost of 3D mapping has dipped from $300 to $78 per square kilometer through the DREAM-LiDAR project.
For the sensor development, the automated weather station unit cost narrowed down from P880,000 (foreign-sourced), to P235,000 (local-sourced), while the automated rain gauge unit cost narrowed down from P280,000 (foreign-sourced) to P95,000 (local-sourced). Liboro mentioned that LiDAR technology can be used in governance, infrastructure planning, resource and recovery, and assessment.
S&T Media Service