BAGUIO CITY – Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum underscored that the agency has more advanced and sophisticated information and technology (IT) systems which are much cheaper compared to the highly publicized multi-million city command center.
In his recent visit to the city, Secretary Solidum informed city officials that the agency can share to the local government its far more superior smart system to help the city conduct precise planning for the safety of residents.
He added that the agency is developing a 3-dimensional geographic information system which actually picture the underground similar to the development of suitability models and algorithms which can help people and authorities make decisions based on their assessment of geo-hazards in their specific area.
The DOST official pointed out that the city’s command center can only be used when developing schools and settlements but if the local government has all the needed data, like what is being provided by the geo-mapper, the decision-making process will be better and precise compared to the present situation.
The DOST’s geo-mapper is an online platform where the public can look at the hazards that a specific location possesses, pre-warn an owner of a structure, or provide a piece of information that can be used by the property owner to prevent or mitigate the effect of the hazard in the specific area.
Earlier, the DOST turned over to the local government a seismic map which is very specific for earthquakes and ground shaking that will be helpful to engineers in designing structures.
Solidum explained that in earth science, if the shaking is high frequency and fast moving, and the design of the building is the same as the frequency of the movement of the earth, the shaking will be amplified and it will cause the structure to collapse. The frequency of the soil and the design of the building should be actually different.
According to him, engineers and architects who design buildings should refer to the map to guide them in constructions in a specific location.
He disclosed that the agency has another app called PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild which is recognized globally and was designed by a Filipino that can be used by the city, especially with the operations center that is already put in place and invested in by the national government for the city.
In 2020, the Office of the President allocated some P200 million for the city government to start its ambitious Smart City project allowing it to establish an operations center which is not yet complete to date.
Solidum asserted that the city’s multi-million command center should be synchronized with the national government to have a nationally consistent database and not for any other purpose.
When the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) asks for a recovery plan, Secretary Solidum explained that the concerned personnel can just type the place and put the report and it will make the tables and chart, hazard maps and the analysis. The person will only analyze the impact and the intervention because options are already available in the said system and it will make the report.