BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Provincial Government, through its Mountain Province Agriculture Fisheries Extension Center (MPAFEC), conducted a training on Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) to agriculture and biosystems engineers and planners from the different local government units of Mountain Province on August 13-15, 2024 in the capital town.
The activity aimed to capacitate the participants with modern engineering software and applications, which are crucial to meet the demands of preparing detailed engineering designs and estimating project costs.
QGIS is a computer system used by individuals to assemble, store, manipulate and display geographically referenced information which allows users to represent and analyze geographic features on the earth’s surface and the events that occur on it. One of its most popular applications in engineering and planning is mapping and modeling the geographical characteristics and features of a project site such as, topography, land use, water resources, transportation networks, utilities, buildings, and hazards.
During the opening program, Board Member Ezra Samson A. Gomez expressed the provincial officials’ appreciation to the MPAFEC management team for coming up with the activity to enhance the knowledge and skills of local agriculture and biosystems engineers and planners and thanked the Department of Agriculture- Cordillera Administrative Region for funding the training through its Province-led Agricultural and Fisheries Extension System program.
He also said that his office is closely working with the office of Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. to provide timely support and intervention to local farmers and to the agricultural extension workers.
Moreover, MPAFEC In-Charge and Provincial Veterinarian Rodelio B. Bagawi and PAFES PMG Chair and Provincial Planning and Development Officer Daniel K. Likigan were one in urging the participants to take the opportunity to advance their knowledge and to constantly apply the things that they will learn on the fields of their respective works.
Meanwhile, personnel from Benguet State University were invited as resource speakers for the whole duration of the activity. Dr. Nova A. Doyog, College of Forestry Division Chief, Remote Sensing Division and Geographic Information System and Foresters Quinerlyn A. Godio and Myra Nieves T. Lingaling, both from the Center of Geometrics, shared their knowledge and expertise on QGIS. The training went smoothly with a series of lectures and supervision from the speakers during exercises.
During the closing program, Agriculturist II Leticia Faed-Dacawe of the Office of the Provincial Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer said that the participants will be tasked to prepare digitized maps showing agri-infra projects (prepared and existing) as re-entry plan to enable the participants to apply what they have learned during the training.
Further, Mary Jane S. Tumapang, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist OIC mentioned that that agricultural and biosystems engineers and planners leverage QGIS to provide technical assistance by mapping various agricultural infrastructures that are currently in place of proposed to help them envision the state of specific areas across the province.
As part of the closing ceremony, the participants received their certificate of completion each for successfully completing the training and the speakers also received Certificate of Appreciation and token from the Provincial Government which were handed by the heads of office present.
In their collective messages, the participants thanked the speakers for sharing their expertise and the Provincial Government and the DA for respectively implementing and funding the activity. By Hail, MP
