The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) unveiled Thursday, July 15, 12 new “game-changing” innovations that seek to help boost the country’s disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation efforts.
The 12 disaster mitigation technologies were presented during the “Science and Innovation Budding Opportunities for Leverage (SIBOL) 2021” webinar on Thursday.
Of these, five projects are implemented by the DOST-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
These are the following:
-Development of Prediction and Warning System on Sub-Seasonal Scale of Extreme Events Associated with Monsoon in the Philippines (MonsoonPH)
-Development of high-resolution observation-based gridded sub-daily climate data for the Philippines (ClimGridPH)
-Enhancement of Typhoon and Tropical Cyclone (TC)-Related Monsoon Surge Monitoring and Forecasting, and Wave Observation and Modeling
-RADAR and Disdrometer Data Application and High-Resolution QPF for Complex Terrain
-Sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) prediction of climate extremes
The University of the Philippines – National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) also served as key implementing arm of there DOST-PCIEERD funded projects on Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) application sector:
These include: Marine and onshore geophysical investigations of the Manila subduction zone, Evolution of the Luzon Arc: From igneous to sedimentary processes, Tectonic consequences of subduction in Northern Luzon
Two projects —Influence of surface and subsurface processes in karst degradation and its impacts on sustainable tourism and Integrated Characterization, Quantitative Assessment, and Statistical Modelling for geologic hazards in Karst landscapes in the Philippines: Input to Management Plans for sustainable tourism— are implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resource-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB).
The two other projects are the following:
-Landslide Investigations for Geohazards Preparedness and Timely Advisories in the Philippines (LIGTAS) with the University of the Philippines Los Baños - College of Forestry and Natural Resources as its implementing arm, and
-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with Passively Rotating Spherical Shell for Close-proximity Inspection of Infrastructure which is spearheaded by Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit expressed hope that the projects that focus on hydrometeorological and seismic-related hazards “will change the Philippines for the better."
“We envision these projects to sprout innovations, development, and opportunities that will spur inclusive growth.,” he said.
He expressed the Council’s readiness to fund projects that aim to strengthen disaster mitigation in the country.
“DOST-PCIEERD is committed to supporting more cost-efficient, smart technologies for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation,” he said.
The Council’s top official noted that in the last decade, DOST has consistently allocated funding for disaster risk reduction and climate change, amounting to almost P5 billion for 226 projects.