September 25, 2014–The Ateneo de Zamboanga University AdZU-LiDAR project office, headed by Project Leader Mario S. Rodriguez, was invited, through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), to present the AdZU Phil-LiDAR project during the Regional Development Council’s (RDC) Regional Development Planning Week.
AdZU-LiDAR participated at the RDC’s 148th meeting on September 23, Tuesday at the Zamboanga Ecozone and Freeport Authority. Participants of the meeting included the governors, mayors and officials from the different provinces, municipalities and cities as well as the regional directors and heads of national government agencies in the region. The Regional Development Forum held on September 24, Wednesday at the Grand Astoria Hotel in Zamboanga City was attended by stakeholders from the different Local Government Units (LGUs) and the business sector. Presenting at both events, Mr. Rodriguez explained the project’s two components which include Phil-LiDAR 1 for flood hazard mapping and flood modeling and Phil-LiDAR2 for resources mapping to include both terrestrial high value crops and aquatic resources.
Typhoons and torrential rains batter the Philippines every year. Given the geography of the country, many areas are vulnerable to flooding, which “has become the new normal.” The disasters in Samar, Leyte, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro have demonstrated the need for effective and precise planning tools to warn the communities most vulnerable to floods. The result of the first Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment and Mitigation, or DREAM project by the University of the Philippines (UP), has already given these areas the flood models and flood maps that can forecast flooding with a lead time of at least six hours.
He also presented that AdZU is part of the effort to process and generate the flood models and flood maps of the Zamboanga Peninsula region. The same LiDAR data will be used to map out terrestrial and aquatic resources of the region through Phil-LiDAR 2. “It’s not only mapping of the resources, but we’ll also see the suitability of the crops per area considering different factors like elevation and geographical location,” said Rodriguez. “Ground validation is needed, that’s why we need go to the actual areas to check,” he said, referring to the municipalities, cities, and provinces in the region.
The attendees were interested in the potential of the project’s final output and its contribution to further progress and development of the region.
The Phil-Lidar project is a three-year project of the DOST under the National Operational Assessment of Hazards or Project NOAH. It is also an extension of the UP-DREAM project.
