The Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) Phil-Lidar 2 hosted the 3rd Mindanao Cluster Colloquium of Phil-Lidar 2 projects held on April 13 – 15, 2016 at the Garden Orchid Hotel.
About a hundred participants from five universities across Mindanao, the University of the Philippines – Diliman, regional and national officials of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) participated in the three-day event.
Aside from ADZU, the other universities implementing the Phil-Lidar 2 project in Mindanao are Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Central Mindanao University (CMU), Caraga State University (CSU) and University of the Philippines – Mindanao (UP-Min). During the colloquium, it was revealed that, among the problems experienced by the Mindanao Cluster in implementing the Lidar 2 project, the most prevalent is power and internet outages.
The Phil-Lidar 2 Program, currently on its third year of implementation and set to end in May 2017, uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to produce agricultural and coastal maps of the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Dr. Amelia P. Guevara, DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development, in her keynote address, highlighted the importance of the project in preserving the country’s agriculture and natural resources and in uplifting the quality of lives of people by “ensuring that communities have food, water, electricity and secure sources of income” which she added, “can go a long way in drawing our younger generation away from non-peaceful pursuits.” She then challenged the participants to use this ground-breaking project to help fight off the problems that beset Mindanao.
All five universities forming the Mindanao Cluster are currently preparing for the local turnover of a new set of maps in their respective regions within the year. It will be recalled that March this year, ADZU-Lidar 2 turned over agricultural and coastal resources maps of Ayala, Tumaga, Culianan, Manicahan, Curuan and Vitali to the City Government. The new maps to be produced will cover other areas in Zamboanga del Sur and in Zamboanga del Norte.
During the second day of the colloquium, participants did field work at the Zamboanga Research Center of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA-ZRC) and the Great Sta. Cruz Island. The participants conducted Spectral and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) data collection and training at the PCA-ZRC as part of the Agricultural Resources Mapping (PARMap) component of Phil-Lidar 2.
For the Coastal Resources Assessment (COASTMap) component, participants took spectral readings of the mangroves of the Great Sta. Cruz Island, as well as a bathymetric survey using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), a “satellite system that is used to pinpoint the geographic location of a user’s receiver anywhere in the world” and the Echosounder with the assistance of the Philippine Coast Guard – Zamboanga Station.
Engr. Nelson P. Beniabon, Chief of PCIEERD’s Emerging Technology Development Division, formally opened the colloquium, while Dr. Ariel Blanco, Program Leader of Phil-Lidar 2, delivered the closing remarks. (UCO/Jonathan Jose Deles and Sandra Katherine Hamsali/AdZUPhil-Lidar2)(Photos by Ahmed Baldomero & Jerald Jay De Leon/AdZU Phil-Lidar2).
