DOST-PHIVOLCS conducted a training on the use of GeoRiskPH Platforms last July 14 - 15, 2022, for the Province of Negros Occidental and its 32 cities and municipalities. A total of ~140 participants from the different offices of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental including Provincial Environment Management Office, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, Provincial Planning and Development Office, Provincial Monitoring Office, and Provincial Administrator's Office, as well as DRRM officers and planners from the 32 cities and municipalities of the province were present on-site and online during the training.
The training aims to enhance the capacity of the province of Negros Occidental through building their exposure databases and conducting hazards & risk assessment using GeoRiskPH platforms. Atty. Rayfrando P. Diaz II, Provincial Administrator, and Dr. Teresito C. Bacolcol, Deputy Director of DOST-PHIVOLCS, delivered the opening messages on the first day of the training. The second day of the training was welcomed by Hon. Eugenio Jose Bong Lacson, Governor of Negros Occidental, and Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Undersecretary of DOST and Officer-In-Charge of DOST-PHIVOLCS. The LGUs expressed their interest in utilizing the platforms and have also signified their plan to use these platforms in their monitoring projects, hazard assessment and mapping, and for the enhancement of their LDRRM plans, land use plans, and other development planning processes of their LGUs. Some LGUs have provided their local data and have requested these to be added to their GeoMapperPH platforms.
GeoMapperPH is an application developed by GeoRisk Philippines designed to empower National Government Agencies and Local Government Units in data collection and visualization. It has 2 components: the Exposure Data Mapper, used to map information relevant to the mandate of the agency and LGUs, and the Situation Data Mapper, designed to collect information on the impacts of hazards and disasters and visualize these information on a dashboard. GeoMapperPH serves as a platform to facilitate the easy collection and updating of hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and coping capacity data to support the decision-making process before, during, and after disasters. NGAs and LGUs can use this application for free.
The training concluded with closing messages from Mr. Jose Larry L. Sañor, PGNO Focal Person for GeoRiskPH Collaboration and Officer-In-Charge of the Provincial Information Communication and Technology Division, Dr. Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, Division Head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), and Ms. Mabelline Cahulogan, head of the Geomatics and Hazard Assessment Service Section of DOST-PHIVOLCS.
