DOST 6 forges agreement with OCD, PRO to provide digital real-time response, monitoring of emergency events

Iloilo City — In its aim to develop an online system for reporting critical and disastrous incidents and events, the Department of Science and Technology Region VI (DOST VI) signed an agreement with the Office of Civil Defense VI (OCD VI) and Police Regional Office VI (PRO VI.

The project dubbed, “Strategic Incident Georeferencing for Nationwide Alertness (SIGNAL),” is an online unified communication platform for reporting critical incidents and disastrous events for proper response and monitoring.

One of the issues pointed out is the lack of a dependable and robust database of disasters and other events that may be used for effective and efficient reports submission as well as strategic planning and analysis. Also, dependence on a limited number of automated hydromet stations to monitor weather-related events.

The online platform features will include the incident monitoring dashboard, incident notification, incident detailed information, incident response, incident resolution, and incident archives.

The collaboration is initially limited to the said agencies but will expand its partnership with other agencies especially the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (DRRMOs) of the different local government units (LGUs).

Under the agreement, DRRM and other ICT Systems will be developed, trainings will be conducted for personnel involved in the project as well as provision of other technical assistance and support from partner agencies.

Project SIGNAL was officially launched during the Regional DRRM Summit held last June 22. It will initially be implemented in the region but will eventually be offered for use in other parts of the country as well.

“Western Visayas has the capacity to develop and use new digital technologies and innovations that can address its various development concerns including in the area of disaster risk reduction and management. We are confident that Project SIGNAL will also eventually be adopted by other regions in the country,” said DOST Regional Director Rowen R. Gelonga.

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