PhilSA unveils new project equipping LGUs, civil society in using space data
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) has started the pre-implementation of a new project designed to capacitate and enable various sectors to access and use space data according to their needs.
The project, named PINAS, which stands for PhilSA Integrated Network for Space-Enabled Actions towards Sustainability, will be implemented by the PhilSA Space Information Infrastructure Bureau (SIIB).
“PINAS will be an active community of national government agencies, local government units, research institutions, the civil society, and the private sector, working collaboratively on the socially-responsive use of space data and information,” SIIB director Dr. Ariel C. Blanco explained.
PINAS will have three phases: network building, capacity building, and buildup and expansion. The SIIB has initiated the network building phase, beginning with the Province of Iloilo.
The country’s third Ground Receiving Station (GRS), operated and maintained by the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), is located in Dumangas, Iloilo.
Last June 17, PhilSA SIIB conducted a pre-implementation workshop of the PINAS Project at the Esca’s Garden, Iloilo City, which was attended by over 100 representatives from the province’s LGUs, regional government agencies, and non-government organizations.
The participants are from offices involved in agriculture, disaster risk reduction management (DRRM), urban and rural planning, and environment monitoring and natural resources management–sectors where space data would be valuable for data-based policymaking.
In her opening remarks, PhilSA deputy director general Dr. Gay Jane Perez emphasized the importance of space data obtained through satellites for planning, monitoring, and local policymaking. She underscored that collaboration with LGUs as direct users of satellite data would further strengthen on-ground efforts. Read More…
