About Us

MMSU Spatial Data Portal is a national network in partnership with 9 dedicated SCU's and government agencies all over the Philippines. We work together to provide registered stakeholders, researchers and policy-makers comprehensive information and services that are needed for effective decision making and planning. We partnered with SUCs and government agencies topromote, disseminate and communicate an interactive and user friendly web-based interface accessible to users giving direct access to our spatial data, showing climatic information and farm advisories; as well as providing ready to download maps for technical applications.

This is in partnership with 9 cooperating agencies namely:

• Isabela State University - Region II
• Central Luzon State University - Region III
• Palawan State University - Region IV
• Bicol University - Region V
• Visayas State University - Region VIII
• University of Southern Mindanao - Region XII
• Philippine Rice Research Institute
• PCAARRD
• PAGASA

About the Project

With new threats like climate change and global warming, the risks of natural disasters are intensifying and could potentially reverse the gains achieved over the years on human development and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. The Philippine government is taking much effort to manage, deal with or mitigate these impacts and to provide updated data and information for strategic planning, and for the development of early warning systems. Managing the impacts, however is not straightforward and isolated but rather requires a systematic approach wherein possible opportunities are carefully explored and assessed. Sufficiently accurate and reliable, satellite data, provide comprehensive information that are needed for effective and holistic decision making and planning.

This project seeks to develop innovative decision support system (DSS) or tools to help address uncertainty in crop production as well as serve as "smart tool" in understanding and eventually draw solution to the effects of climate change on crop production. The project proposed to capitalize on the availability of satellite data from the Internet and from PAGASA. Using RS-GIS technologies coupled with crop-weather modeling system, these satellite imageries will be translated into useful information that may serve as decision support tools and/or guide to farmers to increase their productivity and improve agricultural practices; and to policy makers to protect and optimize the use of resources.

To provide easy access to satellite data, the project will develop an environment-monitoring laboratory dedicated for downloading and processing of satellite data. It will also create a WebGIS platform to interconnect partner SCUs and other government agencies. Thisweb-based interface will serve as a platform for delivering geospatial data and timely information needed in addressing climate change impacts and for managing seasonal agricultural activities. Uploaded information such as weather advisories and crop related information that are useful to the farmers in their crop cultural management or daily decision making will be disseminated through information education campaign and broadcast media.

Objectives

To achieve these, the project will address two components namely: 1) capability building on the utilization of global position system (GPS), geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) tools and 2) development of decision support system (DSS) for improved agricultural productivity and governance.

Specifically, project component 1 aims to:

• develop an environmental monitoring laboratory equipped with an advanced computer system, state-of-the-art laboratory and field equipment, dedicated internet facilities for downloading, processing and analyzing and sharing data and information to other State Colleges and Universities (SCUs) and agencies;
• conduct science and technology cooperation between State Colleges and Universities and selected government agencies in the Philippines through capacity building training on the utilization of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), global positioning systems (GPS), as well as systems analysis modeling on soil and water for environmental sustainability and food security;
• conduct joint case studies among trainees and trainers on the use and applications of GPS-GIS-RS tools on specific mutual area of interest, specifically on crop-weather forecasting, watershed hydrologic modeling and vulnerability due to climate change with the ultimate goal of promoting precision farming in the countryside; and
• implement a two-day symposium to culminate the output of each trainee and the project

On the other hand, project component 2 aims to continually conduct and develop Decision Support Systems (DSS). Specifically, it aims to:

• develop an interoperable, open source webGIS-based integrated climate change information system for agriculture, forestry and natural resources sectors as an intelligent decision support system;
• gather, digitize, and build wealth of geo-referenced data from the different component studies of this project including data from completed and/or on-going researches of participating SCUs and studies on the adaptation, mitigation measures, best practices, and impacts of climate change, as well as from other local and worldwide network partners and upload such in the webGIS to provide rapid communication of data and information among and between participating agencies;
• develop tools and methods of promoting precision farming and smart agriculture which will include but not limited to the following:
  1. development of drought early detection system and agricultural drought indices using remotely sensed data;
  2. development of yield forecasting model for selected rice-based cropping system using MODIS through data assimilation to improve understanding on crop productivity and governance;
  3. simulation of potential yield and yield gap analysis of selected rice-based crop using the DSSAT model: A basis for addressing production constraints;
  4. development of potential fishing grounds in the Philippines using MODIS data;
  5. development of dynamic cropping calendar, local farm weather advisories and information bulletin; and
• package and disseminate useful information including regular weather and farm advisories to target clienteles using various innovative IEC approaches; and
• work with external experts to ensure that up-to-date developments and new technologies in RS and related science are incorporated in the work.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

• Functional environmental monitoring laboratory that cater the needs of the province and the region for geospatial information;
• Well-trained professionals on GIS, RS and GPS tools including crop-weather models through a joint three-weeks training at MMSU;
• In placed WebGIS facilities that disseminate technologies generated to interested clients
• Archival of satellite data for various applications;
• Functional yield forecasting model for rice and other rice-based crops;
• Drought and flood index maps;
• Improved policies and institution for sustainable rainfed ecosystem; and
• Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials