Phil-LiDAR Programs hold LiDAR Data Processing Forum

The Disaster Risk Exposure and Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) Program, also known as the Phil-LiDAR 1 Program, together with the Phil-LiDAR 2 Program representatives, met with its partners State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the LiDAR Processing Forum held on March 30, 2015 in the Audio-Visual Room (AVR) of the National Engineering Center (NEC) in the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD), Quezon City.

Nearly 60 delegates from the partner SUCs and HEIs attended the said event, presenting their concerns, proposed solutions, and best practices in the areas of data quality and workflows. In addition, issues regarding LiDAR data area coverage, point cloud classification, necessary toolbars, ortho-imaging, weekly submissions of the SUCs/ HEIs, flood plain delineation, HMS calibration output, distribution of buffered boundaries of LiDAR and SAR data, and other concerns were raised, particularly within the specific experiences of each SUC and HEI. These issues were drawn out into discussions and resolved, providing potential and concrete solutions to the problems encountered. Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, Program Leader of the Nationwide DREAM Program, opened the LiDAR Processing Forum with welcoming remarks, while Project Leaders, Chief Science Research Specialists, and Supervising Science Research Specialists, among others, were part of the brainstorming efforts to provide effective solutions and explanations to the obstacles encountered by the SUCs/ HEIs.

The Partner SUCs/ HEIs are as follows:

Central Luzon State University (CLSU)

Isabela State University (ISU)

Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU)

University of the Philippines, Los Banos (UPLB)

MAPUA Institute of Technology (MIT)

Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU)

University of the Philippines, Baguio (UPB)

Visayas State University (VSU)

University of San Carlos (USC)

University of the Philippines, Cebu (UPC)

Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU)

University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPM)

Central Mindanao University (CMU)

CARAGA State University (CSU)

Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT)

Within the year, the partner SUCs and HEIs are expected to meet again with the Phil-LiDAR 1 and 2 Programs of UP Diliman, to further increase synergies and better coordinate efforts towards hazard-mapping and resource assessment of the Philippines. The Phil-LiDAR 1 Program is mandated to produce flood hazard maps for the 285 river basins in the Philippines, while the Phil-LiDAR 2 Program has the following components to carry out its required tasks: (1) PARMAP - Agricultural Resources and Facilities Inventory from LiDAR Surveys, (2) CoastMap - Coastal Resources Inventory from LiDAR surveys, (3) FRExLS - Forest Resource Extraction from LiDAR Surveys, (4) PHD - Development of the Philippine Hydrologic Dataset for Watersheds from LiDAR Surveys, and (5) REMaps - Renewable Energy Resource Mapping from LiDAR Surveys.