DOST goes into Web-based GIS, mature technology portal

By Alexander Villafania INQ7.net

THE PHILIPPINE Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development-Department of Science and Technology (PCIERD-DOST) will soon introduce two new projects involving uploading a complete Philippine information map and an online portal for mature Philippine technologies.

PCIERD is hoping to get both projects ready by June this year, in time for National Science and Technology Week celebrations in July.

The first project, the Web-based Geographical Information System (GIS), highlights basic information about particular municipalities in the 17 regions in the Philippines, which could include basic local government data and natural resources.

This project aims to identify areas where resources are underutilized in order for government officers to direct resource management in these areas.

PCIERD executive director Graciano Yumul, Jr. said the GIS project points to regions where there are DOST projects, their description and their commercial viability. For now, the DOST is administering about 10,000 projects, which vary in size.

“The idea is for potential business partners or investors to scout for DOST projects being undertaken in specific regions. This will open new opportunities for our local science and technology entrepreneurs,” Director Yumul said.

He noted that the DOST has been receiving dozens of inquiries from investors or business partners looking for fundable and commercially viable projects in the Philippines. The GIS project is expected to significantly increase the number of queries, and hopefully more partnerships between local businesses.

PCIERD is currently conducting a series of meetings with DOST regional heads to finalize the parameters of standards for digitizing and uploading data.

The second project called the ‘Mature Technologies Portal’ is a compendium of mature technologies, which describes marketable projects, Yumul explained.

The Mature Technologies Portal is part of a series of sectoral technology compendiums and aims to build a comprehensive database of the latest commercially viable programs, mostly funded by the DOST.

Several other DOST agencies will be co-implementing the Mature Technologies Portal project with the PCIERD.

Yumul said that the Web-based GIS project received 440,750 pesos from the DOST. The Mature Technologies Portal received a 20 million peso budget from the e-Government Fund and a counterpart 10- million pesos from the DOST