21 May 2021, MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) officially launched the Intelligent Data Analysis System (IDAS) for drug trafficking investigation in the Philippines.

The DOST-ASTI, in partnership with the DOST - Industrial Technology Development Institute’s Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory (ADMATEL), developed a software system that will be useful in supplementing the current operations of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Called the IDAS Software, this newly developed system is equipped with artificial intelligence and descriptive data analytics capabilities.

The system offers generation of real-time analyses and reports, not just in supplementing drug-trafficking investigations, but also in various applications of multivariate analysis of spectrum datasets. The IDAS software can also be effective in conducting multivariate cluster analysis on chemical fingerprints and the development of kinetic models of stability of materials and substances.

The IDAS software was developed during the implementation of the collaborative project between DOST-ASTI, ADMATEL, and PDEA, which started in January 2019 and concluded in December 2020.

"This pilot research is indeed a demonstration of the team’s expertise and significant role in providing high-quality and accurate [material and substance] testing services in the country,” says DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña in his message during the virtual launch. “Our project proponents, having PDEA’s requirements in mind, developed this system capable of multivariate and cluster analysis of materials or substances that aid in determining its underlying interrelations.”

The DOST-ASTI’s Project Development Team used an agile project management and development methodology, called Scrum, in implementing the software requirements of ADMATEL, such as functionalities on multivariate analysis and chemometrics. This involved a series of cycles of feedback elicitation and implementation between the two agencies. Frequent discussions provided a clearer understanding of what needs to be implemented into the software tool and what needs to be prioritized during the year-long project implementation.

“It is indeed an advanced tool that our partners in PDEA can take advantage of and adopt in their investigative processes,” de la Peña adds.

This one-year partnership of the DOST-ASTI with Dr. Araceli Monsada and her team of chemists and chemical engineers from ADMATEL involved identifying their requirements for the system through Requirements Elicitation and User Experience (UX) workshops. Through these activities, the implemented software system’s design will allow users an easy access to its features.

“DOST envisions itself as the provider of world-class scientific, technological, and innovative solutions, that will lead to higher productivity and better quality of life of the Filipino people,” says DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara. "We never stop searching for solutions. Many projects in DOST, such as IDAS, have thrived meeting its completion despite the challenges in the R&D situation."