Quezon City, Ph -- On 08 September 2023, the Meteorological Data Acquisition Stations for Information Dissemination (MASID) team of the Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) launched the PhilSensors application to expand services available on their website.
“What pushed the development of the app is the ease-of-use for end-users,” MASID visualization team lead Jeanette Carlos said. With the app, it’s now easy for the users to check the rainfall and water level conditions of their destinations. This is also helpful for rescuers and local disaster risk reduction management officers to see what the situation is in certain areas during disasters.
(From left) Search view, station details view, and expanded view interfaces of the PhilSensors app
Features of the app include searching specific and nearby sensors/stations (collectively known as PhilSensors); as well as viewing map layers such as rainfall, water level, wind, air temperature, and air pressure data. Users can also manage their favorite PhilSensors and have notifications sent to their phones for events like heavy rains, high temperatures, and changes in water levels.
(From left) Rain, air temperature, and water level view selections are easily filtered on the map
“The team is highly incorporating user suggestions to the continuous development of the app,” main developer Albert Francisco said in an interview. “We’re also gearing towards integrating artificial intelligence (AI) analytics in the future to discover insights, new patterns, and relationships in sensor data,” he added.
Features available on the app have also been applied to the website, creating a more seamless multiple-device experience for long-term organizational partners and new users.
This release is currently only available for Android users on the Google Play Store, but Apple users can look out for a potential iOS launch soon.
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About the PhilSensors
Since 2010, DOST-ASTI’s local experts developed a system of hydrometeorological and early warning stations collectively known as PhilSensors. Over 2,000 PhilSensors were strategically deployed nationwide in vulnerable calamity areas, contributing to providing remote data for weather forecasting, flood monitoring, and agrometeorology. Data collected from these PhilSensors are recorded near-to-real time on the PhilSensors website and app for public use.