DOST-ASTI & UP Mindanao advance AI, Remote Sensing Innovations in 2nd SkAI-Pinas Congress
Davao City, PH — The durian capital of the Philippines recently served as the epicenter of AI innovation, hosting the Philippine Sky Artificial Intelligence 2nd Program-wide Congress on 14 June 2023 at Acacia Hotel, Davao City.
DOST-ASTI Director Dr. de Leon and SkAI-Pinas Program Leader Dr. Rubrico with Engr. Bianca Marie B. Domingo and Ms. May-Rose B. Pariñas representing DOST PCIEERD-Emerging Technology Development Division. The program ended with a closing address delivered by Ms. Pariñas on behalf of Ms. Edna C. Nacianceno, Chief, PCIEERD-ETDD, who reiterated the program's sustainable framework, which aspires to develop applications that address critical challenges across various sectors. The congress concluded with an affirmation to remain steadfast towards the vision of SkAI-Pinas Program.
This seminal gathering of the country's brilliant minds in AI and space technologies showcased the Philippines' commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies to address pressing issues like climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The SkAI-Pinas program, a flagship AI initiative of DOST, is focused on advancing AI in relation to remote sensing. Program leader and Balik Scientist Dr. Jose Ildefonso U. Rubrico chronicled the program's journey and successes in his welcome remarks, including the acquisition of high-performance computers and annotation of over 3 million objects from a million remote sensing images. DOST-ASTI Director and ASTI-Automated Labeling Machine (ASTI-ALaM) Project Leader, Dr. Franz A. de Leon, emphasized the need to harness AI and satellite technology for nation-building.
"Our goal with the ASTI-ALaM project is to develop an optimized workflow for creating machine learning and neural network-based models. This is a significant step towards maximizing the use of our country's massive volume of archived remote sensing datasets," he said.
A unified front for AI and Remote Sensing Innovation: DOST-ASTI Director Dr. de Leon and SkAI-Pinas Program Leader Dr. Rubrico, with PhilSA Director-General Dr. Marciano Jr.
Taking AI's potential to new heights, literally, Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr., Director-General of the Philippine Space Agency, discussed the significant economic contribution of space activities in the nation's emerging economy in his plenary presentation. He drew attention to the critical role that AI can play in strengthening the space value chain—an endeavor that could unlock untapped economic benefits for the Philippines.
This groundbreaking congress is pivotal in the Philippines' roadmap to modernization, leveraging AI to mitigate environmental risks, and propelling an emergent space economy. It likewise underscores that AI is not just an abstract concept—it is a tangible asset that can drive national growth and resilience.