Quezon City, Ph – The Synthetic Aperture Radar and Automatic Identification System for Innovative Terrestrial Monitoring and Maritime Surveillance (SARwAIS) Project has recently conducted its 2nd iteration of the project’s webinar series, now with its partner government agencies.

As part of the Department of Science and Technology’s mission to advance the adoption of space science technology and innovation through the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Remote Sensing (RS), and Data Science, the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) has initiated information, education, and communication campaigns through the SARwAIS Project. These partnerships have not only strengthened project collaborations but have also yielded meaningful outcomes and sustainable outputs since their establishment.

Since its inception, part of the SARwAIS Project’s mission has been to foster sustainable collaboration and showcase exemplary practices in agency partnerships. Hence, the second part of its webinar series is designed to highlight the impactful ways in which the SARwAIS Project has contributed to the initiatives of our partner Government Agencies.

In his opening remarks, DOST-ASTI Director Dr. Franz A. De Leon emphasized the powerful impact of partnerships and collaborations among government agencies in the Philippines, and how these cohesive efforts are instrumental in propelling the nation's development, particularly in the field of research and development.

“Partnerships like these have a significant—if not substantial-- ripple effect. They provide students, professionals, and researchers with the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning activities, inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, policymakers, and industry leaders,” he said.

The webinar series was attended by project managers and leaders from SARwAIS’ partner agencies. Guest speakers were:

· Ms. Joyce Anne Marie Ruiz of the Philippine Statistics Authority
· Engr. Jay-ar Torres of the Sugar Regulatory Administration
· Engr. Kim Mercado of the Laguna Lake Development Authority
· Engr. Marck Rivera of the Department of Transportation
· Engr. Piere Luya of the DOST-PHIVOLCS

“In fostering these relationships and synergies, we are not just developing cutting-edge technologies, we are nurturing the development of our nation."

The impacts of these partnerships extend beyond scientific advancement, because like right now, they are a testament to what we can achieve when we work together, ended Dr. De Leon as he expressed his gratitude to the guest speakers as well as to the agencies they represented.

What We Do in SARwAIS

Since the beginning of the SARwAIS Project in 2018, our researchers at DOST-ASTI have been working closely with our partners from the UK-based company, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, to maximize the Philippines’s 10% share of imaging capacity from the NovaSAR-1 satellite. With its capabilities of all-day, and all-weather imaging, on top of simultaneous ship detection, the satellite enables us to explore different research areas on terrestrial and maritime monitoring.

And of course, we are always at the forefront whenever disasters occur, be that flooding, landslides, volcanic eruption, or earthquakes, we monitor all these things from space. We have also used NovaSAR-1 satellite data to map out aquaculture, forestry, agriculture, and infrastructure with the help of artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and GIS. We have also used it to protect our sovereignty through ship detection and SAR imaging.

We are able to do all of this because of the coordinated efforts of past and current engineers, scientists, and researchers of the SARwAIS Project.