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The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, facing frequent typhoons, floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, and droughts. The country also ranks among the top three countries in the world for population exposure and vulnerability to hazards.

ICT4D can play a vital role in enhancing disaster preparedness and response in the Philippines by providing timely and accurate information, facilitating communication and coordination among stakeholders, supporting early warning systems and risk assessment, enabling remote sensing and mapping of affected areas, improving logistics and supply chain management, empowering local communities and enhancing resilience.

How Phillipines Uses ICT4D in Disaster Risk Reduction

Seven examples of ICT4D initiatives that have been implemented or proposed in the Philippines for disaster preparedness and response are:

1. DATOS uses earth observation satellite images and artificial intelligence to produce and communicate relevant disaster information to government agencies and key end-users to complement disaster risk reduction initiatives.
2. DOST Geohazard Mapping, are earthquake- and volcano-related maps for use in Google Earth developed by the Department of Science and Technology that aim to increase the accessibility of crucial environmental and risk information for Filipinos online.
3. GeoMapperPH serves as a platform for national government agencies, local government units, and non-government organizations to access, utilize, and contribute data on hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and coping capacity to support the decision-making process before, during, and after disasters.
4. HazzardHunterPH, is the country’s one-stop shop for hazard assessment with precise location data on seismic, volcanic, or flooding hazards to support communities in their disaster risk reduction activities.
5. Project Agos, a collaborative platform that that combines top down government action with bottom up online volunteers to crowdsource critical information such as reports of damage or needs during disasters and help communities adapt to climate change, and become better prepared for disaster mitigation, response, and recovery.
6. Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), is the Philippines’ primary disaster risk reduction and management program.  It’s a mobile application and web-based platform that provides real-time data on weather, rainfall, water level, flood maps, landslide susceptibility maps, storm surge maps, etc. to help communities prepare for disasters.
7. TWES (Tsunami Early Warning System), is a network of remote Internet of Things sensors that monitors all potential tsunami events that may affect the Philippines, calculates expected wavelengths and arrival times at certain forecast points, and delivers tsunami advisories and warnings.

These are just some of the ways ICT4D can help improve disaster preparedness and response in the Philippines. However, digital tools must be paired with proper information dissemination for successful citizen disaster risk reduction.

The Phillipines combines these digital development solutions with learning programs and international days for disaster risk reduction. Various government agencies and non-government organizations regularly engage Filipinos and ensure that they are able to respond for their own safety.

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