DOST space tech team bags international plum

MANILA, Philippines — A space technology team from the Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) recently bagged an award at the 2nd Hitachi Global Foundation’s Asia Innovation Award 2021.

The DOST-ASTI team led by engineer Roel Mallari dela Cruz won an “Encouragement Award,” one of the eight research and development (R&D) teams.

Dela Cruz submitted a research titled “Space-based management and monitoring system for watershed protection,” which aims to develop a satellite-based monitoring system for forest and watershed resource management that will enable access to innovation on technologies through remote sensing and geospatial analysis.

Under the research, the DOST-ASTI worked with partner-agencies for data-gathering, data-sharing, strategic assessment, mapping initiatives, and forest and watershed preservation.

The project seeks to integrate hazard maps and earth observation data appropriate for forest and watershed monitoring as well as aquaculture mapping such as fishponds, fish cages, fish pens, seaweed, oyster/mussels farm site management employing remote sensing and geospatial analysis.

Another Filipino “Encouragement Award” awardee was professor Virginia Castillo Cuevas of the University of the Philippines - Los Baños Institute of Biological Sciences for her research titled “Trichoderma technology for sustainable agriculture.”

The winner of the Best Innovation Award was Vietnamese researcher Thuy Phuong Thi Pham of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology for her research titled “A novel biosensing system for rapid estimation of BOD5 and sensitive detection of toxicity in water (BODTOX).”

The Hitachi Global Foundation started the Asia Innovation Awards in its aim to recognize individuals and groups that undeniably served public interest through their outstanding achievements in R&D in the fields of science and technology, including their visions of an ideal future society and social implementation plans for R&D as a means of achieving the sustainable development goals.