Capitol receives data for Cebu's digital map

CEBU, Philippines — The geospatial data of the whole Cebu Province, which serves as the foundation for a digital map, has been turned over to the provincial government last week.

This includes the digital elevation model (DEM) at 1-meter resolution, digital surface model (DSM) at 1m resolution and orthophotos at 05m.

The images and information are stored in compact discs. These items were handed over by the developers personally to the governor.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-7 and the University of the Philippines (UP)-Department of Geodetic Engineering conducted the project for a period of six months.

It mapped out the 4.8-square-kilometer land area of the Cebu Province using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), an airborne technology.

High-resolution hazard maps, 3D models, and resource information in the critical river systems of the country can be produced using this technology.

This project has made Cebu the first province in the country to have a complete LiDAR coverage, according to the Provincial Information Office.

The developers said that it can generate a three-dimensional map which has the image of every one square meter of the whole 4,786 square kilometer land area of Cebu Province, including the islands of Bantayan and Camotes.

To cite an example, the map has the image of every tree in Cebu, how big and how tall the tree is.

"At this level, an inventory of natural resources, waterways, and other features could be made and will be useful for planning and the development of local government units (LGUs) in making safe, adaptive, and disaster-resilient communities," read the UP's press release.

The information derived from the maps will be used to refine natural hazard information, particularly on floods and drainage conditions. It is a proactive approach in pursuing initiatives to foster resiliency from natural hazards and calamities

Division Head for Research, Documentation, Statistics, and Planning Emily Lagkrimas said that the geospatial data would be useful to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

She added that the provincial government spent P5 million as a counterpart to the DOST and UP LiDAR project to ensure that the whole province is accounted for in terms of geographical information. —   GAN (FREEMAN)