DOST, PGIS, PHILVOCS ENHANCES DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, ASSESSMENT THROUGH DRONE OPERATIONS WITH REDAS TRAINING IN ILOCOS SUR
VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur — The Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur (PGIS), in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology Ilocos Region (DOST Ilocos Region), and DOST PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) kicked off the four-day capacity building initiative titled “REDAS Training on Exposure Data Collection and Processing Using Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) for Earthquake and Tsunami Impact Assessment” here today.
In her message, DOST Ilocos Region Director Teresita A. Tabaog, emphasized that equipping disaster preparedness and assessment of LGUs thru trainings such as this strengthens capability which ensuring lesser disaster impact while utilizing modern technologies such as drones. She added that these initiatives brought by DOST stands with its battlecry of “Agham na Ramdam” in the communities.
Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (LDRRMO) of the Province of Ilocos Sur, together with personnel from the DOST participated in the training.
Central to the training is the Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS), a specialized software platform developed by Dr. Bartolome C. Bautista, former Deputy Director of DOST PHIVOLCS. It is a platform designed to enable local planners to model potential impacts from multiple hazards—including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, severe winds, and agricultural crop damages. This is to better inform contingency plans and disaster risk reduction strategies.
This initiative aims to merge modern hardware (drones/RPAs) with scientific analytical software (REDAS) to enhance local disaster risk reduction, management, and emergency response capabilities. It features the hands-on quadcopter drone skills under Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) safety guidelines to map high- risk areas. By feeding aerial imagery into the REDAS, participants learn to simulate multi-hazard impacts—enabling the province to build science-backed contingency plans in RPA Operations and REDAS applications.
Completers will earn formal credentials in both Quadcopter RPA Operations and the REDAS Module. This formal certification recognizing their competency in drone operations and scientific exposure database development will lay a stronger foundation for disaster-resilient communities in Ilocos Sur.
DOST remains driven in its vision of bringing innovation straight to the people wherein stakeholders will not just be preparing for disasters but staying one step ahead of them. (Jean Claire Almosa & Edrussell Castillo)
