Smart cell sites to accommodate more rain gauges

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has renewed its partnership with Smart Communications in a bid to improve the country’s weather monitoring and flood systems.

Officials of DOST-National Capital Region and Smart recently signed a memorandum of agreement providing for the locations of cell sites where additional automated rain gauges (ARGs) will be installed in Metro Manila this year.

The partnership is part of the national flood hazard monitoring and mitigation program of the DOST, which also involves the installation of automated water level monitoring stations (WLMS) in river systems in the country.

Both the rain gauges and river sensors will use the wireless networks of Smart to transmit their sensor readings to the central data base of the DOST at least four times every hour.

“We are very happy to support the government’s efforts to improve the country’s early warning system as this would better prepare us for floods, particularly with the increasing scale and ferocity of weather disturbances,” Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto said.

Based on the data released by the DOST, four additional ARGs and two WLMS – in addition to two tandem installations – will be installed in Metro Manila this year.

Two of the rain gauges will be in Smart cell site locations.

These will enhance the rain and flood monitoring of dozens of similar instruments installed across the country.

According to DOST, computerized flood forecasting models that can predict the impact of rainfall on communities in these major river systems nationwide may be developed using data from these instruments and detailed information that will be gathered through advanced mapping technologies.