GIS to be set up province-wide

CEBU, Philippines — A Geographic Information System (GIS) will be put up in the Province of Cebu after the Provincial Board has approved a resolution authorizing the governor to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the towns and cities.

A GIS is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographic data. This innovation is eyed to be used in the formulation of each town or city’s respective Climate Change Adaptation Management and Contingency Plan as well as other provincial and municipal development plans.

Stated in the MOA is the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) intends to support the local government units (LGUs) to acquire GIS license software and computer sets for the establishment of GIS-based DRR-CCA information management system specifically in developing hazard, risk and vulnerability maps as reference in local planning processes.

The Capitol will have to spend for the acquisition of the software and hardware needed for the realization of the plans, mobilize the LGUs to attend to the GIS training, assign a PDRRMO personnel to provide overall assistance relative to the project, and monitor the use of the GIS software.

Meanwhile, each LGU shall nominate and send one of the Local DRRM Officer (LDRRMO) to attend the training and provide their own hardware which will be used in their respective offices.

The draft MOA was endorsed by the PDRRMO to the Provincial Legal Office (PLO) in February for review.

Early this April, the PLO released its reply stating that the MOA was already “sufficient in form and substance and is not contrary to any existing law and other government rules and regulation.”

The date of the MOA signing is still to be finalized. (FREEMAN)