Vessel overload monitoring device makes it to Smart tilt

MANILA, Philippines - For their entry in this year’s 7th SWEEP Awards, a team from Holy Cross of Davao College has designed a wireless application that can potentially help government agencies monitor and prevent overloading of marine transportation in Davao City.

“Overload Monitoring for Davao City Marine Transportation” is a preventive measure aimed at making sea travel safer. It is being proposed to lessen, if not eliminate, the problem and danger posed by more often than not deliberate overloading of vessels by ship owners in exchange for huge profits.

The team behind the overload monitoring application is the first from Holy Cross of Davao College to qualify in the finals of a SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards, held annually by Smart Communications Inc. as part of its Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP). 

It is a search for the most innovative wireless solutions to address concerns of the community, open to SWEEP partner-schools nationwide.

“We wanted to develop and produce a device to ensure the safety of passengers of inter-island ferries with the involvement of Smart, being the leading communications provider in the country,” said engineer Roumel Faustino, BSECE program head and teacher-mentor of the Holy Cross of Davao team.  

Once it detects overloading in a commercial passenger vessel, the system, which consists of an overload sensor and a microcontroller, will transmit data via SMS to the Philippine Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority, an agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications responsible for integrating the development, promotion and regulation of the maritime industry in the country. 

These are the same agencies the team had to consult with and involve in developing its application.

The application is designed for the use of wharfs in Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal, more specifically the owners of small commercial passenger vessels.

This year’s 7th SWEEP Awards challenged student-teacher teams to design applications based on the theme “Empowering Communities through Wireless Technologies.” 

Out of 133 entries submitted by 26 participating schools, 10 made it to the final round.

“We are overwhelmed and honored to make it to the top 10. But at the same time, we also feel the pressure since this would be the first time that an entry from our school will be competing in the finals. Our school community has high hopes for us, and we should deliver our best,” said Faustino.

The entire team is excited to compete with other big and well-known colleges and universities and to become part of the SWEEP Awards history. 

Team members include fifth year BSCpE students Bobby Jay Carmelotes and Temmie Amarante, who are both in charge of hardware and software development, and Jamaica Angcay, fifth year BSECE, in charge of documentation and research.  

Final judging, which includes an evaluation of the working models and team presentations, is slated on March 9. Cash prizes await the top three winning teams, with corresponding grants awarded to their schools. First prize is P500,000; second prize, P300,000; and third prize, P150,000.

SWEEP is a first of its kind industry-academe partnership launched in 2003 by Smart to help elevate the level of engineering and technology education, particularly in the field of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE).