UPLB senior science researchers hope Palawan to use LiDAR technology

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=13&rid=771622
• Thursday, June 11, 2015

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), LAP/CARF/RSM]

CORON, Palawan, June 11 (PNA) -- Senior science research specialists from the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) hope local government units (LGUs) in Palawan would take interest in employing the LiDAR or Light Detection and Ranging technology to assess the province's "resources."

This happened during Wednesday's orientation and introduction of the Philippine-LiDAR 2, which aims to produce a detailed map of terrestrial, fluvial and coastal resources.

Attended by various LGU representatives led by the provincial and city governments, research specialists Ozzy Boy Nicopior and Milben Bragais aim to further introduce LiDAR's various applications that can help assess these resources.

They explained that through remote sensing technology, the distance and height of an area can be measured by using laser light that can generate a three-dimensional map that is exact and detailed.

Bragais said LiDAR is a modern technology that started in 2000 and first used in 2011 in relation to Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation or DREAM Program of the national government.

From identifying areas where the potential of floods, landslides, and others can happen, experts see the LiDAR as a tool that can gather data on agriculture and other resources on land, mountains and coastal areas.

LiDAR can identify the locations of rivers, seas, anf lakes. It can also identify coconut plantations, corn fields, cashew trees and more.

Bragais said Phil-LiDAR 2 uses three small aircrafts - Pegasus and Gemini for land, and Aquarius to measure the sizes of corals near the coastlines.

From April to May, aerial scanning of the west and east coasts of Palawan was started. The same for Coron and Tubbataha Natural Marine Park will be next year, on the other hand.

Due to lack of personnel, the research specialists requested for the cooperation of the LGUs to help validate the data from the areal scanning through field monitoring using the GPS, camera and compass.