The Geographic Information Systems Research and Development Hub (GIS-RDH) of the DRM Unit seeks to acquire a respectful status within the Philippines as a credible research center specialized in DRM. The center aims to establish a geospatially-centered research environment and providing world-class knowledge and expertise for disaster research. The center serves as a synergetic avenue for the pursuit of excellence in research, education, and services in geographic information technologies.
The Center encourages research related to spatial technologies by conducting studies using GIS and related applications. The Center seeks to organize research events such as international conferences, workshops, seminars, and symposiums, among others. The Center encourages and promotes research papers and research projects and development in the GIS fields. The Center focuses and conducts various interdisciplinary research projects and applications. Examples of some research projects are listed below:
GIS Based Strategy for Economic and Social Recovery of Selected Flood-affected Areas in Punjab, Pakistan: A Case of Lahore, Pakistan Comparing with Quezon City Philippines
Climate-Related Disasters Challenges for Sustainable Development: Innovating a Science and Policy Framework towards Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Quezon City, Philippines
Authors: Tabassam Raza1, 2, Andrea Valentine L. Andres3, Jun T. Castro4, Vincent G. Vinarao3, Frederika C. Rentoy3, Thess Khas S. Raza3, and Tariq Siddiqui1
1 Disaster Risk Management Unit, Graduate School of Business, Philippine School of Business Administration, Manila, Philippines
2 U.P. Planning and Development Research Foundation, Inc. Quezon City, Philippines
3 Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department, Quezon City Government, Philippines
4 School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines
Summary: The extreme weather event Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, on November 8, 2013. It served as a wake-up call for urgent action by the Philippines and other Island-States to mainstream Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) interventions. In addition, cities in Southeast Asian Archipelagos (Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have distorted the natural environment by haphazardly constructing roads, buildings, and other infrastructures.
Such massive changes in the environment are altering the ecology, creating sustainable development challenges such as local flooding that cause physical and psychological illnesses to those affected. Although there is an empirical understating of the linkages between Climate Change (CC) and Sustainable Development (SD), the bulk of current research is about scientists and policy-makers developing innovative bottom-up approach building on increasing local challenges about climate change and how to prevent such concerns and make urban areas and Island-States sustainably develop and Climate Change (CC) resilient.
It further explore on how to mainstream CCAM at very early stages of development planning. Thus, to achieve these objectives, the Quezon City Local Government (QCLG) took an initiative to craft a Science and Policy Framework (SPF) in order to formulate its development sectoral-based CC Action Plan that can be mainstreamed in its comprehensive development plan. It was done by operationalizing the 4th of eight Guideposts of an existing Risk-Sensitive Comprehensive Land Use and Development Planning (RSCLUDP) Model, which consists of step-by-step technical procedures on how to develop the outline of the SPF and conduct periodic strategic planning workshops using gender-sensitive participatory process.
Thus, the SPF, as an innovative risk assessment approach, was applied in generating primary data about hazards characterization, exposure to elements at risk, and threat levels. Essentially, it allowed to assess impacts of climate-related events/hazards (Extreme Weather Events, Change in Rain Patterns, and Rise in Mean Temperature in context of Quezon City) on five local development sectors: Social, Economic, Environmental, Land Use/Infrastructure, and Institutional; intersecting with seven CC priority areas: Food Security, Water Sufficiency, Ecological Environmental Stability, Human Security, Climate-Smart Industries and Services, Sustainable Energy, and Knowledge and Capacity Development; aligned with the Philippine National Framework Strategy on Climate Change 2010-2022.
In addition, Geographic Information System (GIS) was also used to process acquired pertinent data to analyze climate projections and develop spatial strategies for decision making. The application of SPF revealed among other the QC personnel and institutional adaptive capacities, threat level of CC- related hazards on development sectors and institutional and personnel relative vulnerabilities. These findings allowed QCLG to develop sectoral Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) 2017-2027 to mainstream CC Adaptation (CCA) at very early stages of development planning. The SPF and Action Plan are flexible and fashioned toward enhancing key development sectors in order to create sustainable and CCA-resilient Cities. They can be globally-effective tools for achieving the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and targets of the Sendai Framework.
Use of Satellite-based Information and Geographic Information System for Geo-referencing of Thematic Maps: Applications for Risk-sensitive Land Use Planning and Emergency Escape Route Planning in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal
Authors: Dr. Tabassam Raza and Dr. Leigh G. Lingad
Summary: This project shows a well ordered method in recognizing and adjusting a projection/coordinate system of shapefiles with practically zero metadata utilizing satellite information. It likewise expects to apply a created method to accomplish facilitate adjustment to the system’s parameters for higher projection and coordinate system precision utilizing ArcMap’s Affine Transformation device. To exhibit the materialness of the proposed strategy, cases on the most proficient method to incorporate satellite and GIS-based information in Risk-Sensitive Land Use (RSLU) planning and Emergency Escape Route (EER) planning, are introduced.
Mainstreaming DRR in Cantonment Physical and Development / Redevelopment Planning Framework; Case Studies of Attok, Wah, and Rawalpindi Cantonments
External Review Identifying Gaps in Disaster Risk Reduction Management Approach in Mindanao River Basin Integrated Management and Development Master Plan and Corresponding Recommendations
Author: Dr. Tabassam Raza
Summary: The Mindanao River Basin (MRB), with an aggregate catchment territory of 21,503km² situated in focal and southern part of Mindanao, is the second biggest river basin in the Philippines. Inferable from its vital area, the basin gives water assets basic to the social and economic improvement in the basin, as well as to the entire island of Mindanao. Extreme and steady flooding has interrupted social and economic activities, and has incurred harm to lives and livelihood – particularly yields and domesticated animals. Along these lines, the primary goal of the Project is to figure a MRB-IMDMP reliable with national improvement destinations and sound water assets advancement and administration rehearses. In the review, Dr. Raza evaluated the Integrated Management and Development Master Plan of the Mindanao River Basin in order to suggest solutions and improvements to the implementation of the plan.
