Philippine-made MOSES Tablet for DOST Project NOAH

When the weather remains to be unpredictable, there is no other way but to apply the most sophisticated scientific tool to mitigate, if not prevent, the negative impact of typhoons, floods, tsunamis and even volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

This is the reason why the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) has come up with a tablet device aptly called MOSES or Mobile Operational System for Emergency Services.

DOST MOSES tablet for Project NOAH

MOSES is a tablet capable of receiving real-time weather and flood information reports from DOST’s Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Project NOAH that local officials, down to the barangay level, can access for accurate decision-making eventually to prevent massive destruction and casualties.

The 8-inch mobile tablet is designed locally with assembled chipset and circuit boards to ensure the availability of spare parts as well as service support. It has a dual SIM function, television, and radio component and is packaged in a rugged shell with a long-life battery that can last up to three days. 

MOSES also provides Doppler radar sensor data, water level sensor data and measurements culled from gauges strategically located in different high-risk areas. Also available in the tablet is a hazard map that is updated in real time.

The tablet also comes with other disaster prevention apps like the Arko, which gives historic flood data on the areas in Metro Manila that can be used to predict the level of floods in several areas in the nation, Project NOAH, and the Flood Patrol.

It allows its user to take pictures of calamities and its effects such as flooded areas, fires, and landslides. The pictures are then uploaded and sent to the command center via 3G or Wifi. Photos of specific locations such as schools, houses, and hospitals can also be taken and sent immediately for reporting.

The photos will help pinpoint the location of search-and-rescue facilities, as well as blocked access routes and emergency access routes, giving visually accurate information on the situation in each barangay. The central command center can then send messages containing advisories or warnings back to the barangays. 

DOST aims to provide the 42,028 barangays with this tablets. For the pilot test, 1,000 units are expected to be distributed to different barangays in Metro Manila.

So if Moses could wave his staff and part the Red Sea, MOSES may be the answer to scientifically managing disasters and allow us to rise above the floods.

Source: 

DOST

GMA Network

Photo Credit:

bp.blogspot.com