| THE IBM International Foundation, through IBM Philippines, gave the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) a grant that will hopefully make the council better prepared in coping with many disasters that occur in the country, especially during the rainy season when devastating typhoons and landslides tend to claim the lives of many Filipinos.
The grant has a market value of $54,207 and with a cash component of $24,190. It will serve as support for the collaboration among the NDCC, the Office of Civil Defense and IBM Philippines on the ERN Sahana Philippines project.
The project involves the use of “Sahana,” a free and open-source disaster management application, and IBM’s Emergency Response Networks (ERN) solution for disaster preparedness and response in the Philippines.
“Sahana” is Sinhalese that means “relief.” It is also the name of a free and open-source disaster management system developed in Sri Lanka by an open source community called Lanka Software Foundation, with a little help from IBM, in the aftermath of the tsunami that wreaked havoc in Asia in December 2004.
The project’s overall objective is to facilitate real-time coordination and information exchange between NDCC member-agencies, local government units’ disaster coordinating councils, private sector and civil society during disasters.
Its other objectives include adding mobile wireless computing and connectivity that can be deployed instantly and repeatedly even in the most remote areas of the country, and also as support for the field-based use of the Sahana Disaster Management System in order for disaster managers to effectively manage large-scale disasters.
The grant is very timely, according to the Department of National Defense and NDCC chairman Hermogenes Ebdane, as the agency continues in its efforts to strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness and the agency’s capabilities in responding to these disasters.
“This is definitely a good sign in our efforts to further prevent the unnecessary loss of life during disasters,” said Ebdane. “This way, we could also help the community to prevent the biggest disaster of all, which is ignorance. With the generosity of our partners, we hope to get the job done and be able to do that job well.”
The noncash component of the grant, says IBM Philippines country general manager, James Velasquez, consists of an ERN Sahana GO Kit. This consists of two Lenovo laptop computers with the latest version of Sahana, a wireless router, a BGAN satellite antenna with Inmarsat BGAN terminal, two Skype phones for Internet telephony, a satellite phone with GSM, a printer, battery, and a power kit that includes a 1,000-watt solar panel or solar blanket with a rechargeable battery pack.
The cash component, on the other hand, will be for the purchase of satellite time from a commercial provider, plus monthly subscription charges for the next 12 months The money will also be used to train NDCC personnel on the use of Sahana, as well as a workshop to be held this year or early next year to evaluate the use of Sahana and ERN among NDCC member-agencies.
“This project is a testament of our commitment in helping prepare the country’s disaster management capabilities,” Velasquez said. “At the end of 12 months, we will evaluate the project. I believe that there is a strong possibility that this would continue.”
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