NEDA Regional Office VIII recently concluded a QGIS (Quantum Geographic Information System) Online Training for select staff of the Province of Samar on 23 October 2020.

The training was in preparation for the updating of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA)-enhanced Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) of Samar Province which is due to be updated in 2021.

Meanwhile, the SPFSP, a partnership between the Philippine Government and the Mashav, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, aims to increase farmers’ income by improving the productivity of rainfed areas by at least 20 percent. It is designed to establish solar-powered pump irrigation systems that features cost-efficient fertilization and irrigation.

Consisting of five (5) modules which cover the basics of the QGIS system from the software interface to map lay outing, the training is expected to equip the participants with the basic and required GIS skills in preparing thematic and analysis maps for the PDPFP.

Originally scheduled for March 2020, the training had to be reimagined as an online course due to restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The majority of the training tasks were designed to be self-paced and question and answer (Q&A) sessions were conducted twice a week for four (4) weeks from 06 October to 23 October 2020. An advanced version of the training might be held upon request given the significance and interest of the majority of the participants.

Article and Photos by: Knulp Aseo and Jay-ar O. Ragub, NEDA VIII