Komunidad shared how climate technology has helped local governments and the private sector in their disaster preparedness and how they have benefited from their investment in innovation.
Komunidad co-founder Felix Ayque sat as one of the two speakers in the event, where he focused his discussion on “Localizing Climate Resilience and Sustainability Initiatives,” where he shared how climate technology has helped local government units, a school with campuses in different locations, and private companies in their disaster preparedness and operations.
The OML Legacy Lectures for 2023, themed “Rising: The Future of Climate and Business” gave focus on climate risks and opportunities, and how these affect the private sector. It highlighted the significance of climate sciences in immediate, medium-term, and longer-term business decision-making, particularly through the lens of physical risk assessments and climate scenario analyses.
“Organizations are now adopting a data-driven and digital approach not just for operational efficiency, safety and compliance but also to gain a ‘hero perspective’ where they bring positive impact to their people and the planet,” Ayque said in his talk.
But he stressed that a digital approach requires access to and understanding of data, which may be available to national agencies, national and local governments, and weather and climate models such as Komunidad. But some of these data may be structured, while others are unstructured, making it more challenging to use and analyze.
Technology can help, but Ayque stressed that “it requires big effort to make data inclusive and useful to industries.”
One of the stories Ayque shared is Komunidad’s iRISE-UP (Intelligent and Integrated Systems for the Urban Population), which the start-up developed for the Quezon City local government.
This project, which went on to win an award, allowed the Quezon City local government to efficiently service its 142 barangays through iRISE UP, which features local and nationwide analysis, enhanced disaster preparedness, and climate change awareness.
The dashboard can show real-time information on rain, temperature, heat index, wind speed, wind gust, and wind direction within the Quezon City jurisdiction and other areas in the country. It can also show hazards map on earthquake-induced landslides and flood susceptibility risk.
The Cavite State University, which has several campuses scattered across the province, also availed of Komunidad’s services. This resulted in the creation of DIWA (Disaster Intelligence and Warning Alerting Center) that allows the university management to monitor weather conditions, as well as disaster risk, in its different campuses.
Komunidad also built Tech4ED (Technology Empowerment for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development) for the province of Camarines Sur. Coastal communities can check the dashboard, which also features recommended actions such as whether it is safe to sail.
Komunidad has also recently partnered with ARISE Philippines, allowing the latter’s member companies to have access to the Climate Action Center and the Sustainability Suite. Through this, companies can track their carbon emissions, and the technology can also draw up its sustainability report.
Meanwhile, other local government units have also sought the services of Komunidad, which allowed them to power their own disaster risk reduction and management offices.
Ayque’s talk was preceded by James McMahon, CEO of The Climate Service, where his discussion focused on physical risk assessments and climate scenario analysis as invaluable tools for the future of businesses.
The OML lectures for 2023 targeted micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which have largely been left out of climate action and risk reduction discussions. But larger companies can also benefit from the conversations, as climate change impacts all stakeholders.
