The Phil-LiDAR 1 Program, an expansion of the DREAM Program, aims to produce 3-D flood and hazard

maps for the 2/3 of the Philippine river systems. Aside from addressing disaster risk reduction and climate
change adaptation, the resource information to be generated from this project will also be useful in
providing the information requirements of various sectors in the country.

In recent years, earth surface height data has become a vital component of many geospatial-planning
strategies and is widely used by government agencies and the commercial sector for a variety of
applications from flood risk modeling to urban development. The emergence of new spatial data
acquisition systems such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) present complementary or even
alternative solutions to the acquisition of spatial information unanswered by existing technologies such as
aerial photography or satellite imagery. The coverage and accuracy of topographic data extracted by
these systems, complemented by the features detected by an onboard digital aerial camera, provides rich
information that would greatly benefit agencies using spatial data.

Before such data could be utilized, the raw data collected from the LiDAR and SAR would need to
undergo various processing steps to obtain information that are critical input to the calibration and
validation of flood models for the Philippine river basins. The enormous amount of LiDAR data should be
filtered using various types of filters to extract the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) from the Digital Surface
Model (DSM). The DTM is the boundary surface between the solid ground and the air, which is also the
surface of superficial water run-off. This is the surface needed to model the geometry of the watershed
and the floodplain. The DSM will be used in presenting the impact of flooding to man-made and natural
features on the floodplain. Features significant to flood modeling and flood impact assessment such as
buildings, forest cover, road and river network will also be extracted.

The ongoing DOST-GIA Nationwide DREAM Program currently has covered only 1/3 of the total area of
Philippine river systems, equivalent to 100,000 sq.km., or 18 major river basins. The Phil-LiDAR 1
program aims to cover the remaining 2/3 of river systems in the country by tapping state universities and
colleges (SUCs) and private higher education institutions (HEIs) nationwide in the processing, validation,
and modeling of the acquired LiDAR data.

Lidar 2
The Phil-LiDAR 2 Program aims to produce detailed resource maps using LiDAR for various applications:

production of high value crops

irrigation assessment

aquaculture production

forest protection

discovery of renewable energy sources

The accuracy of LiDAR technology is evident and acknowledged by government agencies and the
commercial sector. Thus, the need for precise and accurate extraction of data as a baseline for mapping
high value crops in Mindanao, coconut farms in Quezon province and other areas, and the construction of
optimally effective irrigation systems in agricultural lands, among others, is vital. Outputs of the PhilLiDAR 2 Project will provide more reliable information for decision-making regarding crop vegetation. This
will also offer new windows of opportunity for future research and development related with crops. LiDAR
data is especially important in constructing optimally-located farm-to-market roads to reliably and
efficiently transport fruit and vegetable crops to metropolitan and urban areas.
In addition, the much-needed LiDAR information can aid in producing an accurate inventory of trees in the
Philippines. Our forests can then have the potential to be characterized and analyzed in terms of forest
structure. LiDAR technology can result in having individual tree assessments, and as a whole, determine
the canopy surface and canopy interior of forests, which can benefit research in our forests ecology,
wildlife habitat, and biomass. This can contribute to more rigorous and constructive policy-making
regarding forest resources, leading to the proper management of our national forest reserves and ecoparks, primary and secondary forests, tree plantations, watersheds, forest lands owned by indigenous
groups, as well as mangroves in coastal areas. Forest fires can be prepared for with LiDAR data usage in
generating fire behavior and fuel models depending on the type of trees or canopy fuel loads. With
LiDAR, we can properly monitor forest growth and reduction, and even fuel accumulation and carbon
sequestration in the future with its regular application.

Meanwhile, LiDAR technology addresses the issues prevalent in the placement of solar photovoltaic
systems on rooftops and in solar farms. Through the use of LiDAR data, we will be able to determine the
appropriate rooftops and buildings on which to place solar panels with the highest potential for solar
energy absorption and to optimally determine shading losses, based on the shadows from surrounding
infrastructure and vegetation.
In the future, LiDAR can also assist in wind flow modelling and the pre-construction design for wind farms.
LiDAR has the capacity to be a useful laser-based wind profiler device for wind speed measurement and
directional data capture, as a tool for resource assessment. LiDARs remote sensing technology can be
utilized for wind mapping applications in the years to come.

OUR VISION
We DREAM of resilient Filipino communities enabled to rise above any disaster and environment-related
challenge, with the capacity for continuous development.

OUR MISSION
To be proactive in providing Filipino communities with science-based information in an era of a rapidly
changing environment, through the use of state-of-the-art technologies backed by skilled, committed, and
driven Filipino workforce.