According to Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) Accident Reporting and Analysis System in 2019, truck accidents comprise 15.33% of total road accidents with 98 deaths in the country.
To help make our roads safer, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) together with the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) and Quicktrans Cargo Moving, Inc. officially inked the research collaboration agreement to develop software and hardware solutions to train Filipino truck drivers using Internet of Things (IoT) on 23 February 23 2020, via a virtual signing ceremony.
As the Philippine economy progressed in the past decade, evidenced by the expansion in the trucking industry, there is also an increase in demand for qualified professional truck drivers and helpers in fleet management and operations.
However, the training of qualified drivers cannot cope with the increasing demand, leaving industries no choice but to accept underqualified and inexperienced drivers which often causes road accidents, costly insurance premiums, and increased risk in trucking operations.
To address these issues, the collaboration underscored the implementation of the project titled ‘Drivers Roadworthiness Improvement Verification Education and Readiness for the Philippine Logistics Industry or DRIVER PH’ which seeks to minimize road accidents by analyzing and evaluating truck drivers’ competence on the road.
The DRIVER PH project will combine information communication technology (ICT) solutions to monitor and record the driving attitude of drivers such as their sudden acceleration, stopping, swerving, and turning. It will also determine the degree of driving knowledge of drivers through a gamified assessment with emphasis on technical driving and vehicle roadworthiness know-how. The gathered data will be sent to a cloud to be processed using artificial intelligence and data analytics. A simplified dashboard that reports the fleet and up to individual driver reports will be accessible through a web and phone app by trucking operators.
DRIVER PH will also have a learning platform that will create suggestions on what to improve, what to maintain in practice, and what other things are needed to be learned as aided by artificial intelligence and data analytics in every trip made.
Engr. Felizardo C. Reyes, DRIVER PH project leader, said that they are currently working on the learning modules, webinars, and other materials for the learning platform. Driving rules and regulations, laws, and road courtesy materials will also be available to allow drivers to learn on their own pace. The platform will also have a special function where operators and company headquarters can supervise the progress of their drivers.
Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, executive director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD as the monitoring agency, said that the potential of this project is limitless. “The same solution can be adopted in different transport sectors such as bus transport, jeepneys, taxis, TNVS, and hopefully even tricycles depending on the result and progress that it will impact in the trucking industry”, he said.
Teddy Gervacio, chief executive officer of Quicktrans Cargo Moving Incorporated, the technology adopter of DRIVER PH, expressed his excitement about the project. “This is the realization of our vision of having more professional truck drivers that will lead to reliable transportation of goods and services,” Gervacio said.
DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara also lauded this initiative and recognized TIP’s endeavors in research and development. “This collaboration is a great initiative given that technology adoption is also underway. This is what we aim in DOST, research turning into something useful and tangible,” Usec. Guevarra expressed.
On the other hand, Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz, president of TIP Philippines, also welcomed the collaboration, hoping for a positive impact on the trucking industry to better improve the economy. She said that these experiential opportunities will further hone the talents of TIP in research and development.
DRIVER PH is a one-year project funded by the DOST-Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE), one of the programs under the Science for Change Program (S4CP), which is being monitored by DOST- PCIEERD to be adopted hereafter by Quicktrans Cargo Moving, Inc. (S&T Media Service)
in Lasam is one of DATBED’s assisted projects.
DOST’s DATBED program boosts agricultural enterprises in the regions
Agriculture is one of the backbones of the Philippine economy and the driver of growth particularly in the regions. To support agricultural enterprises, the Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI) focused its attention to helping particularly the students with entrepreneurial intentions in agriculture through the innovative program called DATBED.
DATBED stands for the DOST-Academe Technology-Based Enterprise Development (DATBED) Program implemented by DOST-TAPI that provides assistance to students who have completed their projects that were assessed to have big market potential.
The DATBED program aims to develop entrepreneurial competencies of students by supporting income-generating projects that are not yet tested in the market but are seen to have high market potential and possess technical viability when commercialized.
“Through this program, we hope to shape the future entrepreneurs with their technology-based enterprises,” said Atty. Marion Ivy D. Decena, Officer-in-Charge of DOST-TAPI.
The program is composed of two stages. Stage I supports income-generating projects that are not yet tested in the market while Stage II provides continued assistance to DATBED Stage I graduate-beneficiaries for the commercialization of their Stage I projects.
To date, there are already 11 completed student projects benefitting from the program. These beneficiaries have successfully implemented their ‘startups’ that promote sustainable farming, improved agricultural productivity, and resourceful agricultural innovations.
Specifically, the projects presented agricultural solutions on manufacturing organic fertilizers, producing mushrooms, processing of cacao to high value products, and reinventing indigenous agricultural materials.
“We have provided comprehensive support requirements to the students in materializing their projects through a form of financial assistance,” said Mylene A. Alano, DATBED program manager.
These agricultural enterprises, mostly from the Cagayan Valley Region, are as follows:
- Organic Fertilizer Manufacture and Marketing
- Organic Banana Fruit Production
- Production of Organic Vegetables using Vermicompost and Citronella in Coconut and Cacao Livestock Integrated Farming System
- Mushroom Production
- Coconut Flour and Virgin Coconut Oil Production
- Feedlot Cattle Production and Marketing
- Processing of Cacao into Tablea, Cocoa Nibs
- Coconut Livestock Integrated Production
- Production of Multi-Purpose Indigenous Electronic LED Lampshade
- Technopreneurship through Production and Nursery Management of Disease-Free Banana Seedlings
- Manufacturing of Togue (Vigna radiate) Fresh Pancit
For more information on the DATBED Guidelines Stage I, please visit this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ofpd0jN9ixGXBLTUiRxjv5T1wIejP70H/view while for more information on the DATBED Guidelines Stage II, please visit this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LhrgQSF4zxwtpx-ZgxYPN4WBgZGo95Dh/view
Please contact 8837 2071 local 2157 or email info@tapi.dost.gov.ph for inquiries. (DOST-TAPI S&T Media Service/Jund Rian A. Doringo)
DOST-XI holds S-PaSS virtual orientation and training in Davao region
The Department of Science and Technology Region XI (DOST-XI) conducted a virtual orientation and training about the S-PaSS recently in Davao region for the deployment of DOST’s online system intended to manage local travels.
The Safe, Swift and Smart Passage or S-PaSS is an innovative travel management system for local travelers who are returning to or visiting different localities. The system can facilitate local travel, enabling the public easy access to information on travel restrictions implemented by different Local Government Units (LGU) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOST Region VI’s Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Unit Head, Ryan Vilmore Dumpit explained the features of S-PaSS and how it could assist the travelers, Local Government Units (LGUs), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and other monitoring agencies. He said the government agencies can do real-time monitoring of all incoming travelers to their localities while travelers can also monitor the travel restrictions and requirements of their intended destination through the system.
On the other hand, Vince Carreon of DOST-VI also presented and explained the demonstration videos on how to create an account and how to use the different features of the system to guide the participants.
The activity was participated by representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government XI (DILG XI), Office of Civil Defense (OCD XI), Police Regional Office XI (PRO XI), Provincial Local Government Units (PLGUs) and Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) units from the region.
Mirasol G. Domingo, DOST-XI Assistant Regional Director (ARD) for Technical Support Services Division (TSSD), said that the innovation, totally different from contracting applications or systems, is one of the opportunities at the back of the pandemic. She added that the orientation and training was able to raise the level of awareness and strengthen the implementation of S-PaSS in Davao Region. (DOST XI S&T Promotion)
