DOST-PHIVOLCS in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) and USAID conducted the REDAS Modules 1-3 Training for the Energy Sector last November 15-16 via Zoom platform and continued on November 20-25, 2023 face-to-face training at the Summit Ridge Tagaytay, Tagaytay City, Cavite. The training entitled “Capacity Enhancement of the Energy Sector on Hazard, Impact Assessment and Exposure Database Development Through the Use of the REDAS Software” was headed by the PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Teresito C. Bacolcol, Associate Scientist and REDAS Program Coordinator Dr. Maria Leonila P. Bautista, and REDAS Course Advisers Dr. Bartolome C. Bautista, Ishmael C. Narag, and Engr. Angelito G. Lanuza. The lectures and hands-on exercises were discussed by speakers and facilitators from PHIVOLCS and guest speakers from PAGASA and MGB.
The six-day training was preceded by the installation and pre-training orientation conducted on November 15-16 to install the REDAS tools, namely, REDAS 2.9N, ETAM 2.6.8a, REDAS EDM 3.0, MapDig 0.0.1 and SRM 1.0.8. A total of 47 REDAS, ETAM and SRM license keys and 47 GeomapperPH account credentials were issued to the participants. The participants were Research Specialists, Engineers, IT Officers, DRRM and Admin Officers from the Department of Energy (DOE), Bohol Light Company Inc. (BLCI), Cotabato Light and Power Company (CLPC), Meralco, MGEN-GBP, National Electrification Administration (NEA), NPC-MinGen, National Power Corporation, National Transmission Corporation, Petron Corporation, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), National Grid Corporation of The Philippines (NGCP), Davao Light And Power Company (DLPC), and guest participants from LGU Bayambang, Pangasinan and LGU Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
The first two days (November 20-21) of the face-to-face training were spent on REDAS Module 3 Exposure Database Development. Participants were immersed in lectures and hands-on, as well as fieldwork at the nearby barangay on how to conduct foot survey in populating their own exposure databases. A total of 94 building structures was surveyed and 314 digitized building footprints were done during the training. A new tool, REDAS MapDig 0.0.1, where one can create databases and choose their own attributes that will be included in the database, was also introduced to the participants.
The next three days (November 22-24) of the training were focused on the familiarization on the monitoring tools of REDAS such as the earthquake and tsunami monitoring tools ETAM 2.6.8a and satellite rainfall monitoring tool SRM 1.0.8. Participants were taught on how these tools can be installed and used in their own operating centers for monitoring. New features from ETAM consist of Simulating Earthquake Intensities and Potential for Liquefaction, Earthquake-Induced Landslide, Tsunami Evaluation, Hazard data plotting and Seismic Hazard Assessment were also taught to the participants.
The last day (November 25) of the six-day training was dedicated to the culmination of all learnings during the training. Output and way forward discussions were conducted. DOE was able to commit to create their own database with the support of the institute. Impact assessment computations of Big Ones for selected sites and calculated intensities for energy facilities were also presented to pique the interest of the participants to avail of the higher modules of REDAS. A total of 47 participants graduated from the training course and it ended with a message from the director of Energy Policy and Planning Bureau of DOE, Director Michael O. Sinocruz.
