SMART deploys SMS for rainfall monitoring

Public school teachers participating in a rainfall monitoring project of Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) can now report their rainfall data via text messaging.

SMART unveiled the mobile application during the 3rd Project Rain Gauge Convention, which was attended by teacher representatives of partner schools under the Smart Schools Program (SSP) that have been taking part in a collaborative effort to monitor rainfall in their respective communities.

The application, developed by the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center, runs on Java-enabled phones.  It complements the existing system of reporting rainfall via the Web. Using their SMART or Talk ‘N Text cell phones, teachers participating in Project Rain Gauge can send rainfall data via SMS free of charge.

Sandra Lovenia of the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center leads public school teachers in testing the phone application that will enable them to send rainfall data via SMS to the Project Rain Gauge web site.

Launched in August 2007, Project Rain Gauge is spearheaded by SMART with valuable support provided by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the KLIMA Climate Change Center, Manila Observatory, and the Department of Education.

At the forefront of the project is a network of schools that maintain rain gauges provided by SMART within their campuses to help provide supplementary data on local rainfall measurement in specific areas.  From a core group of 17, there are now 50 SSP partner-schools participating in the undertaking.

The two-day convention provided a venue for the schools to be updated on the latest developments of Project Rain Gauge -- a new website, an SMS-based reporting system, and the deployment of digital rain gauges.  All of which are part of a bigger vision of bringing Project Rain Gauge to the next level.

“With these recent improvements and other future enhancements, plus your continuous dedication, Project Rain Gauge can be so much more than just an exercise in science learning.  It can become a vital source of information that may be utilized by science agencies like PAGASA as a potential community-based early warning system,” says Darwin Flores, community partnership manager of SMART.

Data sent via text messaging is automatically recorded and tabulated in the rainfall data page of the new project website www.projectraingauge.ph, hosted and maintained by SMART.  The web site contains news updates and features, resources, as well as the rainfall data page which presents the data gathered and submitted by the schools, consolidated in charts and graphs.

An online report form, accessible only to the participating schools, is incorporated into the website.  It contains fields pertaining to the date of the reading, the amount of rainfall measured in millimeters, the prevailing weather phenomenon on said day, plus any additional remarks.

The teachers were also taught how to infuse Project Rain Gauge in the Science curriculum.  Susan R. Espinueva, assistant weather services chief of the HydroMetrological division of PAGASA, conducted a lecture and workshop on the development of a lesson plan based on topics related to rainfall.

Espinueva lauded the schools and underscored the great potential of Project Rain Gauge.  “We can use the data in the ground truthing and verification of radar estimates, and in our regular climate forums where we analyze rainfall.”

The schools were also asked to submit GPS coordinates for the exact location of their school rain gauges as these will be considered among PAGASA’s weather stations.

The two-day convention also included a visit to the San Miguel National High School (SMNHS) in Bulacan, a Project Rain Gauge partner and the first to have a digital rain gauge installed to complement the existing manual rain gauge.

Vicente C. Manalo III, weather specialist at the Farm Weather Services Section of PAGASA, was on hand to advise the teachers on how to install and operate a digital rain gauge.  He also conducted a review of the weather systems that cause rain, the procedure and frequency of observing and recording rainfall, plus the application of rainfall measurement.

Vicente C. Manalo III, weather specialist at the Farm Weather Services Section of PAGASA, shows Project Rain Gauge participants how to install and operate a digital rain gauge during a visit to the San Miguel National High School (SMNHS) in Bulacan.

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