Komunidad platform enables local governments in the Philippines to prioritize safety of their constituents, moving towards Smart City initiatives.
Weather reports and alerts play a critical role in ensuring safety in every Filipino household.
With an average of 20 tropical cyclones entering the country — at least five of which can be destructive — Filipinos are always finding ways to protect themselves and their properties from destruction.
Mobile applications have been their go-to for weather and climate data. Getting all the information they need in one go is crucial, especially during natural disasters, where time is of the essence.
While severe weather bulletins are regularly provided by forecasters, updates tend to be more general as they cover larger geographical areas.
But weather and environmental risk conditions vary per specific location — city level, town level or even at a barangay level, the smallest unit of government in the Philippines.
As cities and towns move forward to industrialization, communities and industries require more specific, latest data.
Komunidad developed an early-warning system to help the local government keep their constituents informed of possible weather disturbances that might affect transportation, business operations and day-to-day living.
A total of 27 barangays (including residents) were given access to a web and mobile applications that inform them about the latest weather updates and environmental conditions.
During a typhoon, they can check their widgets to know the latest weather forecast, six-hour rain assessment, and severe weather analysis. Data on lightning, thunderstorm, hazard map layers and even climate are also available to all users.
Barangay leaders receive daily weather outlook in their emails 2-3 times a day to stay informed.
Barangay leaders are notified via SMS and Viber platforms about hydrometeorological hazards, lightning strikes, and dangerous thunderstorms.
Komunidad’s solution allowed the local government to improve their warning systems, be more efficient in their disaster response actions plans, and promote transparency.
Families also feel safer sending their children to school knowing that no weather disturbance is forecasted for the day. Planning their weekends is also a breeze with high quality weather forecast available at their fingertips.