Harmonizing govt. data for a science-based, responsive, and inclusive public service

From the DOST public archive. Original source publication date: 2025-10-19. Captured 2026-09-04. Read the original DOST source.

This record preserves information as published on the source website. It does not confirm that a historical opportunity, deadline, service requirement, contact, or planned project is current. Check with the responsible DOST office before acting.

Staged text edition: Source images are not included because image recovery was blocked. The captured article text is preserved; illustrations remain pending recovery.

With the recent advancement in geospatial technology and artificial intelligence, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is pushing to harmonize its vast and valuable datasets into a single, integrative, and interoperable platform as a decision-making tool for the government.

This would mean that datasets across fields such as food, climate, disaster resilience, infrastructure, and health will now be more accessible, usable, and impactful.

In his keynote during the Geospatial Analytics and Technology Solutions (GATES) Program Stakeholder Conference today, DOST Sec. Renato U. Solidum, Jr. stated that the Science Department considers information, particularly geospatial data, a strategic resource for national development.

“It is the foundation for sound decision-making, for responsive governance, and for Agham na Ramdam, science that protects, empowers, and uplifts lives,” he said.

He added that with GATES, the Department is ensuring that “the right data is available at the right time, to the right people, powered by the right tools, for science-based planning, research, and innovation.”

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) operates through its 18 attached agencies, 17 regional offices, and 80 provincial science and technology offices. It implements a wide range of programs, activities, and research and development projects that generate vast and valuable datasets.

Through the GATES Program, these datasets will now be geospatially anchored and integrated across disciplines, enhancing DOST’s capacity to deliver responsive, science-based, and inclusive services while fostering innovation and knowledge creation.

The program will have four interconnected projects that collectively strengthen DOST’s geospatial and AI ecosystem:

• Project 1, led by DOST Central Office Planning and Evaluation Service, establishes the program’s foundation by conducting geospatial data discovery, mapping, cleansing, and standardization, and developing the AI-ready data architecture to support advanced analytics.
  
• Project 2, spearheaded by DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute, builds the core infrastructure—the DOST Data Lakehouse and GATES interface—enabling scalable data storage, computing power, and user-friendly tools to enable advanced analytics and geospatial visualizations.
  
• Project 3, led by DOST-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, develops geospatial analytics interfaces and use cases that integrate data systems across agencies, featuring built-in chatbots, decision-support tools, and customized applications for agency-specific and cross-agency needs.
  
• Project 4, managed by the DOST-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Development Cooperation, ensures policy alignment, sustainability, and capacity building through the creation of ethical AI frameworks, stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and continuous training programs to support long-term adoption and institutionalization.

Ultimately, GATES will be institutionalized as a core part of DOST’s framework and is envisioned to serve as a model for digital transformation and data-driven governance across government, advancing innovation and contributing to national development.

For his part, DOST Assistant Secretary for Development Cooperation Rodolfo J. Calzado, Jr. said that by breaking silos and sharing data across agencies through the GATES program, the Department can bridge sectors, strengthen collaboration, and open new opportunities for innovation.

DOST Sec: PH to shape, govern, and benefit from AI

With this, Asec. Calzado, Jr. emphasized that GATES operationalizes the National AI Strategy (NAIS) of the Philippines through geospatial intelligence and responsible innovation, “building a connected, spatially intelligent DOST– charting a future-ready nation with spatial intelligence.”

Reinforcing this commitment, the DOST also opened the National AI Stakeholders’ Conference on October 13-14, 2025, signaling a whole-of-nation approach of building a collaborative AI ecosystem for the Philippines – one that enhances governance, improves services, strengthens industries, and uplifts communities.

Since 2017, the DOST has been laying the groundwork for an AI-ready nation along with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Education, and other government and industry stakeholders.

Through initiatives such as the DOST Summer School for AI, high-performance computing investments, and AI R&D projects supported by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development, DOST has strengthened the country’s AI ecosystem.

Further, the AI Roadmaps of DOST and DTI, along with the establishment of the Education Center for AI Research, which is anchored on over ₱2.3 billion invested in 113 AI-related projects, reflect the nation’s growing confidence in Filipinos' capacity to create technology.

“Each of these efforts forms part of a larger vision that is now taking shape through the National AI Strategy of the Philippines, or NAIS-PH,” said Solidum.

He added that by 2028, the Department envisions a New Philippines powered by AI – one where innovation is inclusive, governance is smarter, and communities are empowered.

The GATES Program is one of the initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph. (By Rosemarie C. Señora, DOST-STII)