DOST, JICA collaborate to advance AI-ready national data platform for disaster risk analytics

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Taguig City — Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have formally sealed its partnership to collaborate on enhancing DOST’s flagship Geospatial Analytics & Technology Solutions (GATES) program, to build a secure, reliable, and trusted AI ecosystem for disaster risk reduction and data-driven governance.

The GATES program is a national initiative led by DOST to integrate fragmented geospatial and climate data across government agencies into a unified and interoperable data ecosystem. By leveraging advanced geospatial analytics and artificial intelligence, the program aims to enable digital transformation, enhance evidence-based policymaking, and drive science, technology, and innovation.

"The DOST is grateful for this partnership with JICA through its Digital Transformation Lab,” DOST Sec. Renato U. Solidum Jr. said. “As we continue to build the GATES Program, this collaboration provides an important opportunity to draw from international expertise and best practices in data governance, digital transformation, and the responsible use of AI.”

Solidum added that through the initiative, DOST aims to strengthen the foundations of an integrated and interoperable AI-enabled data ecosystem for evidence-based governance. He explained that the department hopes to develop and demonstrate high-impact use cases that can help improve disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and the delivery of government services.

The collaboration will be undertaken by the JICA Digital Transformation Lab (JICA DXLab) and will formally begin in June 2026 for a period of approximately four months. Through this engagement, JICA DXLab will provide targeted technical expertise to support the GATES Program’s efforts to enhance data interoperability, governance, and digital transformation capabilities, while exploring pathways for the platform to contribute to broader Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for climate and disaster risk data.

Built on Decades of Partnership

This collaboration builds on a longstanding partnership between Japan and the Philippines. Since the 1970s, JICA has supported DOST-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration through the provision of meteorological equipment and technical cooperation, contributing to strengthened observation, forecasting, and early warning systems for typhoons, heavy rainfall, and flooding.

JICA has also supported the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, including through the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (2004), which analyzed national disaster preparedness planning, as well as ongoing cooperation to enhance seismic monitoring, early warning systems, and data analysis capabilities.

Building on these achievements, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation under the GATES program. DOST has played the central role in building national resilience, particularly in the area of disaster risk reduction.

Now, DOST extends this strategy into the era of data-driven governance by partnering once again with JICA at a pivotal moment as the Philippines positions itself as a regional leader in AI-powered public services.

“This is not about Japan bringing solutions to the Philippines. This is about two nations, united by shared vulnerability and shared resolution, building a platform for evidence-based policies together. The expertise lies here — in the DOST scientists, the PAGASA forecasters, the PHIVOLCS researchers. JICA DXLab's role is to walk alongside you and help accelerate what DOST has already set in motion,” JICA Philippines Chief Representative Baba Takashi explained.

Advancing a National Data Platform for Disaster Resilience

Launched in 2025 as part of DOST’s ELEV8PH initiative, GATES is a three-year program that aims to unify fragmented geospatial, hazard, climate, and other strategic datasets across the DOST network of agencies—including DOST-PAGASA (weather), DOST-PHIVOLCS (volcanology and seismology), and other attached agencies—into a single, AI-ready national data platform for data-driven decision-making.

To date, the program has deployed the HANDA integrated preparedness platform, developed an initial data architecture blueprint, and initiated capacity-building and training activities. Beyond geospatial and disaster-risk applications, GATES is also exploring emerging innovation domains such as geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI), predictive analytics, Earth observation applications, and other advanced data-driven technologies that can support planning, governance, resilience, and sustainable development.

GATES operationalizes the Philippines’ National AI Strategy through geospatial intelligence, and is envisioned to serve as a model for data-driven governance across government.

Scope of collaboration

The engagement will have two main objectives:

Strengthening the Data Platform Foundation. A core objective of the collaboration is to support DOST in building a data platform that is reliable, secure, and ready to support advanced analytics at scale. This means working through the practical challenge of connecting data from many different agencies – each with its own systems and ways of working, while ensuring that each agency retains meaningful ownership of the data it generates.

The engagement supports the development of standards for AI-ready data and a framework to guide the responsible use of AI on top of the data. The GATES program is expected to eventually serve not just DOST internally, but the broader government ecosystem and the Filipino public.

Turning Data into Decisions. The second objective is to identify areas where the data platform can meaningfully improve how the government responds to disasters and manages climate risks. JICA will work with DOST and its partner agencies to support the development of a consistent, repeatable way of defining and evaluating potential use-case applications, so that limited resources are directed toward initiatives with the greatest national impact such as tools to model the impact of incoming typhoons, dashboards for tracking climate-related risks over time, and planning aids for evacuation.

Looking Ahead

This collaboration is expected to contribute to the advancement of disaster risk management systems and the promotion of data-driven policymaking, reinforcing the role of digital innovation in building a more resilient and sustainable society.

The knowledge and networks developed through this cooperation are expected to contribute to advancing the use of data and AI in policymaking in both the Philippines and Japan, while also strengthening bilateral collaboration in related fields and fostering collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, including industry and research institutions.

The DOST 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. (By JICA and DOST GATES Program)