By Shigemi Muramatsu
“Geotagging is the innovative and inexpensive approach of using ICT, Global Positioning System or GPS technology, and freely available web-based mapping as a project visualization tool to aid project supervision. It is also a versatile asset verification tool which would readily answer the basic question: is the right activity implemented in the right place”.
– World Bank procurement specialist and geotagging technology champion Noel Sta. Ines.
The World Bank (WB) held the first of three workshops in a series to test the guidelines on geotagging for harmonized procurement documents and the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Dashboard Phase 2. The workshop was held on 22-23 October 2014 at the WB Office, Bonifacio Global City.
The two-day workshop was designed to perform a test-OJT using live contracts of the Guidelines in Geotagging that development partners, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and WB, use in foreign-funded projects.
Through pictures and their encrypted data or metadata, geotagging is used to “virtually” monitor and evaluate progress of projects. Essential requirements would only include GPS-enabled android phones or tablets, access to free web-based applications, and basic training. Geotagged objects are processed and uploaded to be easily and accurately located on Google Earth.
During the workshop, a 15-member multi-stakeholder team was formed; its members were representatives of procuring entities (Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and Natural Resources), Commission on Audit, PhilGEPS, and civil society organizations.
Dir. Rosa Clemente of PhilGEPS gave an orientation on PhilGEPS and the Procurement Dashboard hosted on the Open Data website (www.data.gov.ph). PhilGEPS is an internet infrastructure that hosts a common portal for registration of suppliers and advertisements of bid opportunities.
The afternoon session was allotted for on-site visits where an actual use and test of geotagging on DA and DENR procured civil works and goods was facilitated. Equipped with their GPS-enabled android phones, MSTs visited seven (7) contracts of the two procuring entities.
The last day was dedicated to uploading and processing of geotagged data. Sta. Ines led the participants in going around Picasa and Google Earth applications, and handling different types of data acquired on site—GPS photos, tracks, polygons, and 360-degree photos.
The next two workshops will be held in November.