Saw it coming? La Salle’s Physics Department, in partnership with other units, is developing weather forecasting website SIGWA to foresee atmospheric conditions in more than a hundred sites in the Philippines.
At the onset of the storms and monsoon rains, DLSU’s own recently launched weather forecasting website SIGWA has recorded an almost 90 percent accuracy rate and seeks to promote awareness on the effect of weather, and educate students on climate reading processes.
SIGWA, short for Students Involved in Geophysical Weather and Atmospheric Studies, is a project spearheaded by Physics Department Chair Dr. Gil Santos after it won the challenge grant of the Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) in 2012.
Microclimate readings
SIGWA focuses on microclimate data collection, or localized readings of the climate of smaller areas. Restricting weather data to smaller area units allows for better analysis of possible safety and risk reduction measures. The following forecasts are available in the website: four-day city weather forecasts, four-day regional weather forecasts, and three-day Philippine geographical weather forecasts.
The data collected and presented is meant to supplement but not replace data of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
“Pagasa actually focuses more on the macro level, not on the per city basis of study we conduct. To do microclimate is really the target,” explains Dr. Gil Santos in a mix of English and Filipino, “We are not replacing Pagasa. This is for educational purposes. Data is not forwarded to Pagasa but everything is cross-checked with their data.”
The project team has coordinated with Pagasa through Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, himself a DLSU alumnus and atmospheric scientist connected with the Institute of Environmental Science & Meteorology of the University of the Philippines.
Weather collection systems
Data is collected through the deployment of Air Weather Observation Systems (AWOS) to different sites. These are capable of measuring temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction. It also keeps records of rainfall observation and historical data.
The SIGWA Project provides relevant data for sites almost all over the Philippines: 13 regions, 5 mega cities, and 127 cities. Satellite data comes from three reliable sources: Global Forecasting System (GFS), National Centers for Environmental Protection (NCEP), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration. The satellite data is confirmed and supplemented by data collected from the ground stations deployed to different district schools of La Salle and some volunteer schools.
Currently, all ground stations are manned. Data is manually collected from the station and input in the website, which automatically consolidates the data to come up with the readings and forecasts. However, the SIGWA team is expecting the shipment of parts for 20 unmanned ground stations to arrive before the end of the first term.
In the University, there are currently two weather stations. One of these stations not only measures weather and climate related factors but also air quality in the area. The team forwards reports to the University’s Safety and Security Office (SSO) of the possibility of floods in the area if these are forecasted.
Incorporation in the K-12 program
With the approval of the Department of Education (DepEd), SIGWA also incorporates atmospheric studies in the K-12 program, beginning with the La Salle district schools and volunteer schools that now have stations to operate.
Students in Grades 6, 7, and 9 will participate in data monitoring and data collecting activities based on the following topics in the curriculum: weather patterns in the Philippines in Grade 6, understanding typhoons in Grade 7, and Climate in Grade 9. Teaching the students to take readings using the stations and interpret the data will be listed as lab activities. A special section in the SIGWA website where students from partner schools can log in to input the data collected.
“DepEd actually wants it on a national level. We need a lot of manpower and resources for that, so for the volunteer schools, we chose technology-capable and science intensive schools,” says Santos.
Another goal of including this in the K-12 curriculum is to encourage students to pursue Science programs upon entering college.
Training for teachers from the partner schools is held every term. Teachers are taught how to set-up weather stations, identify important features of weather, record and analyze weather data, and make weather forecasts, among others.
Plans for SIGWA II
Santos tells that the team will be re-applying for the challenge grant to further push studies in SIGWA part two. Plans for this include more unmanned stations which will be deployed to areas that are hard to reach and are in need of help in terms of weather monitoring for disaster risk reduction. Apart from this, plans for social media research and incorporating climate studies and methods to General Education courses in the University are also in the works.
“SIGWA will continue, regardless of whether or not it receives another grant,” he says.
The SIWGA website was officially listed in the DLSU main website in June 2013, and can be accessed via this link: http://sigwa.net/.
One reply on “DLSU Physics Dep’t spearheads weather forecasting website”
our school is part of this! 😀