Baguio City adopts Project MINERVA towards sustainability
by Rahndal Rico | April 17, 2024
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — In an effort to accelerate the Smart City status, the city government teamed up with the Department of Science and Technology — Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) through the launching of Project MINERVA (Monitoring of Indicators for Efficient Redevelopment and Value Assessment) on Monday, April 15, at Baguio Convention Center.
During the turnover ceremony, MINERVA’s project leader Dr. Christopher Monterola said the project’s goals complement Baguio City’s urban and ecological renewal efforts through Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Complex Systems.
“We want to create a Smart City indices for the Philippines. And why is this critical? For Baguio, in 2020, DENR identified these among the most critical components for Baguio — its rehabilitation program: air quality, solid waste management, water quality, forest cover, traffic congestion, and the issue of informal settlers and illegal structures,” he said.
Project MINERVA, initiated by Asian Institute of Management (AIM) through the Analytics, Computing, and Complex Systems Laboratory of the Asian Institute of Management (ACCeSs@AIM), was funded by DOST-PCIEERD.
“The aspirations really is to include the elements of smartification in each of this planning, management units of our country,” said DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit.
In 2019, a National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) study showed the city is moving towards urban decay.
Urban decay is the physical deterioration of an urban area leading to daily traffic congestion, air and water pollution, and other chronic conditions.
DOST Secretary Dr. Renato Solidum Jr. said it is crucial to recognize the unique challenges faced by Baguio City which should be addressed with innovative solutions. Thus, Project MINERVA will help Baguio make data-driven decisions through data and AI, according to Monterola.
Meanwhile, City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said this is a significant milestone towards the city’s progress and digitalization.
The Smart City Project was introduced in 2018 to centralize and streamline all city operations and address pressing issues such as crimes, traffic congestion, and environmental degradation.
Currently, Project MINERVA has deployed 588 sensors across the city for monitoring and data collection.
Aside from DOST, the project has also fostered collaboration with the University of the Philippines Baguio.
