Philippine Sahana Initiative

Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007, 11:00 PM

Bluepoint Foundation and the Saudi Investment Group and Marketing (SIGMA), in cooperation with the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), held the Philippine Sahana Initiative (PSI) today at the Columbus function room, Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center.

Sahana is a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Disaster Management System (DMS). It is a web-based collaboration tool that addresses the common coordination problems during a disaster from finding missing people, managing aid, managing volunteers, and tracking camps effectively. Sahana has become the de facto DMS with immense backing from humanitarian and non-government organizations worldwide.

The Award for Projects of Social Benefit was given to Sahana by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) last March 26, 2007.

In support of the NDCC's program on disaster mitigation, Bluepoint flew in senior Sahana developers Mifan Careem and Ravindra De Silva from Sri Lanka to provide free training for select participants from every Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC), NDCC member agencies, and other centers for disaster preparedness throughout the country.

PSI aims to equip participants with the necessary skills for the deployment of Sahana as a centralized, nationwide disaster management system for the efficient coordination of relief efforts during disasters.

The whole-day event was held in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), NDCC secretariat and lead RDCC organization, under the Department of National Defense (DND).

TIME	ACTIVITY
08:30-09:00	Registration
09:00-09:05	Invocation	Sen. Jovito Salonga Bluepoint Foundation
09:05-09:20	Welcome Remarks	Engels Antonio Bluepoint Foundation
09:20-09:40	Sahana at Guinsaugon	Dr. Anthony Golez Deputy Administrator Office of Civil Defense
09:40-09:45	Introduction	Marie Grace Gaffud-Antonio Bluepoint Foundation
09:45-12:00	Sahana Disaster Management System	Mifan Careem Ravindra De Silva Lanka Software Foundation
12:00-13:00	Lunch
13:00-16:00	Sahana Disaster Management System	Mifan Careem Ravindra De Silva Lanka Software Foundation
16:00-16:20	Open Forum
16:20-16:30	Closing Remarks	Eddie Salonga Bluepoint Foundation

Ravindra De Silva is a Sahana Core Team and Sahana Committee member. He is a senior developer for Sahana, the development lead for Sahana-Application Security/Biometrics, and the Sahana Research lead. Ravindra played a significant role in deploying Sahana for the recent Philippines mudslide response and for the Sarvodaya (the largest local NGO in Sri Lanka) pre-deployment.

Mifan Careem has been involved in the development of Sahana for more than two years now, starting from its inception after the South-Asian Tsunami in December 2004. He has contributed in the deployment of Sahana in Pakistan, Philippines, and Indonesia. Mifan also worked closely with Sarvodaya and the International Red Cross in customizing Sahana for the said organizations.

PSI Delegates came from the OCD, the 17 NDCC regional disaster coordinating councils across the country, and the following organizations:

Government

Armed Forces of the Philippines - Joint Operations Center

Department of Agriculture

Department of Education

Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Mines and Geosciences Bureau

Department of Environment and Natural Resources - National Mapping Resources Information Authority

Department of Health - Health Emergency Management Service

Department of Interior and Local Government

Department of National Defense - Defense Information Management Office

Department of Public Works and Highways

Department of Science and Technology - Advanced Science and Technology Institute

Department of Social Welfare and Development - National Resource Operations Center

Department of Transportation and Communications

National Economic Development Authority

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

Philippine National Red Cross

Civil Society

Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP)

Kabalikat Civic Communicators Association (KABALIKAT CIVICOM)

Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams (REACT)

MGen Glenn Rabonza, OCD Administrator and NDCC Executive Officer, acknowledged Bluepoint's help in the capacity building of the NDCC in terms of developing the skills necessary for the deployment of a centralized, nationwide disaster management system.

PSI logo is an "S" (for Sahana) made up of earth (represented by the sunflower, which is also a symbol associated with Sahana) , fire (flame), and water (wave) - elements normally involved in disasters. The color scheme is similar to the Philippine flag's. More about the logo's evolution here.

Many thanks to Rene Enriquez, Mark Mayo, William Yu, Sandra Alarcon-Lovenia, Dr. Alvin Marcelo, Mylene Villegas, and Dr. Renato Solidum Jr. for supporting the Philippine Sahana Initiative.