Project NOAH: Philippine Weather Updates & Disaster Prevention (Must Have App)

The rainy days are here once again and the season poses impending storms that are somewhat a natural occurrence in our country. Extreme weather conditions bring looming threat and we have witnessed a catastrophic phenomenon that shocked the whole world during the destruction of Yolanda.

In response to those disruptive events that may occur, our government has formed a dedicated program to provide advance warnings and announcements dubbed as Project NOAH.

Project NOAH

That's not a ship you saw in Russel Crowe's movie that saved all the living creatures from the Great Flood as also stated in the Bible, nor the giant vessel from the Merman's Island in One Piece. It means, Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH), launched by the Department of Science and Technology. It was announced last 2012 but we have seen great improvements since then. 

Project NOAH has a website you can visit : http://noah.dost.gov.ph/ and it also has applications available for Android and iOS users out there: Project NOAH on Google Play / Project NOAH on Appstore. Here is a sample snipped screenshot of what you can see on their website:

http://noah.dost.gov.ph/

Turned on the geeky side in you, right? You can be a weatherman yourself, with little help from Google. But for this article, I decided to have a quick review on their Android App. The file is only about 2.2mb and that's pretty small for a very informative application. It was last updated last year but the data is of course, regularly refreshed with the help of internet connection. 

Some Features of Project NOAH Mobile App:

• Overview - Under this you can see Satellite Images (MTSAT), Rainfall, Temperature, Humidity, and Pressure Contour and % Chance of Rain
• Doppler - With the help of major Doppler stations, you can see air and rain movement and velocity through the aid of Doppler Radars
• Sensors - Under this are data from Weather Stations around the Philippines, Stream Gauges, Rain Gauges and Tide Levels
• Weather Outlook - An important feat which contains Rain Forecast and PAGASA Cyclone Update
• News - you can view the latest updates via this tab from DOST-PAGASA, CLIMATEX.PH and PAGASA-FFWS. But when I tested it, only the first tab worked.

I use Map View most of the time because of its ease of use -- just click layers and select the info what you want to see. Below are some screenshots from my phone.

Doppler Station - You can see the rainfall intensity here by looking at the legend. Those in the red area experience heavy rain at the printed time.

Tagaytay Doppler Station

Here's what you can see on the Weather Outlook>PAGASA Cyclone Update. You can view the Forecast Track by PAGASA updated regularly.

Chance of Rain - One of my favorite features. Why? It's very helpful not just during stormy season but also during vacations when planning your travels ahead of time. You can easily decide whether to bring an umbrella during a period by simply looking at the legend and the colored map.

Chance of Rain

You can also see the Emergency Hotlines under the Info Tab. 

Project NOAH uses advanced science and technology to provide aide and information to the Filipino community and Local Government Units. It works in cooperation with some notable agencies and organizations such as PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, DOST, DENR, Network Providers, etc. 

You can see some glitches in rare cases, but the functionality is there. You need WiFi or data connectivity to use the major features of this app. Indeed this is a very helpful application that will help alleviate hazards brought by natural disasters and occurrences. I recommend this for those with smartphones out there to help each other using the technology we have at our hands.

For further info:

http://noah.dost.gov.ph/