{"id":713,"date":"2014-03-01T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-01T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/?p=713"},"modified":"2021-11-28T13:55:38","modified_gmt":"2021-11-28T13:55:38","slug":"philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/2014\/03\/01\/philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping the Philippines after typhoon Haiyan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/2014\/03\/01\/philippines\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/07a26b04e102a7c72b35e4a6872bc706\/tumblr_inline_n5n39qH3b41s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Typhoon_Haiyan\">Typhoon Haiyan<\/a>, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, struck the South East coast of the country six months ago, on November 8, 2013, it devastated entire communities \u2013 tearing apart thousands of homes and destroying livelihoods. Many of those worst hit were \u2018informal\u2019 unplanned homes, situated at or near the water\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the humanitarian organisations that stepped up to help was Swiss-based&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.medair.org\/\">Medair<\/a>, which is dedicated to relieving human suffering in some of the world\u2019s most remote and badly affected places. However after arriving in the country just 48 hours after Yolanda struck and conducting their initial assessments, the Medair team soon discovered that accurate, up-to-date maps of the region didn\u2019t exist, with communities often having to rely on either hand-drawn maps or outdated Google versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This data gap is why Medair asked Drones For Earth to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Create detailed 2D base maps and 3D terrain models of Tacloban, Dulag and Julita municipalities<\/li><li>Assess typhoon damage and plan shelter reconstruction<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/2014\/03\/01\/philippines\/\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>We then further expanded our activities, visiting different communities on or near the East coast of Leyte island and providing leaders with physical high-resolution maps they could use to assess the situations in their communities and plan reconstruction efforts based on current, accurate data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/2c60fa3ff95e7ed877b1d4d4478fbb1b\/tumblr_inline_n5n2t02pCB1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Typhoon damage in Tacloban<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/65.media.tumblr.com\/03d39eb2dc75beb4dcfd7d95438507a4\/tumblr_inline_n5n2tr1I3z1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Thousands of homes were partially or completely destroyed by the typhoon and subsequent storm surges.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mapping Dulag<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Known as \u2018Liberation Town\u2019, Dulag is a settlement of 50,000 residents, located 36 km (22&nbsp;miles) south of the administrative capital of Leyte island, Tacloban. Typhoon Haiyan made landfall just south of Dulag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dulag was where Medair started its work, rolling out a project to provide the most vulnerable families in the municipality with what the organization calls \u2018core homes\u2019. These dwellings offer a family disaster-proof foundations, a strong wooden frame, and a roof.&nbsp; But that is all. Each family must then \u2013 with support from Medair \u2013 take ownership of its future by completing the rest of the home itself; creating all the walls, floors and interior features they require. To date, Medair has built 600 shelters, providing 3,000 people with homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Medair first contacted Drones For Earth, its team had already started to collect geographic data, marking down for example the GPS co-ordinates of homes in the area and recording family details for each. However what staff were missing was up-to-date, high-resolution base maps that they could use to assess villages, see where people are currently living, monitor reconstruction work and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Medair team did have access to existing local maps, produced most likely through local ground assessments, however these were not geographically accurate, for example in terms of road locations and distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/d8aa87660b43873d97a3cfc6080efb4e\/tumblr_inline_n5n2vl0BJY1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>An existing map of Dulag municipality<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/a.tiles.mapbox.com\/v3\/droneadv.i4khp3b1\/attribution,zoompan,zoomwheel,geocoder,share.html#18\/10.95396\/125.03258\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/66.media.tumblr.com\/a6ececa7e64b9f041d4d557b47132b2e\/tumblr_inline_n5n2ycz0dx1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>One of Medair\u2019s \u2018core\u2019 homes under construction.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/6c642107f488f3d6b699150e46c3aa36\/tumblr_inline_n5n2yycqUE1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Another Medair shelter, already handed over, quickly takes shape.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Medair staff were also keen to assess the local environmental damage caused by Yolanda, since many local livelihoods depend on natural resources such as coconut trees. Many trees had either been decapitated by the typhoon or completely uprooted, with whole forests completely wiped out in some areas. Therefore we also mapped these regions, shown below, as part of our work in Dulag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/a.tiles.mapbox.com\/v3\/droneadv.i4khp3b1\/attribution,zoompan,zoomwheel,geocoder,share.html#21\/10.93485\/124.98011\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The white lines shown here are uprooted coconut trees, which form the livelihood of many Dulag municipality residents.<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Gift of Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from working with Medair to assess storm damage and create base maps, our team also produced physical maps to gift to four different communities on the island: Barangay 105, Julita, Dulag and Cabacongan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our approach before arriving in an area was to start by getting local buy-in. So we would first contact the local \u2018barangay\u2019 (barrio) captain \u2013 effectively the village mayor \u2013 to explain who we were and what kind of data we could offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The response was always positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaders were excited by the opportunity of having their own accurate maps. Captains and their teams might only be using hand-drawn maps at present \u2013 never mind having computers with internet access \u2013 but they all understand how much value up-to-date, highly accurate geographic information can bring and the transformative effect proper maps could have on their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/e756281a3c22136cf3a4a53970101fe4\/tumblr_inline_n5n31smG791s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Drone mapping often turns into a community event.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/66.media.tumblr.com\/9ec8a085843ddc08460fea54a6aa683b\/tumblr_inline_n5n32ecXOg1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>A Medair team member launches a drone.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Our typical workflow was to arrive on-site in the morning, fly our drones, and then process the several hundred images we acquired in the evening. We would then visit the nearest local print shop and print the resulting map on a giant tarpaulin sheet, presenting this to barangay leaders the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is difficult to overstate what a difference it makes to give a community a real, physical map. With a large high-resolution photo in their hands people have something they can gather around and start using right away. And while many towns don\u2019t have staff who know how to work with geographic information systems (GIS) \u2013 and drone data outputs like 3D digital surface models \u2013 everyone can appreciate and benefit from an accurate bird\u2019s-eye view of their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/655da3f6982409eeafde05ffeee4436f\/tumblr_inline_n5n336jZbl1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Image processing back at our Dulag base.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/66.media.tumblr.com\/b4501c94b61ba43af77026c84501c40b\/tumblr_inline_n5n33xVOWe1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Presenting our map of Barangay 105 to local leaders.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Meeting the Mayor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we left the Philippines, we also headed further up North to Tacloban, the capital of the Eastern Visayas region, to meet Mayor Alfred Romualdez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The city is home to 200,000 people and was all but destroyed by the typhoon and its resulting storm surges. Numerous families lost their homes, particularly those who had built in unsafe, unplanned locations \u2013 so called \u2018informal\u2019 developments \u2013 near the seafront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the creation of a new planning law that bans the building of homes within 40 metres (131 ft) of the waterfront, the mayor had assigned a large unused plot of land, near Barangay 105, to re-house displaced families. This area is sub-divided into numerous plots. Each one is sponsored by a different donor organisation, responsible for building their part of this resilient new community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the mayor\u2019s existing map of the region was far from perfect, our goal role was to produce a high-definition image \u2013 hosted online \u2013 which both Mayor Romualdez\u2019s team and donor organizations could use to make better decisions and more accurately direct their reconstruction efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several drone flights later and the two images below show the difference in accuracy achieved between the mayor\u2019s previous map and his new drone-sourced image of the same area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/66.media.tumblr.com\/7c7b055c61ddf9c413c661185463ac7a\/tumblr_inline_n5n35iuRNx1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>The mayor\u2019s previous map of the new Barangay 105 settlement.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/e11a9d3f0b93c8ff87987991b074cf4a\/tumblr_inline_n5n367ePxV1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Mayor Romualdez learning about mapping drones.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/a.tiles.mapbox.com\/v3\/droneadv.i4khp3b1\/attribution,zoompan,zoomwheel,geocoder,share.html#14\/11.3220\/124.9564\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/67.media.tumblr.com\/c21183ea7f8d5a4f077d3e518466db70\/tumblr_inline_n5n37iA69S1s4nvew.jpg\" alt=\"image\"\/><figcaption><em>Development in action \u2013 foundations being built just north of Barangay 105.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Project Statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the course of our six-day trip, our two-man team, together with our Medair partners, flew 29 drone mapping flights in total with a combined flight time of 11.6 hours. We mapped 48.6 sq km (18.8 sq mi) of land and acquired 5,139 images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These images were used to create four high-resolution maps \u2013 of Barangay 105, Cabacongan, Julita and Dulag \u2013 plus seven additional low-res versions of surrounding countryside. The typical ground resolution of these orthomosaics was 5 cm (1.96 in) per pixel for villages and 8-10 cm (3.1 \u2013 3.9 in) for larger areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The value of our mission was perhaps best summed up by one of Medair\u2019s own staff, Rob Fielding. In the organization\u2019s report on its first drone mapping experience \u2013&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/relief.medair.org\/en\/stories\/drones-used-for-good-relief-organisation-uses-drones-to-map-typhoon-haiyan\/\">online here<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 Rob comments, \u201cDrones do not have a good reputation. People associate them with the military and think of them as weapons, but they can also be used for good. We are using the images taken by the drones to carry out damage assessments, to identify land that could be safer to relocate families to and to see where recovery efforts are taking place. Relief organisations are increasingly using drones to provide services not otherwise possible, and we intend to use them in response to future emergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Drones For Earth team used\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sensefly.com\/drones\/ebee.html\">senseFly eBee<\/a>\u00a0mapping\u00a0<em>drones and<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/pix4d.com\/products\/\">Pix4D software<\/a>\u00a0<em>for data processing and orthomosaic generation. A special thanks to our friends at<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mapbox.com\/\">Mapbox<\/a>\u00a0<em>for hosting all our data online.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When&nbsp;Typhoon Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, struck the South East coast of the country six months ago, on November 8, 2013, it devastated entire communities \u2013 tearing apart thousands of homes and destroying livelihoods. Many of those worst hit were \u2018informal\u2019 unplanned homes, situated at or near the water\u2019s edge. One of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1070,"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713\/revisions\/1070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronesforearth.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}