Naga city: A PHP6.7 million innovation grant from the National Innovation Council is helping streamline work processes in Naga City, particularly in planning and development across various sectors, officials bared Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Mayor Leni Robredo stated that the Naga City Artificial Intelligence Planner, to be implemented by the City Planning and Development Office, will provide easier access to data and enable timely, data-driven transportation and mobility interventions. The system will leverage automated generation of accurate transport data through a dedicated platform and application.
"Before the city planning office can make plans, they need to do research. There should be a database. The city planning office often complains that a lot of data is not available. For example, now that we are drafting the building code, there is a lot of data that we still don't have. But with the AI planner, we will have software that will help make our work easier," Robredo said in a recorded interview.
She added that the AI planner will accelerate the updating of local public transport route plans and help resolve traffic problems by using CCTV cameras to count vehicles and foot traffic, eliminating the need for manual counting.
"The reason why we are lagging in traffic management is that we don't want it to be just trial and error. We want to help experts who can analyze the situation, and we will provide them with the data they need," she explained.
Robredo said groundwork for the project began in January, even before the grant was awarded. "Because of the grant, we will be able to buy the software and equipment that the city planning and development office needs," she added.
The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, as vice chair and secretariat of the National Innovation Council (NIC), will assist the city through regular monitoring and field evaluation, strengthen linkages with innovation partners and promote the project across various platforms.
DEPDev annually screens proposals for grants under the Innovation Fund, which are deliberated and approved by the NIC-Executive Technical Board pursuant to the Philippine Innovation Act.
