SLSU Empowers Maasin City LGU through GIS Training for Resilient and Data-Driven Communities
Maasin City, Southern Leyte — In its continuing mission to foster innovation and resilience among local government units, Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), through its GIS Tech Center of the Faculty of Computer Studies and Information Technology (FCSIT), successfully held a four-day training program titled “Building Resilience Through Open Mapping Tools: A Capacity Building Initiative for the Municipal Personnel of Maasin City", last June 9-12, 2025.
The initiative, conducted at the GIS Laboratory of SLSU, was designed to equip Maasin City’s municipal personnel with practical knowledge and hands-on skills in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and open-source mapping tools. The program is part of SLSU’s broader extension and community engagement efforts, aiming to strengthen local capacities in data-driven planning and governance.
The opening ceremony was marked by a welcome address from Dr. Czarina Ancella G. Gabi, Dean of FCSIT, who underscored the vital role of digital skills in enhancing disaster preparedness and promoting community resilience. Adelfa C. Diola, Director of Extension Services, followed with a message reaffirming SLSU’s commitment to supporting local governments through responsive and practical training initiatives. Engr. Marietta R. Ancla, Officer-in-Charge of the Maasin City Planning and Development Office, expressed her gratitude to the university for its consistent support, noting the significant impact of geospatial knowledge on the city’s planning capabilities.
Throughout the training, participants engaged in lectures, technical workshops, and collaborative exercises centered on QGIS and OpenStreetMap (OSM)—two powerful, open-source platforms for spatial data analysis and mapping. Through a series of interactive sessions, the trainees learned how to collect, process, and analyze spatial data, as well as how to apply these tools in critical planning scenarios, including land use management, hazard identification, Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA), and risk reduction strategies. The integration of CDRA concepts into the training enabled participants to understand and map climate-related vulnerabilities, assess the exposure of assets and populations, and formulate risk-informed development plans tailored to the unique geographic and socio-economic context of Maasin City.
On the final day of the training, participants were awarded their Certificates of Completion in a short recognition ceremony led by Mr Gello A. Siega, Program Head of Information Technology. Engr. Ancla delivered a heartfelt message of appreciation, emphasizing the relevance of GIS and CDRA in their planning work and thanking the university for its continued technical support. She also led the recognition of resource speakers, who were presented with certificates and tokens in acknowledgment of their contributions.
This initiative makes a significant contribution to the global Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, by strengthening local planning capacity, and SDG 13: Climate Action, by enhancing preparedness and resilience through the use of geospatial data and CDRA frameworks in disaster risk reduction and climate-responsive decision-making.
