By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

President Benigno S. Aquino III has issued an administrative order directing government entities to coordinate with the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) in the acquisition of data from airborne and spaceborne platforms such as satellite imageries, aerial photographs and other related products and services for mapping purposes in their respective projects.

By virtue of Administrative Order (AO) No. 16 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on July 5, this year, Aquino issued the directive to all government entities to prevent wasteful duplication of expenses in the implementation of various national development programs.

Aquino said the mapping activities of the government is part of cross-cutting strategy under the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 for research, development, extension, and knowledge management on the environment and natural resources.

“The topographic base maps and other thematic maps are important tools in the planning and implementation of various national development programs,” Aquino said.

He noted that “the acquisition of data from airborne and spaceborne platforms, such as satellite imageries, aerial photographs and other related products and services, is an essential and major cost component in the production of topographic base and thematic maps.”

President Aquino further said that “the uncoordinated mapping activities of various government agencies result in wasteful duplication of expenses and effort in the acquisition of satellite imageries and aerial photographs, and in the production of various topographic base and thematic maps, and result further in incompatibility and sub-optimal use of geographic information.”

The NAMRIA is mandated by Section 22(a) of Executive Order (EO) No. 192 (s. 1987) to be the central mapping agency of the government, the AO said.

The AO shall apply to all government agencies, local government units (LGUs), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), Government Corporate Entities (GCEs), Government Instrumentalities with Corporate Powers (GICPs), Government Financial Institutions (GFIs), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), which are referred to as government entities.

It also said that government entities shall submit to NAMRIA a complete inventory and index of all their data holdings within one month from the effectivity of this order.

“Pursuant to Section 22(a) of EO No.192, NAMRIA shall take into account the requirements of other agencies in the formulation and implementation of a nationwide development program on data acquisition, aerial photography, topographic base mapping programs, and other remote sensing mapping activities,” the AO said.

“Data from airborne and spaceborne platforms, such as satellite imageries and aerial photographs, and other related products and services for mapping purposes shall be procured from the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), except for projects funded from foreign grants and other official development assistance for which procurement can remain with the procuring entity,” the AO said.

The AO likewise stated that “a government entity intending to procure data from airborne and spaceborne platforms and other related products and services for mapping purposes shall secure a clearance certificate from NAMRIA as one of the supporting documents for the procurement.”

“NAMRIA shall advise the procuring entity within 15 days on the compliance or non-compliance of the Government Entity to the foregoing conditions, recommend changes in specifications and scope, resolve overlapping procurements in consultation with the procuring entities concerned, or issue a conditional clearance certificate, as may be appropriate,” the AO continued.

The AO added “that all government entities shall, as far as practicable, furnish NAMRIA metadata and copies of all imageries, aerial photographs, and map outputs for integration into the latter’s database.”