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MANILA – A personnel of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) on Tuesday said satellite images/maps have been guiding the responders in containing the Mindoro oil spill.
PhilSA has been processing oil spill maps since March 3, sharing these images with the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.
The maps show the extent of the oil spill from the MT Princess Empress vessel that sank along the coast of Oriental Mindoro last February 28.
The images were retrieved from the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, a worldwide collaboration of various space agencies and other space-related institutions through which satellite data are made available for the benefit of disaster management.
"Pwedeng magamit yung extent ng oil slick na nakikita ng satellites para i-validate kung tama yung mga forecast models. Pwede din siyang gamitin para malaman kung gaano kalawak yung nasa dagat na posibleng makarating sa mga dalampasigan (The extent of oil slick captured in the satellite images can be used to validate if the forecast models are correct. The images can also be used to see the extent of oil spill that may reach the shores)," PhilSA's Space Information Infrastructure Bureau Supervising Science Research specialist, Roel de la Cruz, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Satellite imagery, according to de la Cruz, can be used to map large areas from a different vantage points, and aid in making science-based decisions.
The maps could be used to complement the efforts of various government agencies and other institutions to aid in the government’s oil spill response.
He said a satellite image captured on Monday at 10 a.m. showed the detection of an oil slick along Verde Island located in-between Batangas and Mindoro.
"Medyo mahaba itong oil slick na ito. Ipoproseso pa natin ito later on. Pababa pa sya dito sa ilang portions ng dagat sa baybayin ng Mindoro (This oil slick is quite long, and we still have to process this image. The slick could be heading towards some portions of Mindoro coastal waters)," de la Cruz told reporters.
Meanwhile, the team working on the maps shared that among the challenges they face is the frequency and availability of satellite imagery.
That is why, PhilSA has been utilizing Sentinel Asia and the International Charter Space and Major Disasters to get additional images from other space agencies globally.
"When it's cloudy, the use of optical satellite cannot be optimized to see the extent of the oil spill. So we make use of the SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites," the team told the PNA.
They also shared that there are times when the images in the affected areas cannot be fully captured. (PNA)
PhilSA has been processing oil spill maps since March 3, sharing these images with the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.
The maps show the extent of the oil spill from the MT Princess Empress vessel that sank along the coast of Oriental Mindoro last February 28.
The images were retrieved from the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, a worldwide collaboration of various space agencies and other space-related institutions through which satellite data are made available for the benefit of disaster management.
"Pwedeng magamit yung extent ng oil slick na nakikita ng satellites para i-validate kung tama yung mga forecast models. Pwede din siyang gamitin para malaman kung gaano kalawak yung nasa dagat na posibleng makarating sa mga dalampasigan (The extent of oil slick captured in the satellite images can be used to validate if the forecast models are correct. The images can also be used to see the extent of oil spill that may reach the shores)," PhilSA's Space Information Infrastructure Bureau Supervising Science Research specialist, Roel de la Cruz, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Satellite imagery, according to de la Cruz, can be used to map large areas from a different vantage points, and aid in making science-based decisions.
The maps could be used to complement the efforts of various government agencies and other institutions to aid in the government’s oil spill response.
He said a satellite image captured on Monday at 10 a.m. showed the detection of an oil slick along Verde Island located in-between Batangas and Mindoro.
"Medyo mahaba itong oil slick na ito. Ipoproseso pa natin ito later on. Pababa pa sya dito sa ilang portions ng dagat sa baybayin ng Mindoro (This oil slick is quite long, and we still have to process this image. The slick could be heading towards some portions of Mindoro coastal waters)," de la Cruz told reporters.
Meanwhile, the team working on the maps shared that among the challenges they face is the frequency and availability of satellite imagery.
That is why, PhilSA has been utilizing Sentinel Asia and the International Charter Space and Major Disasters to get additional images from other space agencies globally.
"When it's cloudy, the use of optical satellite cannot be optimized to see the extent of the oil spill. So we make use of the SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites," the team told the PNA.
They also shared that there are times when the images in the affected areas cannot be fully captured. (PNA)
