IBM Philippines is collaborating with teams from the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and telecom firm Smart Communications in customizing for the NDCC a software called 'Sahana.'
Sahana -- a Sinhalese word for relief -- is a free and open source disaster management system developed in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami in December of 2004.
It is an integrated set of pluggable, web-based disaster management applications that provide solutions to large-scale humanitarian problems in the wake of a disaster.
It was initially built by a group of volunteers consisting mostly of the Sri Lankan IT industry and spearheaded by Lanka Software Foundation (LSF). The LSF is a free and open source software research and development nonprofit organization in collaboration with IBM.
'While SAHANA cannot solve all the problems in a disaster, it is an excellent tool to create registries that can provide timely and reliable information on missing persons, donated goods and services, camp locations, and the like,' IBM Philippines general manager Joaquin Quintos IV said in a statement.
In a formal letter, National Defense secretary Avelino Cruz cited IBM's contribution to the government's relief and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of the landslide that happened in Southern Leyte last February.
Cruz said the use of technology will greatly boost the NDCC's preparedness for future disasters.
The virtual disaster operations system is designed to facilitate effective coordination and information sharing among NDCC member agencies, private sector and civil society groups involved in disaster response, relief and rehabilitation.