Manila, Philippines—The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippine Space Authority (PhilSA) on 9 August, formalizing their partnership to leverage space science and technology applications (SSTA) in advancing the housing and urban development sector.

The MOA aims to support DHSUD's Environmental, Land Use, and Urban Planning and Development Bureau (ELUPDB) in digitalizing land use and urban planning processes through the PlanSmart platform.

PlanSmart, developed by DHSUD and the Department of Science and Technology, is an integrated digital platform designed to create climate and disaster risk-informed land use plans, open spaces, and resilient urban designs. The platform is also expected to streamline the supervision of land use implementation.

Under the agreement, the ELUPDB will develop an automated land use and zoning compliance monitoring tool, AutoCAM, which utilizes remote sensing, geographic information systems, and artificial intelligence. This tool will help monitor local government units' compliance with approved comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs) and zoning ordinances.

DHSUD Undersecretary Herry Yap highlighted the significance of this partnership, noting that PhilSA's expertise and resources will enhance the accuracy and timeliness of data used in land use management.

”This partnership aims to bridge that gap by leveraging the rich resources of space technology and data to realize socioeconomic value and benefit,” said PhilSA Space Operations, Infrastructure and Industry Deputy Director General Denis Villorente.

The MOA also mandates setting data standards to enable the integration of land use, zoning, and housing data— including space-derived information—into PlanSmart and related applications.

The agreement was signed by DHSUD Undersecretary Yap, PhilSA Deputy Director Denis Villorente, DHSUD-ELUPDB Director Mylene Rivera, and PhilSA Space Information Infrastructure Bureau Director Ariel Blanco.

PhilSA is responsible for planning, developing, and promoting the national space program in line with the Philippine Space Policy.