TAGUIG CITY — The Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) flagship Geospatial Analytics & Technology Solutions (GATES) program is strengthening cybersecurity and data protection measures as it works with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to build a unified national geospatial and climate data platform.
The three-year GATES program seeks to integrate fragmented geospatial, hazard, climate and other strategic datasets across DOST agencies to support disaster risk reduction, governance and advanced analytics.
In an interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE on Tuesday, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said the program incorporates cybersecurity measures to protect data from hacking attempts through monitoring and detection systems.
DOST Assistant Scientist and GATES Program Manager Mylene Jerez said data privacy remains a priority, with safeguards in place to prevent artificial intelligence systems from exposing sensitive personal information.
“These mechanisms are in place to make sure that the data is kept private,” Jerez said.
AI and cybersecurity
JICA DXLab Head Atsushi Yamanaka said artificial intelligence can be used both as a threat and as a tool for protection, underscoring the need for strong cybersecurity frameworks.
“AI can be used in both ways, in terms of harming people and harming society. You can think about how they can use misinformation and so on, but at the same time, there is a way to protect AI or some of those different cybersecurity elements as well,” Yamanaka said.
He stressed the growing role of AI in cybersecurity and digital resilience.
“AI for cybersecurity, and cybersecurity for AI,” Yamanaka added.
Data-driven governance
The GATES program is also exploring emerging technologies such as geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI), predictive analytics and Earth observation applications to support planning, governance, resilience and sustainable development.
It is designed to provide an AI-ready national data platform for the country's weather, volcanology and seismology sectors while connecting data from multiple agencies.
A key objective of the DOST-JICA collaboration is to develop a secure and reliable platform capable of supporting large-scale analytics while ensuring agencies retain ownership of the data they generate.
Officials said the initiative is expected to strengthen disaster risk management and promote data-driven policymaking, reinforcing the role of digital innovation in building a more resilient and sustainable Philippines.
