LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines — In line with the government’s effort to improve weather monitoring to protect life and property, 1,800 automatic weather stations (AWS) are being installed nationwide, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) said Tuesday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the installation of AWSs in the provinces throughout the country will be beneficial to areas under threat of typhoons.

During his recent visit here, DoST Assistant Secretary Robert Dizon vouched for the reliability of the AWS system in providing people with accurate weather data.

Dizon said the AWS, which was designed and developed by DoST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), will play a critical role in hazard mitigation in the country.

He said utilizing these devices is not just for the modernization of PAGASA’s weather tracking system but part of a greater government effort to establish and maintain a nationwide environmental monitoring network in order to detect the path, strength and the general direction of typhoons and other weather systems.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) welcomes this move to help local DRRM units better address typhoon and flood situation in order to save more lives and properties.