Enhanced decision-making is achieved by promoting and sustaining the applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies for:

• community-based natural resource management
• development planning and policy
• trade
• investment
• international development assistance

Close collaboration with international institutions and national government agencies has enabled ESSC to integrate disaggregated information into a National Watershed Database (NWD). The NWD contains the topographic and watershed delineation information that includes a collection of recent (ca. 1999-2002) satellite images of select areas in Philippines. With three levels of datasets, the NWD provides critical information on the interaction of biophysical processes and socio-economic dynamics that impact on watersheds.

In the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao, ESSC's partnership with European universities highlights the solid research foundation in the use of geomatic tools to facilitate greater understanding of the impact of human activities on the environment. With ongoing development of geoinformatic tools, ESSC would be able to promote wider sharing of relevant data to a diverse audience.