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Students help promote a better environment through tech

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By Erwin Oliva INQUIRER.net WHILE COVERI NG the Microsoft Imagine Cup annual software design competition, I got to m eet several teams of college students from different top local universities. Th eir objective: design a software application that would help promote a sustaina ble environment. One idea from Team Prairie Watch of the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde invo lved tagging endangered animals with a little webcam and streaming the video that this little gadget captures on the web. They had a working prototype that looked promising. Another idea developed by Team Tala was a computer game that would teach kids about the environment. Team Tala was a mixed team of stu dents from the University of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Phi lippines and the Philippine Christian University. Here's my video interview with Team Prairie Watch. And here's the video interview with Team Tala. What caught my attention (but unfortunately it didn't win) was a software appli cation developed by Team IMI 2.0 from Colegio de San Juan de Letran. They devel oped a software application that applied the "crowd sourcing" idea to calamity and disaster reporting. As explained to me by the students and their teacher, the software application uses Microsoft Virtual Earth as the user interface to allow people to report calamities a nd disasters. They could either submit written reports via text or chat, or upl oad video clips. Designed with the government in mind, the application uses a v irtual map to pinpoint areas of disaster and calamaties. If you click on an ico n, you will be able to get more information. This application can best serve agencies like the National Disaster Coordinatin g Council. This will allow citizens to submit pertinent information (which shou ld go through verification) and contribute to information gathered by the gover nment. In calamity and disaster reporting, verified information is crucial. As their teacher explained, it is like the "911 for calamities and disaster on the Web." The application hopes to bridge the gap of information from those who wa nt to help and from those needing help during a disaster. Another interesting software application, which I found intriguing, was called "Gigo," as in "garbage in, garbage out." It was developed by the youngest final ists from Team Tibecom of Ateneo. They were freshmen and they won second place. First place went to another team from Ateneo, dubbed Team Pi/4, who developed a system that hopes to help consumers make environmentally-friendly decisions w hen buying products. Gigo works like "Google for trash." A widget or gadget is downloaded to a person's desktop, so that they can conduct searches on common p roducts and find out how these could be recycled. It also empowers people by te aching them how to deal with trash and non-biodegradable products, such as styr ofoam. Here's the video interview with Team Tibecom. And here's the video interview with Team Pi/4. One thing that I observed after the winners were declared was that students who were able to explain their projects clearly came out on top. So it is also imp ortant that ideas are presented clearly. This was the lesson I learned earlier in a bootcamphosted by Morph Labs.

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9 Comments

I am the Executive Director of Presidential Task Force on Climate Change. I am
interested to get in touch, with the student who developed application for disa
ster and environment . I will appreciate if I can be link with them and be able
to communicate with them. Magandang araw.

I think this is so amazing what the students are doing. The environment is so important to all of us. This is so good to see. Keep up the good work.
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Thanks for such an interesting and useful article here. It is always nice when students try to help in some situations because they are young and it is always easier for them to promote things. I just hope that in the future students will be such active as now. Thanks for the great article one more time and keep publishing such nice ones in the nearest future too.
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The students are our future and when they come forward with brilliant ideas through their software applications we should encourage them. I felt inspired by the idea of Team Tala on environment, it is the need of the hour, by teaching others about our environment and how we are all dependent on each other there is a very good reason that it will promote a sustainable economy which will be socially responsible as well.
Team Pi/4 well deserved to be in the first place because to whatever extent the major players take the strides in the market ultimately the response of its buyers depends. As long as we are smart buyers and choose to use eco friendly products the corporate world too have to ultimately meet the buyers needs instead of their profits.

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I must admit this is, on my behalf, the most pure and proactive gesture of displaying solutions for the environment. Nature under the guidance of nowadays technology is a field yet to be explored and developed. Congratulations on the initiative, good luck in shaping your ideas into reality and may the entitled authorities support and encourage your work and lead your way towards success!

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First place went to another team from Ateneo, dubbed Team Pi/4, who developed a system that hopes to help consumers make environmentally-friendly decisions w hen buying products. Gigo works like "Google for trash." A widget or gadget is downloaded to a person's desktop, so that they can conduct searches on common p roducts and find out how these could be recycled. It also empowers people by te aching them how to deal with trash and non-biodegradable products, such as styr ofoam. Here's the video interview with Team Tibecom.
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Proud to see such young people making their way through. This is the kind of project money should be invested in. These are great ideas and they should be more appreciated by the public. Not to mention that, indeed, these are the voices you will later on speak about the
phoenix technologies bios, knowledge under the shape of robotics and inventions, tremendous improvements in the IT industry.

One thing that I observed after the winners were declared was that students who were able to explain their projects clearly came out on top
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What students of Polytechnic University of the Phi lippines and the Philippine Christian University did is very meaningful and indeed something good for the environment. I hope more people can join them and make things straight. Rolex Watches

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