BIG DATA ANALYTICS: APPLICATIONS IN

POLICY, DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNANCE

26 July 2017
Fuller Hall, AIM
Makati City
Presentation Outline

I. Big Data Definition, Characteristics and Uses

II. Applications of Big Data in the Philippines
A. Enabling Government
B. Current applications: Private Sector
C. Sector Applications
1. Policy Development and Governance
2. Health
3. ICT
4. Traffic and Transport Management
III. Issues and Challenges
IV. Future of Big Data in the Philippines
Big Data: Definition

Big Data is a composite term describing

emerging technological capabilities in
solving complex tasks – has been hailed
by industry analysts, business
strategists and marketing pros as a new
frontier for innovation, competition and
productivity.
“Practically everything that deals with
data or business intelligence can be
rebranded into the new gold rush”
Image Source:http://seeslab.info/static/img/home_res_2.png

SOURCE: ITU-T Technology Watch Report November 2013, Big Data: Big today, normal
tomorrow (https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/oth/23/01/T23010000220001PDFE.pdf),
page 1
Big Data: Definition

Big data usually includes data sets with

sizes beyond the ability of commonly-
used software tools to capture, curate,
manage and process

It reflects patterns that lend themselves

to analysis using software analytics
tools that can be the basis for strategic
decisions in governance or market
strategy. Image Source:http://seeslab.info/static/img/home_res_2.png

SOURCE: Prof. Sun Hanlin, presented during APT Training on Big Data Analytics dated
October 19-26, 2016, XUPT, Xi’an China
 Big Data: Characteristics

SOURCE: Prof. Sun Hanlin, presented during APT Training on Big Data Analytics dated October 19-26,
2016, XUPT, Xi’an China
Big Data: Uses
Big Data: Uses
Applications of Big Data in the
Philippines
Enabling Environment: Republic Act 10173

• Also known as “Data Privacy Act”

• An Act protecting individual personal information in information and
communications systems in the government and the private sector
• Aims to protect the fundamental human right of privacy of
communication while ensuring free flow of information to promote
innovation and growth
• Affirms the State’s recognition of the vital role of information and
communications technology in nation-building and of its inherent
obligation to ensure that personal information in information and
communications systems are secured and protected
Enabling Environment: Republic Act 10175

• Also known as “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012”

• The State recognizes the vital role of information and communications
industries
• The State also recognizes the importance of providing an environment
conducive to the development, acceleration, and rational application
and exploitation of ICT
 Enabling Environment: House Bill 3056/Senate Bill 688

Institutionalizing the establishment of the Philippine Data Center

•Also known as the “Big Data Act”
•Proposes an infrastructure where Big Data is utilized for research and
development, invention and innovation.
•Recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-
building.

https://www.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=17&q=SBN-688
Senate Bill No. 688, “AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE BIG DATA CENTER” (20
July 2016)
 Enabling Environment: House Bill 3056/Senate Bill 688

Institutionalizing the establishment of the Philippine Data Center

•Recognizes that Science and Technology are essential for national
development and progress.
•Gives priority to research and development, invention, and innovation, and
their utilization; and to science and technology education, training and
services.

https://www.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=17&q=SBN-688
Senate Bill No. 688, “AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE BIG DATA CENTER” (20
July 2016)
 Current Applications: Private Sector

Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) in partnership with the Philippine

Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ)
• Launched Data Journalism Ph 2015 to train journalists on the tools
and techniques required to gain and communicate insight from
public data, including web scraping, database analysis and
interactive visualization.

Sources:
- http://www.rappler.com/business/features/139249-philippines-big-data-opportunity-information-technology-dict
- http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/05/26/making-sense-of-big-data-data-journalism-ph-2015
- http://www.internetsociety.org/articles/big-data-philippines-challenges-and-opportunities
- http://www.pldt.com/news-center/article/2015/05/13/pldt-group-launches-big-data-services-in-the-philippines#.Vzq35K1hnIU
- http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/128327-open-traffic-initiative-grab-worldbank
 Current Applications: Private Sector

Open Society Foundation and Hivos

• Has been digitising 25 years worth of public records, including
electoral data, state revenue allocations and government
procurement, and posting them on a dedicated webpage,
moneypolitics.pcij.org.

Sources:
- http://www.rappler.com/business/features/139249-philippines-big-data-opportunity-information-technology-dict
- http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/05/26/making-sense-of-big-data-data-journalism-ph-2015
- http://www.internetsociety.org/articles/big-data-philippines-challenges-and-opportunities
- http://www.pldt.com/news-center/article/2015/05/13/pldt-group-launches-big-data-services-in-the-philippines#.Vzq35K1hnIU
- http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/128327-open-traffic-initiative-grab-worldbank
 Current Applications: Private Sector

PLDT
• invested $30 million in big data analytic services
• Launched in 2015 Big Data services: Expert Consulting, Managed
Platform services, and Breakthrough Insights

Grab and World Bank

• Launched Open Traffic initiative to ease traffic congestion by using
GPS data from smartphones of Grab drivers
Sources:
- http://www.rappler.com/business/features/139249-philippines-big-data-opportunity-information-technology-dict
- http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/05/26/making-sense-of-big-data-data-journalism-ph-2015
- http://www.internetsociety.org/articles/big-data-philippines-challenges-and-opportunities
- http://www.pldt.com/news-center/article/2015/05/13/pldt-group-launches-big-data-services-in-the-philippines#.Vzq35K1hnIU
- http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/128327-open-traffic-initiative-grab-worldbank
Sector Applications: Policy Development and Governance
• Big Data Task Force on Official Statistics
– Philippine Statistics Authority
– Functions are to:
• Develop a harmonized ecosystem between different stakeholders by establishing a
framework of data sharing and exchange of good practices on big data
• Look into the discussion of the Senate Bill on big data and other related legislations
that can influence the use of big data in the country.
• Develop policies and recommend standards and validation mechanisms on the
utilization of big data for official statistics for the PSS, especially in support of
monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Discuss policy issues and challenges, and recommend measures to provide a viable
environment for big data to be used to better inform/complement official statistics.
Sector Applications: ICT

● Open Data Philippines (data.gov.ph)

● Department of ICT
○ aims to make all open government data available through a
single portal, data.gov.ph
○ collects datasets from different government agencies, allowing
users to find specific data from a continuously growing collection
of public datasets
○ provides the public with accessible, searchable, and
understandable government data

Source: https://www.gov.ph/data/
Sector Applications: ICT
● Open Data Philippines (data.gov.ph)
● Department of ICT
Sector Applications: ICT

● Big Data Pilot Study in the Philippines

● ITU, Department of ICT, Globe Telecom, Smart Communications,
PSA
○ Philippines is one of the 6 countries participating in the pilot
study on Big Data.
○ The pilot study has engaged the Philippine Statistics Authority,
GLOBE Telecom and SMART Communications as the data
providers of the project.
Sector Applications: ICT

○ The objective of the pilot study is to generate ICT indicators using

big data and new methodologies to better measure the
information society and improve the quality of country data for
the ICT Development Index (IDI).
○ Status: ongoing
Sector Applications: ICT

● University of the Philippines Nationwide Operational Assessment

of Hazards (UP-NOAH)
● DOST, UP Institute of Geological Sciences, PAG-ASA
○ Its goal is to help reduce the impacts of hazards.
○ It seeks to assist the country in disaster risk reduction and
management, climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts
and related activities through research, development and
extension services.
○ It also aims to produce free, accessible, accurate, reliable, and
relevant scientific disaster data.
SOURCE: http://center.noah.up.edu.ph/
 Sector Applications: Health

● Health Data Analytics and Privacy

○ The method of processing extensive health data(e.g. medical records,
social demographics, etc.) into information vital in explaining or
predicting the health state in a certain area.
● Philippine Health Information Exchange
○ Patterned after the Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPnet), an
online health policy databank run by the World Health Organization
(WHO)
○ it will serve as nationwide platform for storing and sharing data that
across government information systems.
SOURCE:
http://news.mb.com.ph/2016/11/20/big-data-defeats-dengue/
http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/5521-health-data-analytics-and-privacy-how-far-can-health-researchers-access-a-patient-s-data
 Sector Applications: Health

● Big Data Defeats Dengue: Engaging with Citizens

○ Wilson Chua studied a 3-year data from DOH in Pangasinan because
of a dengue outbreak in 2015
○ He was able to analyze when and where dengue infections spiked
○ It helped DOH in defeating the outbreak and has saved many lives

SOURCE:
http://news.mb.com.ph/2016/11/20/big-data-defeats-dengue/
http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/5521-health-data-analytics-and-privacy-how-far-can-health-researchers-access-a-patient-s-data
Sector Applications: Health

● PhilHealth
○ Participated in the Global Forum on Research and Innovation for
Health 2015 highlighting their numbers, challenges and plans:
■ Uneven state of automation of providers
■ Information security and privacy
■ Data processing

SOURCE: http://www.forum2015.org/index.php/component/phocadownload/category/86-session-5?download=239:ruben-basa
Sector Applications: Traffic/Transport Management

“Using big data is one of the potential solutions to the challenges faced
by our transport systems. Through this we can provide accurate, real-
time information for initiatives that can help alleviate traffic
congestion and improve road safety,” said DOTC Secretary Joseph
Emilio A. Abaya
Sector Applications: Traffic/Transport Management

• OpenTraffic
• Grab, WorldBank, Department of Transportation
– OpenTraffic smart data platform provides free-of-cost GPS
information for better analysis of travel speeds and journey times
in Metro Manila and Cebu City
– Launched in April 2016

SOURCE: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2016/04/05/philippines-real-time-data-can-improve-traffic-management-in
Big Data Issues/Challenges

● Data collection and integration

● Storage and management
● Shortage of data scientists
● Data privacy

SOURCES:
- Prof. Sun Hanlin, presented during APT Training on Big Data Analytics dated October 19-26, 2016, XUPT, Xi’an China
- Harvard Business review (https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century)
Big Data Issues/Challenges

● Readiness in terms of the ff:

○ Infrastructure - technology and access
○ Human capital - education and competency
○ Planning and governance - national and local government policy

SOURCES:
- The Philippine Context: Emerging Challenges in the Age of Internet and Big Data, Democracy.net.PH,,
presented 6th September 2016, DOST-ASTI Building, CP Garcia Avenue, Quezon City
Big Data Issues/Challenges

● Improvement of broadband infrastructure with more affordable

subscription costs

SOURCES:
- The Philippine Context: Emerging Challenges in the Age of Internet and Big Data, Democracy.net.PH,, presented 6th
September 2016, DOST-ASTI Building, CP Garcia Avenue, Quezon City
 Future of Big Data in the Philippines

● Big data analytics to spread across a diverse niche of industries

● Philippines a ‘breakout nation” for global investors in big data
● Commission on Higher Education and IBM to jointly develop a Big Data
education roadmap to train the next generation of Filipino employees
● 12 leading universities to start offering complete undergraduate
business and IT curricula developed by IBM for Big Data analytics

Source:
Henry J. Schumacher, http://www.philstar.com/cebu-business/2015/07/17/1477941/big-data-big-opportunities-philippines,
issued 17 July 2015
http://analyticstraining.com/2017/philippines-next-big-hub-big-data-analytics/
THANK YOU!
www.dict.gov.ph