PAGASA’s user-friendly platform maps, predicts heat indices

As the state weather bureau, PAGASA, declared the start of the dry season, it introduced a user-friendly platform for mapping and predicting heat indices across the country.

Featured in the “Game Changer” segment of 24 Oras on Monday, the Interactive Heat Index Mapping and Prediction (iHeatMap) platform aims to provide timely advisories to the public.

“Marami na siyang features kung saan mas user-friendly siya at mas maganda na yung kanyang mga information na makikita doon at mas mauunawaan ng ating mga kababayan,” said Jorybelle Masallo, chief of PAGASA’s Impact Assessment and Application Section under the Climatology and Agrometeorology Division.

(It now has more user-friendly features, with improved information that is easier for the public to understand.)

“Gusto natin na magkaroon sila ng on-time na advisory, na warning na pwede nilang magamit upang hindi sila maapektuhan o hindi sila ma-heat stroke, makapaghanda sila kung sila man ay lalabas,” she added.

(We want to provide timely advisories and warnings that the public can use to prepare for extreme heat and avoid risks such as heat stroke.)

The iHeatMap platform provides hourly forecasts, real-time monitoring, and an app version.

Its alerts are color-coded to help users easily identify dangerous heat conditions in specific areas.

Users can also search for a location to check its heat index and hourly forecast, as well as identify peak dates and times of extreme heat.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/MCG, GMA Integrated News