Property colossus Megaworld Development Corp. (Megaworld) will harness the power of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) in building smart, disaster-resistant and future-ready township developments.
“We have been integrating data analytics and artificial intelligence in various aspects of our business, particularly as we continue to develop next-generation township developments where tech innovations make life a lot safer and more enjoyable for residents, locators, and visitors,” Francis Viernes, Chief Data Scientist and Lab Director of TAT Lab and head of Data Analytics, Megaworld said in a recent press briefing held in its corporate office at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC).
The formation of the Township Analytics and Technology Lab (TAT Lab), according to Viernes, is part of the initiative of the company to promote sustainability. Moreover, it is the first-ever data science lab spearheaded by a property development company in Asia.
The TAT Lab, which will be located within the 50-hectare McKinley Hill, will be designed to develop, deploy, and improve machine learning models and AI aimed at increasing the level of safety and security of Megaworld townships nationwide. Megaworld will be using AI to introduce innovative programs, which include an advanced accident detection system that can detect road accidents and trigger a faster, more efficient incident response.
“In many road incidents, the difference in response time between someone reporting a vehicular accident and an AI program detecting it, for example, may mean a matter of life and death. This AI-powered accident detection system will be one of the several programs that we will be rolling out in Megaworld townships soon to make our developments more responsive to the future needs of our communities,” Viernes added.
Further, the TAT Lab will also be rolling out a Township-specific Weather Analytics and Monitoring capability. The program is in its pilot testing phase in partnership with Komunidad. It aims to help make Megaworld townships more resilient by providing localized and more accurate climate information to help residents and locators plan their day-to-day activities more efficiently.
“Unlike other weather analysis providers, our township weather analytics will be able to send out advice to people within our townships about the specific time rain is going to pour, for example, in McKinley Hill as opposed to just having a generic weather analysis for the entire Taguig City,” adds Viernes.
Viernes said other programs such as township geographic assessment with real-time traffic information, as well as age and gender sentiment detection capability that will provide an additional layer of security and protection for residential condominiums, offices, malls and hotels and townships of Megaworld will also be introduced.
The TAT Lab will soon be created alongside the Megaworld Command Center, a state-of-the-art surveillance facility that will be capable of monitoring and consolidating situation reports across all of Megaworld’s townships nationwide. The TAT Lab and the Command Center are expected to be operational by 2023.
“The Megaworld Command Center represents our commitment to promoting business continuity within our townships even amidst natural or man-made calamities. The proximity of the future TAT Lab to the soon-to-rise Megaworld Command Center will ensure that machine learning models deployed across our townships are our working properly and generating the appropriate information for our data scientists that will help make our developments safer and more secure for everyone,” shared Michael Angelo Dumlao, senior assistant vice president and head of Estate Management, Megaworld.
Viernes said the company will also employ in future projects data science and technology programs in various aspects across Megaworld townships, including risks, traffic, security, utilities, waste disposal, and sustainability.
In 2018, Megaworld embarked on future-proofing its developments with the introduction of its iTownships initiative. The main goal of this program is to create “townships of the future” by integrating design, safety, smart technology, connectivity, energy efficiency, and talent development into the very blueprint of Megaworld’s township developments.
The digitization of customer service and payment processes, integration of smart home technology in residential units, and the utilization of digital technology and energy-efficient materials in structural designs were among the projects that have been implemented as part of iTownships.
The program also included the creation of Township Operation Centers across all Megaworld developments, which maximizes 24/7 security and safety monitoring and emergency response in every township, among others.