The National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) yesterday said that it would display its smart disaster monitoring systems at the Secutech Thailand exhibit next week in a bid to boost technological and industrial ties with Southeast Asian nations.
The NARL would be attending the exhibit for the first time, after establishing the its first overseas office at the Thailand Science Park in Bangkok in March, said NARL vice president Wu Kuang-chong (吳光鐘), who is to lead a delegation to the exhibit from Monday to Thursday next week.
The NARL is to exhibit five disaster monitoring and warning technologies developed by its National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering and its National Center for High-performance Computing.
Its “Smart Earth Simulator” platform utilizes geographic and building information systems, images and data gathered by satellites, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) as well as light detection and ranging devices to produce spatial models to monitor flooding, earthquakes and traffic safety, and can incorporate virtual reality and augmented reality imagery when necessary, the NARL said.
The “On-site Earthquake Early Warning System” can detect faster and subtler primary waves created by an earthquake, and estimate the intensity of secondary waves to issue warnings using artificial intelligence technology, which has been used to help mitigate the effects of earthquakes in many semiconductor manufacturing plants, high-speed rail stations and school buildings, it said.
The “Safety and Disaster Prevention Management System for Intelligent Bridges” monitors bridge deterioration and facilitates maintenance work, while the “Smart Flood-proofing System” integrates forecasts of rain and tidal levels to issue inundation alarms, it said.
The “Integration Platform of Multi-dimensional Information Fusion” can integrate terrain data, as well as UAV and shapefile data to produce 3D spatial models, including details such as underground pipelines and fault lines, it said.
The NARL is also collaborating with the Thai Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency in the country’s efforts to develop its own satellites.
The NARL built its first overseas office in Thailand mainly because the National Space Organization has long had a partnership with the Thai space agency, Wu said.
The NARL’s earthquake research center would help schools in northern Thailand reinforce their buildings to withstand earthquakes, as a magnitude 6 earthquake in 2014 damaged many buildings in the region, Wu said.
Thai National Science and Technology Development Agency President Narong Sirilertworakul is expected to visit Taiwan soon to discuss opportunities for further bilateral collaboration, Wu added.
Part of Smart City Solutions Week, Secutech Thailand is held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre with the Thailand Lighting Fair, Thailand Building Fair and Digital Thailand Big Bang.
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