Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) is a Jesuit research institute that promotes environmental sustainability and social justice. ESSC strengthens local governance through building local capacity with open-source FOSS4G tools. ESSC engages in activities such as forest cover monitoring, community resource management, disaster resilience, and watershed integration. While access to data and infrastructure present challenges, ESSC aims to enable users to participate in the open source community.

1. FOSS-Geo and ESSC strengthening local governance through building local capacity with open source FOSS4G 2011 Tokyo Maning Sambale

2. Environmental Science for Social Change Jesuit research institute that promotes environmental sustainability and social justice through the integration of scientific methodologies and social processes.

3. Watershed integration http://essc.org.ph/content/view/450/1/ http://essc.org.ph/content/view/462/1/ http://essc.org.ph/content/view/450/1/

4. Forest cover update and monitoring Regular update and popularizing the use of the National Dataset. Forest type and classification - developing a forest classification system based on ecological characteristics. Trends and change analysis. Data maintenance and exchange of research output. Building local capacity to support forest monitoring. http://download.essc.org.ph/forest/ESSC-PWalpole_Figuring%20forest%20figures_reduced_.pdf http://essc.org.ph/content/view/403/44/

5. Forest Cover of 2002 “Figuring the Forest Figures” http://essc.org.ph/content/view/398/1/ http://essc.org.ph/content/view/286/1/

6. Community resource management and culture

7. Learning Sustainable Life: “Bukidnon Pulangiyen Community Experience of Integrating Mother Tongue Education for Sustainable Development” http://apc.essc.org.ph/content/view/50/1/

8. Developing disaster resilience by broadening the disaster discourse

9. Historical Mapping for Marikina Flooding “learning from the past - land, people, and science” http://essc.org.ph/content/view/273/46/

10. Mapping and training assistance for the Marikina Watershed Initiative http://essc.org.ph/content/view/502/44/

11. Institutional FOSS-Geo initiatives Not a developer but active user. Education (short courses, collaboration with tertiary educational institutions, developing local learning materials). Engaging with the international community of users (participation with discussions in the project mailinglists). Environmental Science for Social Change htttp://www.essc.org.ph

12. Challenges and oppurtunities for OSGeo Philippine Chapter Environmental Science for Social Change htttp://www.essc.org.ph Poor access/quality of authoritative geographic data. Poor communication/internet infrastructure in the rural areas. OSGEO projects are changing rapidly. Enabling the users to be part of the community and the open source culture.

13. Q/A Emmanuel "Maning" Sambale http://www.essc.org.ph [email_address]