Geowriters Lab: Writeshop for thesis-stage MS Geog students

The Geowriters Lab of the UP Department of Geography is inviting thesis-stage MS Geography students for a Writeshop for Geography Grad Students. This event is a mini-workshop where members of the Geography Graduate Faculty provide tips and offer suggestions how to overcome writer’s block, compose coherent, cogent and AI-free problem statements, research questions and objectives. This event hopefully allows students to interact with other similarly situated graduate students in the MS Geog program, as possible thesis writing partners or as a support group.

The event is on Saturday, 22 August 2026 from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon in Pavilion 2250. Click the link below to register for this event. Do this on or before 5:00PM on Monday, 17 August 2026.

https://bit.ly/4hWpoVW

This event is organised by the Research Committee and the Geography Graduate Program of the UPD Department of Geography. This event aligns with SDG #4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development.  

Heo/Geo Lecture Series 2026-08: Levin Daran on the importance of geonarratives in geospatial storytelling

What stories are underlain in the 2-dimensionality of a map?

While maps have always been powerful tools, they are frequently viewed as technical instruments for data. Reducing spaces to raw data, tables, and layers strips away the human element that gives those locations their true meaning. 

For the 8th Heo/Geo Lecture Series for 2026, the UP Department of Geography and the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS) are presenting a lecture titled Weaving Narratives into Spaces with ArcGIS StoryMaps. To be given by Lou Benedict Daran of Geodata Systems Technologies, the lecture happens on Wednesday, 29 July 2026 at 5:30PM via Zoom.

This presentation explores how to use ArcGIS StoryMaps as an immersive digital storytelling platform. By shifting our focus from technical aspects of data toward narrative design, we can weave together images, videos, and interactive maps to build a genuine emotional connection with the places we showcase. We are hoping that attendees will leave with a different perspective from the traditional norm and present spatial data as compelling, human-centered stories.

Lou Benedict "Levin" Daran is a GIS instructor from the Training and Technical Support Division of Geodata Systems Technologies, Inc. A graduate of the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Geography, his technical competencies include spatial analysis, map design, and application configuration. He has extensive experience equipping major organizations such as the City Government of Makati, Batangas State University, and MMDA with spatial data skills through ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online. His professional portfolio also extends to high-impact humanitarian initiatives. He previously contributed to the PhilAware project, mapping and validating critical lifeline facilities in Pampanga and Quezon City for the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team – Philippines (HOTPH).

Jointly sponsored by the UP Department of Geography and the Philippine Geographical Society (PGS), the Heo/Geo Lecture Series is a monthly talk / lecture given by academic geographers, geography-adjacent scholars, practitioners working in geospatial industries, and partners that engaged in geography through their multiple publics. Speakers are invited for the relevance of the talk to our local to global allies and partners. The talk ranges from the sharing of research findings to pedagogical practices and field-based experiences. This current lecture is facilitated by the Geographic Information Systems and Techniques (GIST) research cluster at the UP Department of Geography and is in line with the SDG #4 (Quality Education) of the United Nations.

To participate in the lecture, click this link to register: https://tinyurl.com/53u6w53w

Geography 192: Team Semirara 2026 co-creates P3DM with community residents of Barangay Semirara, Caluya, Antique

Last July 9, July 10 and July 13, the Team Semirara of the Geography 192 field classes for midyear 2026 held its culminating activity: the Participatory 3D Mapping or P3DM that aims to engage the community to create their own tangible, representative and functional 3D map.

The three-day activity held at the Pension House, Barangay Semirara, Caluya, Province of Antique, was participated by around 70 individuals including barangay councilors, sitio and purok leaders, barangay health workers (BHWs), Disaster Operations Center (DOC) representatives, and volunteers from various sectors of the community.

From tracing, to cutting, to painting and designing, the UPD Geography team created, collaborated and co-produced knowledge with the community to create and mount a 3-dimensional map while actively discussing and learning the geographic features and backgrounds of the barangay from the participants, and explaining how the map can better serve the community, not just in mapping spaces of vulnerabilities but also as to how to add new information to the 'living map' that was produced.

The P3DM activity produced a 5ft x 6ft topographic map with information on infrastructures, land use, capacities, road networks, and several hazard areas including flood, storm surge and rain-induced landslide.

Inset maps were also produced to zoom in on densely populated areas of the barangay for household mapping with information on building material and vulnerabilities by assigning household and building ID numbers that are linked to a database.

Video edited by Jade Ocab

Videography by Jade Ocab & Kyla Bacolod

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#UPDGeography

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