Building a strategic technology roadmap for the use of geographic information system in drug abuse prevention and control / Joan Marie S. Sison

Year : 2014

Number of Pages : 70 leaves

Adviser : Prof. Glen A. Imbang

Executive Summary

"The problem on drug dependency exempts no society this threat is one that impinges unstable rule and order" (DDB Annual Report 2009). The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) as the policy making and strategy formulating body of the government on drug abuse prevention and control are taking steps to address the drug menace by employing strategies that counter all its facets through its five-pronged approach namely : drug supply reduction, drug demand reduction, alternative development, civic awareness and response, and regional and international cooperation. The Dangerous Drugs Board has continuously implemented programs and activities in pursuit of the attainment of its vision. With the complexity of the present situation, it has embarked on projects geared towards the promotion of a drug-resistant nation that shall eventually lead towards the attainment of a drug-free Philippines. These strategies are being complemented with the use of technology. The potential use of technology in the anti-drug advocacy has been looked into and the influence of technology in preventing drug abuse has been harnessed. The agency is receptive to the different technologies that can be utilized to support government efforts on drug abuse prevention and control (Sison, 2012). It is in this light that the Geographic Information System (GIS) initiative was born. The development of GIS for drug prevention and control as a data presentation and analysis tool served as the focus of the project. To optimize the use of GIS and ensure its success, a technology roadmapping process by Bray and Garcia (1997) was conducted following these steps : 1) satisfying essential conditions, 2) providing leadership/sponsorship, 3) defining the scope and boundaries for the technology roadmap 4) identifying the "product" that will be the focus of the roadmap 5) identifying the critical system requirements and their targets, 6) specifying the major technology areas, 7) specifying the technology drivers and their targets, 8) identifying technology alternatives and their timelines, 9) recommending the technology alternatives that should be pursued, 10) creating the technology roadmap project, 11) critiquing and validating the roadmap. Through this process, priority areas and goals were identified. First is rational management with the goal of promoting and improving the use of the technology as the main tool for decision making and strategy formulation. Second is appropriate technology which aims to implement suitable technologies needed to develop and enhance the GIS. Lastly, the social adaption with an objective to create an environment that fosters sustained participation and continuous development of the system. By adhering to the technology roadmap and implementing the identified actions, GIS will be transformed into a technological system that would facilitate the creation of effective and responsive policies and programs on drug abuse prevention and control. The roadmap developed in this project contains the mechanism to help address forecasted concerns. Necessary policies and strategies were identified along with a framework of actions to help plan and coordinate these strategies. With the development of the roadmap, the Board now has a strategic plan that will guide it in optimizing new technology, particularly GIS, to help achieve its goal of a drug-resistant and eventually a drug-free Philippines.