Abg Jo: S’wak to provide research management system for Tropi

Abang Johari (second left) seen arriving at the AsiaFlux Conference 2022 Gala Dinner venue with Dr Lulie (left) and Dr Rundi (second, right). – Photo by Roystein Emmor

KOTA SAMARAHAN (Sept 20): A research management system for the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi) will be developed by the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) in the future, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said Tropi is in need of big data facilities and it was high time the institute had such a system, which was why he approved the development of the research management system.

“Tropi needs digital transformation – and we can assist the institute by developing a system such as the Research Information Management System (RIMS) for them,” Abang Johari said in his speech during the AsiaFlux Conference 2022 Gala Dinner held at the institute’s headquarters here on Tuesday night.

He said the system could help speed up Tropi’s work process, minimise errors and archive generated data, as the baseline data is vital as Sarawak moves forward towards environmental sustainability.

Additionally, Abang Johari said with RIMS in place for Tropi’s improved efficiency, Sarawak would also be able to attract further global research collaborations.

“In 2017, we had the privilege of visiting Finland and seeing the University of Helsinki’s SMEAR II station (for measuring ecosystem-atmosphere relations) at the Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station.

“Scientists at this EU-funded research station conduct multidisciplinary research on the role of forests and peatlands in climate change, focusing on forests, peatlands and the atmosphere,” he said.

Abang Johari also noted Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia to have three eddy flux towers on tropical peatlands.

“We are proud to be the only state in Malaysia to have three eddy flux towers on tropical peatlands, which have been generating significant volumes of raw eddy flux and meteorological data every month for over 10 years.

“This is a very outstanding achievement – Tropi has collected data both manually and through a standalone system. For that, I applaud the consistency, meticulousness and efforts of Tropi in collecting these data sets years before many realised its value,” he said.

He said since collecting, processing and archiving the data from the three towers over the 12 years required big data facilities, he decided to approve the development of RIMS for the institute.

“With the system, Tropi can manage the complex workflow process, data entry, data processing and data storage – especially for peat carbon inventory, as part of Sarawak’s initiative to regulate and measure forest carbon activities for achieving environmental sustainability,” he said.

Also present at the event were Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi, Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie, Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif, and AsiaFlux Conference 2022 Gala Dinner organising chairperson Dr Lulie Melling.

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3BDnBi2
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