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Social Sciences Lecturer Wins Thailand Disaster Management of the Year – Science and Technology

30 June 2025
Faculty of Social Sciences

Assistant Professor Dr. Phonlapat Hemwan from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, Deputy Director of UNISERV, has been awarded the “Thailand Disaster Management of the Year – Science and Technology” from GovMedia Awards 2025.
This regional platform recognizes projects by public and private organizations that create positive social impacts across Asia and the globe. This award celebrates Dr. Hemwan’s research project on a flooding simulation system, developed in collaboration with the Defense Technology Institute (DTI) and funded by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT).
This initiative developed a real-time flood alert system using data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in conjunction with spatial data to assess damages and issue alerts to the public via websites and portable devices. Its implementation in the Nan Province in 2023 demonstrated significant success, reducing the number of affected individuals in simulated flood situations by 85% (from 11,500 to 1,488 people), underscoring its potential and applicability in real-world scenarios.
This project also focused on knowledge transfer to local communities, schools, and agencies, empowering them for sustainable disaster preparedness. This aligns with the faculty’s commitment to promoting research and academic services that involve the community and contribute to a changing world through social sciences.
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