Naga City has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Command Centre, a program aimed at strengthening the city’s disaster response capabilities and facilitating flood forecasting once fully operational.
In a Facebook post last Monday, Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo said the program marks a transition from crisis response to predictive, intelligent management, and positions the city to be ready for AI-powered systems by 2026.
“Naga is building a smart city through an advanced AI command center,” said Ms. Robredo, who also officially launched the program during the Naga City Innovators Assembly.
“The power of the system lies in its ability to detect data patterns, predict potential hazards before they become emergencies, and suggest preventive actions,” he added.
Developed by influential local AI company AIRA Labs, Naga City’s AI Command Center is designed to serve as the city’s central artificial intelligence platform, improving public safety, disaster response, traffic management, and digital governance in real time.
The platform, known as the AIRA AI Command Center, is specially designed for local government units to deal with real-world challenges that Philippine cities face, such as localized flooding, traffic congestion, and communication disruptions during typhoons.
According to the founder of AIRA Labs Karl Del Val, the system, which is powered by the proprietary, AIRANET Core, represents the move to a “super smart city,” which offers capabilities beyond the common name of a smart city.
He said the platform integrates local infrastructure, uses AI to interpret radio broadcasts, and can remotely manage critical infrastructure. The system is also trained to understand local languages and dialects, including Tagalog, Bicolano-Naga, and Bisaya, allowing for more accurate and localized intelligence.
The project is currently in its pre-distribution and testing phase, where the city government and AIRA Labs are jointly assessing the readiness of the data, identifying the most important City Hall offices, and defining the first use cases to guide the implementation of the phases.
Two important applications are developed during the pilot phase. This includes an AI-assisted decision system for reports sent through the MyNaga app, which aims to improve the way citizen concerns are classified, routed, and monitored across city offices and AI-powered analytics to generate transaction data to strengthen visibility and monitoring.
Once fully operational, the AI Command Center is expected to provide flood risk prediction, detect traffic and crime patterns, and deliver high-level operational intelligence in seconds.
This capability is intended to strengthen the city’s preparedness for all climate, mobility, and security challenges by 2026.
As part of AIRA Lab’s commitment to data governance, Naga City will retain full ownership and control of its operational intelligence. – Edg Adrian A. Eva
