Research Projects:

These projects mark the milestones of Jaderick's past inquiry—studies that have run their course, reached their findings, and contributed their share to the scholarly landscape. Each completed line of work stands as a reference point for the questions he continues to ask and the directions still unfolding in his current research.

1. Recreational and Aquaculture Carrying Capacity of the Seven Lakes of San Pablo City, Laguna
   January 2019-December 2020
   Role: Modeler (with Prof. Damasa B. Magcale-Macandog of the Institute of Biological Sciences as Project Leader)
   Social Media: Facebook

This project developed quantitative models to assess how much recreational activity and aquaculture production each of the Seven Lakes of San Pablo can sustainably support. As part of the larger 7 LAMPs (Seven Lakes Assessment and Monitoring Program: Strategies toward a Sustainable Lake Ecosystems) research program funded by DOST-GIA and monitored by NRCP, the work contributed a modeling-driven foundation for science-based lake management. The effort combined ecological data, site assessments, and computational simulations to evaluate thresholds that balance community livelihood, tourism, and ecosystem health. Over its two-year, P2.1M engagement, the project delivered decision-support insights for sustainable lake stewardship in partnership with local and national stakeholders.

2. DigitaLaguna: A Heritage CulturePlasm
   July 2018-June 2020
   Role: Program Leader/Principal Investigator/Malik-Tanaw Project Leader

DigitaLaguna was a two-year research program funded by the CHED-SALIKHA Grant (July 2018–June 2020; PhP 9.6M) and composed of three interconnected component projects. Its overarching aim was to digitize the Philippines’ tangible cultural and historical heritage, store these high-fidelity digital representations in a national repository, and present them through interactive and immersive technologies such as 3D web environments and VR goggles.

At the heart of the program is the concept of the CulturePlasm, a term coined from the contraction of culture and germplasm. Much like a plant germplasm conserves the most vital seeds for propagation, the CulturePlasm acts as a preservation and regeneration resource for the nation’s cultural artifacts—capturing their physical characteristics, safeguarding them from deterioration, and enabling their experiential rediscovery.

By making culturally significant objects accessible to Filipinos regardless of location, DigitaLaguna seeks not only to preserve heritage in its visual and structural fidelity but also to enhance cultural and historical literacy through technology-enabled immersion.

This research program had three component projects:

2. • SALIKULTURA: A Digital Humanities Project For Cultural Heritage Preservation In The Province of Laguna
     With Prof. Rosario M. Baria, Ph.D. of the Department of Humanities as the Project Leader

SALIKULTURA focused on establishing rigorous, museum-aligned protocols for identifying, handling, and digitally capturing culturally significant artifacts. Working closely with official curators and adhering to the National Museum’s strict preservation guidelines, the project developed procedures that balanced technological capability with artifact safety. Its primary application was the digital preservation of the ancestral home of National Hero Dr. José P. Rizal—including the delicate historical objects housed within—ensuring they could be archived with fidelity and made accessible through future immersive platforms. Through this effort, SALIKULTURA set the methodological foundation for responsibly digitizing Philippine heritage.

2. • Museo-Birtwal: Design, Implementation, Evaluation, and Deployment of a Multi-user, Interactive, and Web-accessible Multimedia Cultural Repository
     With Prof. Katrina Joy M. Abriol-Santos of the Institute of Computer Science as the Project Leader

Museo-Birtwal served as the technological backbone of the DigitaLaguna program, focusing on the creation of a robust, web-accessible database server for the CulturePlasm. This repository was designed to store, organize, and manage the high-fidelity digitized artifacts produced in the first component project. The system supported multi-user access and interactive retrieval, ensuring that cultural objects could be accessed seamlessly and securely for various downstream applications. It also provided the structured data infrastructure required by the interactive and immersive systems developed in the third component project.

2. • MalikTanaw - Malikhaing Pagtanaw sa mga Pamanang Kultura: Design, implementation, evaluation, deployment and operationalization of a computer system (hardware, software, and peopleware) for portable, replicatable, multi-user, interactive, and immersive virtual museums experienced through location-aware virtual reality goggles.

MalikTanaw, focused on designing and deploying a cutting-edge system that integrates hardware, software, and peopleware to create a portable, multi-user, and immersive virtual museum experience. This system utilized location-aware virtual reality goggles, allowing users to interact with digital cultural artifacts in a highly immersive, interactive manner, providing a dynamic and accessible way to experience heritage. The project not only developed the underlying technology but also emphasized operationalization, ensuring that the virtual museum could be scaled, deployed, and maintained for both educational and cultural purposes across different regions. MalikTanaw aimed to elevate cultural engagement through innovative virtual reality, making heritage accessible to diverse audiences regardless of geographic location.

3. Structure, Kinematics, and Growth of Real-world Networks
   October 2009-December 2017
   Role: Sole Investigator

This long-term, core-funded project explored how real-world networks evolve by developing computational metrics that quantify their structure, growth patterns, and rates of change. As the sole investigator, Jaderick designed network-based measures capable of capturing both static and dynamic properties across diverse domains. The work provided foundational insights into how complex systems expand, reorganize, and respond to internal or external pressures. Conducted from 2009 to 2017 under the ICS Core Fund, the project advanced ICS’ capability to characterize and interpret the behavior of intricate networked systems.

4. Mathematical Modeling and Computer Simulation of Fictional Epidemiological Events
   January-December 2018
   Role: Principal Investigator (with Asst. Prof. John Emmanuel I. Encinas as co-investigator and mentee) 

Funded by the UPLB Basic Research Program in 2018, this project explored how epidemic-like behaviors emerge in systems where the “infectious agent” is not biological but social, ethical, or behavioral. As principal investigator, you—together with mentee co-investigator Asst. Prof. JEI Encinas—developed mathematical models and simulations that captured fictional epidemiological scenarios used as proxies for real-world phenomena such as corruption in public service, substance addiction, and the spread of social media influences linked to infidelity among migrant workers and their left-behind spouses. The project demonstrated how epidemiological frameworks can illuminate the dynamics of contagion-like processes outside the realm of health sciences. It also highlighted the power of abstraction in understanding complex societal patterns through computational modeling.

5. Development of a National Pork Traceability System
   April 2014-March 2017, extended September 2017
   Role: Program Leader/Principal Investigator

This PhP15.8M PCAARRD-monitored DOST-GIA–funded research program developed an ICT-based national traceability system that documents the complete journey of pork—from breeder farms to production farms, onward to slaughterhouses, and finally to retail outlets. By capturing the chain of custody at each stage, the system enhances transparency, strengthens food safety assurance, and enables rapid response in the event of disease outbreaks or supply chain disruptions. The project integrated data standards, identification protocols, and digital reporting workflows to ensure interoperability across industry stakeholders. In doing so, it provided a modern, scalable framework for safeguarding consumer confidence and improving governance within the Philippine swine value chain.

The research program had two component projects:

5. • Development of a Model ICT-based Pork Traceability System from Pen to Plate; and

   • Development of a Rapid DNA-based Verification System
     With Ms. Joy B. Banayo of the Institute of Animal Science as Project Leader

6.  Development of an e-Commerce System for Breeder Swine and (Boar) Semen
   October 2015-March 2017, extended June 2017
   Role: Project Staff/Co-proponent (with Prof. Katrina Joy M. Abriol-Santos as Project Leader)

This PhP2.9M DOST-GIA–funded project designed and implemented an online marketplace—akin to Lazada, Shopee, or Amazon—dedicated to the trading of breeder swine and boar semen. The system enabled sellers to showcase their animals with standardized information and multimedia, while buyers could browse offerings, negotiate prices, conduct virtual inspections, and arrange for product delivery. By digitizing a traditionally informal and geographically limited market, the platform aimed to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in the breeder swine industry. The project ultimately demonstrated how e-commerce innovations can modernize agricultural value chains and strengthen local livestock enterprises.

7. LiDAR Data Processing, Modeling, and Validation by HEIs for Detailed Resources Assessment in Luzon: MIMAROPA and Laguna (Region IV)
   June 2014-May 2017
   Role: Project Staff (with Prof. Damasa B. Magcale-Macandog as Project Leader)

This large-scale, PhP60M PCIEERD-monitored DOST-GIA–funded project mobilized higher education institutions (HEIs) to process, model, and validate high-resolution LiDAR datasets for comprehensive resource assessment across the MIMAROPA region and Laguna. The initiative produced detailed topographic, hydrologic, and land-cover information essential for disaster risk reduction, environmental management, and local government planning. As part of the multi-institutional effort, the team contributed to the development of validated geospatial models that enhanced the accuracy and usability of national LiDAR products. The project demonstrated the critical role of HEIs in advancing geospatial science and supporting evidence-based governance in the Philippines.

8. Development of Computer-aided Remote Expert (CARE) System Model for Enhancing Productivity and Efficiency of Swine Farms
   June 2013-May 2016, extended December 2016
   Role: Project Staff (with Prof. Renato S.A. Vega of the Institute of Animal Science as Project Leader)

This PCCAARD-monitored DOST-GIA–funded project developed the Computer-aided Remote Expert (CARE) system, a vision-based, ICT-enabled monitoring platform for commercial swine farms. The system automatically identifies and tracks key behavioral states of sows—standing oestrus, gestation, and lactation—to allow precise timing of artificial insemination and optimized care throughout the production cycle. By enabling remote, real-time monitoring, CARE provides farm managers with actionable insights to improve reproductive efficiency, sow well-being, and overall piglet survival and growth. The project demonstrated how intelligent sensing technologies can significantly modernize livestock management and enhance farm productivity.

9. Development of an Online Automated Anthropometry Towards a National Database of Filipino Body Measurements
   June 2013-June 2014
   Role: Co-proponent (with Prof. Katrina Joy H. Magno as Project Leader)

Funded by the UPLB Basic Research Program from June 2013 to June 2014, this project sought to modernize and democratize anthropometric data collection in the Philippines. The project developed a web-based system capable of extracting body measurements automatically using simple webcam inputs, guided by on-screen prompts that ensured proper user posture and calibration. The envisioned output was a national database of Filipino body dimensions—stratified by age, sex, and region—that could inform human-centered standards such as stair riser heights, furniture dimensions, and tool handle grips. By lowering the barrier to large-scale data acquisition, the project opened pathways for evidence-based design grounded in actual Filipino biomechanics.

10. Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Raspberry Pi® Cluster for a Virtual Classroom Environment
    June 2013-May 2014
    Role: Co-proponent (with Prof. Marie Yvette B. de Robles as Project Leader)
    See: Slide Presentation

Supported by the UPLB Basic Research Program from June 2013 to May 2014, this project explored low-cost, scalable computing infrastructure for immersive learning environments. You designed and assembled a cluster of inexpensive, off-the-shelf Raspberry Pi® units to function collectively as the backend server of a 3D virtual classroom system. The work involved architecting the cluster, implementing the necessary software layers, and evaluating its performance and reliability under simulated classroom loads. By demonstrating that affordable microcomputers could power interactive virtual learning spaces, the project highlighted a democratized pathway toward future-ready educational technologies.

11. "Juan Time, On Time" in Real Time: Protocol Design, Software Implementation and System Evaluation of a Campus-wide WiFi-based Broadcast and Update of PST for Synchronizing the Hardware Clocks of Mobile Computers and WiFi-enabled Timepieces
    June 2013-May 2014
    Role: Principal Investigator

Funded by the UPLB Basic Research Program from June 2013 to May 2014, this project tackled the challenge of synchronizing hardware clocks across mobile computers and WiFi-enabled timepieces using the Philippine Standard Time (PST). Jaderick designed campus-wide WiFi-based broadcast and update protocols that enabled devices to receive and align with PST—and with one another—in real time. These protocols were implemented in software and rigorously evaluated using both analytical techniques and computer-based simulation. The project demonstrated how low-cost, infrastructure-supported time dissemination mechanisms can enhance temporal coordination across a large computing ecosystem.

12. Development of a Predictive Model for the Occurrence of a Fish Kill in Volcanic Taal Lake
    April 2012-April 2013, extended October 2013
    Role: Project Staff (with Prof. Damasa B. Magcale-Macandog as Project Leader)

Funded by DOST-GIA from April 2012 to October 2013, this project aimed to safeguard the livelihoods of fish cage operators by developing an early warning system for fish kill events in Taal Lake. The project designed predictive models that analyzed both current readings and historical trends in key physico-chemical water parameters to estimate the probability of an impending fish kill. Beyond environmental sensing, the project also uncovered the value of “social sensors,” demonstrating that sentiment analysis of microposts on platforms such as Twitter can serve as a complementary early alert mechanism. Together, these insights offered a dual-layer predictive approach that supports timely, science-based interventions for communities around the lake.

13. Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Several Predator-Prey Mechanics for Co-Evolving Solutions in Genetic Algorithms
    February 2009-January 2010
    Role: Sole Investigator

Supported by the UP System Creative and Research Scholarship Program from February 2009 to January 2010, this project investigated how predator–prey dynamics can be harnessed to improve the performance of genetic algorithms. As the sole investigator, Jaderick designed, implemented, and evaluated multiple predator–prey mechanisms that enabled distinct problem domains—treated as different “species”—to co-evolve within a shared computational ecosystem. By modeling selective pressure as an interaction rather than a static condition, the project demonstrated how ecological metaphors can stimulate diversity, avoid premature convergence, and enhance problem-solving robustness. It offered early evidence that biologically inspired interspecies dynamics can enrich evolutionary computation methodologies.

14. Assessing Vulnerability of Communities and Understanding Policy Implications of Adaptation Responses to Flood-related Landslides in Asia
    2007-2009
    Role: Modeler (with Prof. Maria Victoria O. Espaldon as Project Leader)

The project analyzed the vulnerability of communities to rainfall induced landslides in selected Asian countries, namely China, Nepal, Philippines and Vietnam using an agent-based framework. Drawing from the methods of an agent-based modeling framework “intervulnerability”, the project applied complementary methods to understand vulnerabilities and adaptations of farmers and residents in vulnerable areas in these four Asian countries. These include vulnerability mapping, vulnerability profiling, and agent-based modeling. Vulnerability maps were used to identify vulnerable areas where case studies were conducted, vulnerability profiles were used to understand the adaptive behavior of the people in the selected vulnerable areas, and agent-based model was applied to understand the effects of dynamic interactions between the socio-economic and biophysical profiles on the level of vulnerability and adaptation to landslide impacts.