About mapaPH
Making Philippine map data easy to access, and building open-source tools for anything related to maps in the Philippines.
Why mapaPH Exists
Accessing Philippine geographic and spatial data is far harder than it should be. Crucial public information: census numbers, administrative boundaries, transit routes, and coordinates, is often locked inside static PDFs, scattered across government portals, or trapped in complex desktop GIS formats. Commuters struggle with unmapped transport routes, and developers waste hours simply cleaning up inconsistent place names.
We founded mapaPH with a straightforward mission: make Philippine geographic data effortless to access, and build open-source tools for anything related to or powered by Philippine maps.
Whether it involves commuting, public transit networks, local geography, demographic visualizers, or coordinate converters: if it uses a map of the Philippines, we want to build free, open tools for it. No paywalls, no proprietary software required. Just fast, useful mapping software built for everyone.
Data Sourcing & Technical Pipeline
Our applications rely on publicly available government records, open cartographic contributions, and open-data standards. Here is how data is ingested, standardized, and presented across our ecosystem:
1. PSA Official Census Figures vs. Geometry-Computed Metrics
Official population statistics, household counts, and administrative land area figures displayed in our tools originate directly from published reports by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), such as the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (CPH).
Where spatial measurements (such as polygon land surface area or bounding box dimensions) are generated directly by our mapping engine (e.g., via Turf.js or GDAL operations), they are explicitly calculated using World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84 / EPSG:4326) geodesic projections. We carefully distinguish between PSA official declared figures and geometry-computed spatial approximations to ensure statistical accuracy.
2. PSGC-Keyed Data Joining
To eliminate string-matching errors across datasets, all administrative boundaries and data tables in mapaPH are keyed using the Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) maintained by the PSA. Every region, province, city, municipality, and barangay is assigned a unique numeric key (e.g., 9-digit or 10-digit PSGC format). This guarantees that external tabular data (such as custom CSV files uploaded by users) can be joined cleanly to boundary vector files without manual text normalization.
3. Electoral Data & Commission on Audit Metrics
Electoral records presented in visual tools like Lens are sourced from public election tallies published by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Municipal asset valuations and financial statements originate from public Annual Audit Reports issued by the Commission on Audit (COA).
4. Geodetic Datum Transformations & Linear Highway Referencing
Our surveying and highway utilities reconcile legacy local projections with modern satellite navigation. The PRS92 to WGS84 Coordinate Converter implements Transverse Mercator forward and inverse formulas alongside the 7-parameter Bursa-Wolf datum shift defined by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) under Executive Order No. 45. Similarly, our Kilometer Post Locator maps physical concrete markers along national primary corridors using the linear referencing baselines of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Road and Bridge Information Application (RBIA).
Dataset Baseline Registry & Verification Cadence
Every reference directory and calculator on mapaPH is compiled from verifiable primary government gazettes. The table below documents the authoritative agency, baseline release, and audit schedule for each core dataset in our repository:
| Dataset / Module | Primary Authority | Coverage Scope | Verification Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSGC Administrative Directory | Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) | 18 Regions, 82 Provinces, 149 Cities, 1,493 Municipalities | Quarterly PSGC Publication Audit |
| Census Population & Density | PSA Census of Population (POPCEN) | 1,742 LGU & Regional Demographic Profiles (2024 POPCEN) | Per Official Presidential Proclamation |
| PHLPost Postal Code Index | Philippine Postal Corporation (RA 7354) | 2,139 4-Digit Delivery Zones Across NCR & 82 Provinces | Semi-Annual Postmaster Directory Check |
| Public Transit Fare Matrices | LTFRB, DOTr & LRTA Board Resolutions | PUB, PUJ (MPUJ/TPUJ), LRT-1, LRT-2, MRT-3, EDSA Busway | Upon Issuance of LTFRB/DOTr Circulars |
| Expressway Toll Schedules | Toll Regulatory Board (TRB / PD 1112) | NLEX, SLEX, Skyway 1-3, SCTEX, TPLEX, CALAX, CCLEX | Upon TRB Approved Tariff Notices |
| Highway Milestone Benchmarks | DPWH RBIA & NHCP Landmark Registry | 5 Regional KM 0 Origins & 7 National Arterial Corridors | Annual DPWH Atlas Cross-Check |
Cartographic Accuracy Tolerances & Engineering Scope
Responsible spatial engineering requires stating the mathematical tolerances of web-based tools clearly:
- Web Polygon Simplification vs. Cadastral Monuments: Administrative boundary GeoJSON files served in Lens use Douglas-Peucker topological simplification (`0.0001` degrees, roughly 11 meters at the equator) so that all 1,642 cities and municipalities render smoothly at 60 FPS on mobile browsers. These boundaries are designed for thematic choropleth mapping and regional planning, not parcel-level cadastral adjudication.
- 7-Parameter Datum Transformation Residuals: Nationwide Bursa-Wolf transformation parameters between Clarke 1866 (PRS92) and WGS84 achieve horizontal residuals of 1 to 5 meters for GIS overlay alignment. Sub-centimeter engineering surveys require local GNSS occupation of NAMRIA First-Order Geodetic Control Points by a licensed Geodetic Engineer under Republic Act No. 8560.
- Euclidean Catchment Rings vs. Street-Network Isochrones: The Walkability & 15-Minute Radius Tool renders concentric geodesic buffers (400m, 800m, 1,200m) calibrated to tropical walking paces (3.6 to 6.0 km/h) and documents how physical barriers such as gated subdivision perimeter walls and elevated highway footbridges reduce effective street-network reach.
Philippine Statutory Legal Framework & Data Compliance
All data collection, storage, and publishing activities across the mapaPH platform adhere strictly to Philippine statutory laws governing public domain materials, data privacy, and electronic transparency:
RA 8293 Section 176 (Public Domain Status)
Under Republic Act No. 8293 (Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines), Section 176 dictates that no copyright shall subsist in any work of the Government of the Philippines. Public statistics, official census records, and government cartographic boundary registries are public domain materials available for civic re-use.
RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act Compliance)
Our platform complies fully with Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012). We do not collect, process, or store personally identifiable information (PII). All census and financial datasets handled consist exclusively of aggregated, anonymized public municipal metrics exempt under Section 4(e) for public statistical functions.
Executive Order No. 2, s. 2016 (FOI)
Data collection operationalizes the constitutional right to public information reaffirmed by Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) regarding Freedom of Information (FOI), ensuring public access to municipal financial audits and election returns.
RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Security)
Web delivery infrastructure complies with Republic Act No. 10175 security directives. mapaPH operates as a static, immutable web architecture hosted on secure global CDNs with zero client-side database tracking.
Open-Source Philosophy & Transparency
Every line of code powering mapaPH applications, along with our boundary compilation scripts, is released under the permissive MIT License on GitHub.
By maintaining full repository transparency, developers can verify how coordinate transformations are performed, inspect raw dataset files, fork our applications, or integrate our standard GeoJSON exports into their own spatial projects.
Independent Non-Government Disclaimer
Official Notice of Independence:
mapaPH is an independent, community-driven open-source initiative created by civic tech enthusiasts. mapaPH is not affiliated with, officially endorsed by, sponsored by, or representative of the Philippine Government, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the Commission on Audit (COA), or any national or local government unit.
All official government trademarks, agency logos, and institutional references remain the property of their respective legal owners. Official statistics should always be verified against official publications at psa.gov.ph.