GOVPH

Kooha ko na!

Photo enthusiasts were showered by the Department of Science and Technology–Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) with helpful tips on interactive smartphone photography with the introduction of its Kooha Version 2.0. This happened in a forum held on 24 November 2022 as one of the events of the 2022 National Science and Technology Week celebration at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

Kooha — derived from the Filipino word "kuha," meaning "to take"—is a photo-sharing application that leverages on the Philippines' reputation as "the selfie capital of the world," where thousands of pictures are uploaded to various social media platforms every day.

This app captures real-time data like sound level, temperature, and humidity through the built-in sensors of a mobile device and embeds them into a photo—making it particularly useful in research activities across sectors through the new knowledge that it generates.

Even more nifty functions of Kooha include the uploading of photos in the community section, rating of shared photos through "awards" from other users, mapping of pinned locations in which the photos were taken, and earning of "badges" by unlocking certain "achievements."

Kooha can be downloaded for free on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ph.gov.dost.asti.kooha

During the workshop, John Kimwell Laluma shared his expertise in photography as a multi-awarded commercial, travel, and landscape photographer. "When you're doing photography, there will always be beauty everywhere," he said with encouragement to participants.

Some of his helpful tips include being mindful of distracting elements and dynamic range, applying various composition tools, and keeping images sharp in low-light areas by setting up a tripod and avoiding the digital zoom method.

Attendees of the workshop, which was conducted through the Zoom Meetings platform and broadcast via Facebook Live platform, included students from the grade school to

the university level, as well as viewers from the general public. This activity was conducted to highlight the value of mobile applications technology that can be very useful, not only for entertainment but, for documenting research projects and other scientific endeavors.

Kooha, as a handy tool application, mirrors the reality that, indeed, science and the arts can work well together to come up with significant outputs.

The virtual event that was held on the second day of this year's National Science and Technology Week, which is celebrated from 23–27 November 2022 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City with the theme "Agham at Teknolohiya: Kabalikat sa Maunlad at Matatag na Kinabukasan". Other technologies and local innovations are featured in the exhibits and interested parties can check out other events in the 2022 NSTW website at http://nstw.dost.gov.ph and at its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/nstwdost/. (By Allyster F. Endozo, DOST-STII)