A student team from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI), calling themselves Terrascientia, successfully developed SmongNet, a web-based platform that integrates scientific approaches with local wisdom in tsunami disaster mitigation.
The platform integrates geospatial data, tsunami modeling algorithms, and software engineering to visualize tsunami inundation scenarios in real-time and interactively. Built on a strong scientific foundation, SmongNet also emphasizes a socio-cultural approach to enhance the effectiveness of disaster education within communities.
“We built SmongNet on a scientific foundation, ranging from numerical modeling to simulations of complex disaster scenarios. However, we also complemented this approach with socio-cultural contexts to make it more grounded and impactful,” said Muhammad Ryandi Adhi Saputro, Leader of the Terrascientia Team.
In its development, the team employed a grid-based modeling method to estimate tsunami inundation distribution under various coastal elevation and morphological conditions. Topographic and bathymetric data were used to construct accurate simulations, enabling rapid and highly precise predictions of affected areas.
The Terrascientia team consists of six students from the Geophysics Program, FMIPA UI: Muhammad Ryandi Adhi Saputro, Dennis Oktavianus Christiawan, Haruna Marsa, Muhammad Rizki Setiawan, Said Syach Fahlevi Rabbani, and Muhammad Luthfan Kautsar. They also collaborated with Tsaniya Hurin Karima, a student from the Social Anthropology Program, FISIP UI, to design risk communication and public education strategies based on the cultural values of the Simeulue community in Aceh, known for its “Smong” philosophy.
“The Smong philosophy proved to have saved thousands of lives during the 2004 tsunami. By combining scientific and cultural approaches, we hope that SmongNet will not only be technically accurate, but also effective in building collective awareness within communities,” added Ryandi.
SmongNet has been developed since early 2025 under the guidance of two lecturers from the Geophysics Program, FMIPA UI, Dr. Eng. Supriyanto, M.Sc., and Sukarno, M.Si. This innovation utilizes web programming technology to ensure broad accessibility and to support early warning systems as well as interactive disaster education.
For this innovation, Terrascientia won the Silver Medal at the international Japan Design, Idea and Invention Expo (JDIE) 2025, held in Tokyo on July 5–6, 2025. The prestigious competition was organized by the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA) in collaboration with IIDEX Japan, and was participated in by 366 teams from various countries, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States.
The Dean of FMIPA UI, Prof. Dede Djuhana, Ph.D., expressed his appreciation for the achievement of the Terrascientia team and described the innovation as evidence of students’ tangible contribution in integrating scientific excellence with social values.
“SmongNet proves that science does not stand alone. It must be integrated with society and culture in order to produce solutions that are applicable and sustainable,” he said.
Moving forward, the Terrascientia team aims to expand the development of SmongNet to other tsunami-prone areas in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region. They are also ope
