Dr. Ariel C. Blanco is the Director of the Space Information Infrastructure Bureau (SIIB) of the Philippine Space Agency. The SIIB manages infrastructures including ground stations and high-performance computing facility, and develops methodologies, systems, and tools to realize the space data value chain. He is seconded from the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he is a Professor of Geodetic Engineering. Dr. Blanco successfully led and completed various R&D projects utilizing geospatial technologies in various applications, including environmental and agricultural.  He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Geodetic Engineering degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, his Master of Applied Science in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Melbourne, and his Doctor of Engineering in Environmental Informatics from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.