The Surveyor General of the Federation, SGoF, of Nigeria, Surv. Abuduganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin, has stressed the need for the country to develop a National Geospatial Data Infrastructure, NGDI, that would become a repository of all sets of information about materials, institutions, agencies, etc. at national and subnational levels throughout the nation.
Surv. Adebomehin made this known Thursday while holding a pre-event interactive session in Abuja ahead of the 2023 Geoscience Information System, GIS, Day celebration alongside representatives of relevant organisations co-hosting it with the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, OSGoF.
He said many countries have developed their own NGDI on which they depend for real time accurate information about their environment, rather than depending on Google whose information in some cases, according to him, is inaccurate because it may lack the correct coordinates.
He explained that the NGDI, when operational, would be a locally developed spatial data repository or one-stop shop where different sets of data about the various components, locations of incidents, etc., in the country can easily and readily be accessed for decision-making real time at the click of a button, just like google.
He added that creating more awareness while promoting collaboration and networking among stakeholders through the GIS expo is a step towards achieving the NGDI dream, urging all Nigerians to avail themselves of the opportunity by attending the 2023 GIS Day celebration, slated for 14 and 15 November, 2023 in Abuja.
According to the Surveyor General, this year’s event themed: “Celebrating the Professionals in the Industry” is going to be unique, being the first time the event is hosted distinctively by OSGoF, and given the caliber of professionals expected to join in the celebration from the local and international scenes.
“What we are saying is that we need to have first hand information about the locations of our products and materials among others and keep them together in a manner that they can be easily accessible by all for problem solving; and that is GIS comes to play,” he said.
GIS is a computer system that consists of software used to analyse collected data and hardware in which the software operates. GIS Mapping Software allows one to visualise, analyse, and effectively understand geospatial data.
Representatives of the co-hosting organisations – Jamitan Tech. Nig. Ltd, ESRI; the National Population Commission, NPC; the National Space Research and Development Agency, NARSDA, among others who corroborated the Surveyor General’s explanation said all was set to have a successful hosting of the 2023 GIS Day celebration.
According to them, competitions were ongoing to climax at the event, and 55 IGiS licenses will be presented to deserving GIS operators, while the top 5 winners will be given cash prizes of N200,000 downward.
Among the professionals and dignitaries expected to grace the event includes, Dr Isa Ibrahim Jalo, former director, Abuja Geographical Information System, AGIS, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, Chairman, NPC, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, DG/CEO, National Meteorological, NiMet, Agency, Mr Aderoju Adelaide Mansur, head, Environment and Climate Change, NARSDA among others.
Leave a Reply