Nigerian surveyors under the auspices of the National Association of Surveying and Geoinformatics Lecturers (NASGL) weekend advised all tiers of government to regulate land use activities in the country.
The surveyors gave the advice in a communiqué issued at the end of its second annual general meeting/conference held at the Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, with the theme; “Geospatial Technologies and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The association said there is now the need for such regulation to mitigate negative impacts on natural resources for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the communiqué jointly signed by NASGL chairman, Professor Lazaru Ojigi, and secretary, Mrs O.O. Opatoyinbo, the association said “government should accord due recognition to geospatial technologies and mapping for effective monitoring and management of pipeline vandalism and oil spillage in Nigeria.”
“Government and the national mapping agency should adopt artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned aerial system (UAS) and emerging aerial mapping techniques for hazard detection and environmental security; for making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable in Nigeria. Governments should deploy geospatial technologies and mapping in air pollution monitoring and safety of life in Nigeria.”
NASGL added that, “thematic databases from geospatial technologies should be adopted by governments for environmental hazard (gully erosion, flooding, landslides, etc.) emanating from human and naturally-induced disasters in Nigeria.”
“Governments should encourage the use of geospatial data management in telecommunications towards improvement of quality of life (poverty reduction and wealth creation) in Nigeria. Governments should regulate land use activities in order to mitigate possible negative impacts on natural resources for the implementations of the SDGs.”
