N3bn Lagos GIS project’ll soon become operational – SG

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Lagos residents will soon be enjoying the benefits of the N3bn mapping and enterprise Geographic Information Service project initiated by the state government, as the grey areas are currently being worked on to ensure smooth operations.

The project was conceived to produce a digital database for implementing developmental programmes and orderly development of the state; come up with a navigator system that will provide route maps in electronic format to guide motorists, while the active Global Positioning System reference station will allow for monitoring of transportation and security systems.

The project’s components include geodetic control and digital aerial photo acquisition; determination of geoid model and establishment of continuous operating reference station and orthophoto;and contour lines and digital (vector) mapping.

Others are GIS database and enterprise GIS; bathymetry survey of Lagos lagoons and creeks; as well as supply of equipment, training and public enlightenment/education.

At the inauguration of the project in July 2008, Governor Babatunde Fashola had said that in addition to the traditional use of mapping products, it could be used for environmental monitoring, engineering and construction, real estate, flood plain mapping, telecommunications planning and transport planning.

Four years after it was inaugurated, the project has yet to record much impact, as the promise to residents that they can in the comfort of their homes and offices get vital information at the click of a button on their computers.

However, the Surveyor-General of Lagos State, Mr. Joseph Agbenla, said the mapping and enterprise GIS project would soon come on stream, explaining that existing pieces of information were being uploaded onto the system.

Agbenla said, “Very soon, the GIS and enterprise mapping project will be in the air. The delay was due to some logistic reasons beyond anybody’s control. The project has been completed and the necessary data had been uploaded; we are currently addressing the grey areas. Within a limited number of months, we will be in the air and people will have access to it from anywhere in the world.

“We have the control room at the Abacus Centre, which is the computer system centre for the Lagos State Government. The website is already completed and we have the officers on ground to administer and manage it. Once the citizens pay, they will be given cards from Interswitch to access the system.”

He explained that his office had its own land information system could be integrated with the Electronic Data Management System and the GIS in order to have a robust land registry that would provide information to the government and citizens at the click of a button.

The surveyor-general explained that his office had modernised its operations ensuring the storage of all existing survey plans in an electronic format and attending to all requests promptly through its nine zonal offices, with plans in advance stages to open two new offices in Ojo and Badagry.

Agbenla urged surveyors in private practice to conduct themselves ethically by submitting the Red copies of survey plans to his office 40 days after surveys were done in accordance with the provision of the law.

“We have over 5,000 applicants whose Red copies are not here because private surveyors who did the surveys did not do the right thing by submitting the surveys within the stipulated 40 days, yet members of the public will blame us for delaying their jobs. Surveyors have to practice ethically,” he said.

Agbenla also revealed plans to introduce electronic signature of survey plans as part of measures for the introduction of electronic Certificate of Occupancy in the state.

On the problem of disturbances by original land owners, Agbenla said, “We have a system by which we have been dealing with the omo oniles; they have been applying for excision and the government has been so benevolent to grant excise portions of their land to them, but we don’t allow them to do the planning, we do it in order to align with our own plans.”

He explained that the government usually acquired land from the original owners to execute its programmes and projects and that on no account must members of the public purchase land under committed acquisition, but should first find out the status of any land within the state that they were interested in buying.

For global acquisition, the surveyor-general said buyers could regularise their ownership by obtaining the land information certificate and obtaining the private Certificate of Occupancy, which would give them title to the land.

Agbenla, who recently assumed office, said his office was bringing surveyors to embrace new technologies that would enhance their jobs and had trained its officers at home and abroad on new methodologies and technologies.