As another testament to reforms in higher education driven by Governor Godwin Obaseki in the state, the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has concluded plans to unveil the Centre for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS) a research and teaching unit that will utilise computer software and tools such as geographic information systems among others, to gather information for use in mining, agriculture, urban planning and health care.

The centre will be unveiled on Thursday, February 7, alongside the institution’s third public lecture titled: Geospatial Technology as a Tool for National Planning and Development, to be delivered at the school complex by 11am, by Director, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba.

Rector of the institution, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, in a chat with journalists, said that the centre is one of its kind in Nigeria and will provide training and consulting services in the area of geographic information system (GIS) and other remote aerial technology sensors to gather geographic information.

According to him, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities which include eBee RTK Survey-Grade Mapping Drone; STONEX S7 Handheld GPS; Electronic theodolites; GNSS receiver; AO plotter; LEICA DNA 10 Digital level; STONEX S10 DGPS, among others.

He said the CGIS will train specialists to produce maps, tables, reports and other such materials using GIS technology and will offer short and extended courses on deployment of advanced technology in mapping and managing geographic information.

According to him, “this is the second centre we will be opening at this institution in a space of three months. These are all testaments to the support of the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who has ensured that we truly push the frontiers of knowledge and capacity building.

“We are repositioning this institution to be a centre of excellence in a number of areas and geospatial information science is one of the. The required equipment is already in place and we have a well-equipped laboratory also. So, it is not a matter of just opening a centre.”

He added that the centre will help in providing solutions to immediate and remote challenges in geospatial information science in the Niger Delta and beyond, as well as provide first-grade learning experience to students in the School of Environmental Science in the polytechnic.

Culled from: nigeriaobservernews

Picture credit: clearscienceinc