A firm, Sambus Geospatial Nigeria, partnering with the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), yesterday trained journalists on the best use of location and data to discover, investigate and communicate stories.
   
The training was aimed at equipping journalists with the knowledge of using data to tell stories and improve communication with the public. The trainers explained that, while location adds another dimension to every story beyond who and what, geography reveals where, why, and what else is connected.
   
According to Sambus, Geographic Information System (GIS) gives journalists a new way to investigate, compare and communicate findings while helping journalists to identify patterns in the data, explore relationships between places and communicate findings to audiences.
   
However, the firm clarified that GIS does not replace reporting, stating that journalists still need official records, data files, published reports, and source documents that provide a factual foundation for spatial findings.
   
Moreover, journalists need conversations with the affected communities, officials, witnesses and experts who can explain what the map shows, get specialist insight and additional evidence that corroborates or challenges the spatial pattern before publication.
   
According to the Technical Sales Representative, Sambus Geospatial Nigeria Limited, Adedotun Agboola, the training will further open the beneficiaries to the opportunities embedded in the solution in reporting areas such as elections and natural disasters, among others.