NASRDA rolls out free satellite images for stakeholders

National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has concluded arrangements to release high resolution satellite images to relevant stakeholders, in line with the provisions of the NASRDA Act 2010.

The Director, Media and Corporate Communications, Dr Felix Ale, told journalists, yesterday, that the agency is irrevocably committed to its mandate in the utilisation of space science and technology for the socio-economic development of the country, as well as playing its part in the global community as a member of disaster monitoring constellation.

Ale explained that the initiative, which aims at fostering accessibility to valuable geospatial data for diverse applications and research endeavours, comprising satellite images with a range of resolutions on both panchromatic and multispectral, as well as spectral bands, 2.1m.

According to him, the resolution on the panchromatic include 2.5m and 3.5m, while the multispectral images include 5m, 8m, 10m, 16m and 30m, with the spectral bands  in blue, green, red and near infrared.

He pointed that in a bid to ensure responsible use of the satellite images, the agency admonished users to desist from selling the satellite images received, as they were not for commercial purposes, adding that recipients were only allowed to request satellite images not exceeding a spatial extent of 50km² at a time, particularly for images with a spatial resolution below 10m.

The agency’s spokesperson stressed that students and other individuals were encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by requesting satellite images for their research and projects, adding that individuals seeking satellite imagery were expected to include a summary of their project in their request.

According to him, the request should consist of a brief detailing the project’s title, state, local council and town, while application type, for instance, may be in environment studies, climate, urban planning, natural resource management and several others.

The agency, therefore, invites interested parties to submit their inquiries to the Director General/Chief Executive, NASRDA, located at the Obasanjo Space Centre on Umaru Shehu Yar’adua Way, Airport Road Abuja or via email to [email protected].

For added convenience, data collection will be facilitated through Dropbox, eliminating the need for physical visits to NASRDA. Request submissions must also include a shapefile for the area of interest, utilising the Geographic Coordinate System with WGS84 Datum.