Surveyors seek legislation on geospatial technology utilisation

To effectively harness the use of geospatial technology in mapping and range measurement, surveyors have called for the enactment of proper legislation to ensure it full utilization of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS).

CORS stations are Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, which are permanently mounted in different places, provide data consisting of carrier phase and code range measurements in support of dimensional positioning.

The Lagos State Government had through the office of Surveyor- General set 2020 time line for the completion four more CORS networks across the state to improve surveying practice.

The project is fully funded by the state and currently there are different companies working hard to ensure that all of them are completed before the time line for the project to ensure its full completion on time.

But the vice chairman of the State chapter of Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) and chairman, Planning committee of the 2018 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) organized by the branch, Kayode Kazeem said, legislation is needed to ensure optimal use of the technology.

Speaking on the side line of the MCPD, themed: “Improving Geospatial Deliverables through Modern Mapping Technologies, Kazeem said, the introduction of GNSS station will make surveyors’ work faster, curb mistakes and minimized underhand practices.

According to him, it is a system that any body can cue into but legislation has not been passed to make it mandatory.

“Right now, people used it only in private projects, every body is yet to embrace it because legislation has not been passed yet.

“ Once, there is security at the end of Surveyor General office, all the data can be cross checked independently instead of someone forging survey plans and finding a way to submit them.

“The Office of Surveyor General can easily cross check at the stations and it is so easy to sort out the original from the fake.

“We are waiting for green light from the office of surveyor general, although it is expensive to imbibe the technology but we are trying to prepare ourselves with forums like this”, he said.

For the Principal Consultant, Sacredion, Chika Okorocha, who spoke on “Positional Accuracy through Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Technology, said the CORS network would help in accurate data in survey as well as curb problem of over lapping boundaries.