Lagos State government has begun updating aerial mapping and infrastructure on its landmass.
The project, scheduled to last six to eight weeks, will have a Cessna 406 aircraft taking three-dimensional (3D) aerial photographs of every nooks and crannies of the state.
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Deputy Governor of Lagos, Babafemi Hamzat, at the inspection of the aircraft at Lagos airport, yesterday, said the exercise was a major component of the Enterprise Geographic Information System (eGIS) upgrade, which is aimed at providing a digital mapping platform for the state.
Hamzat said the mapping would enable the government plan appropriately for Lagos residents, by knowing the actual number of infrastructure in the state.
The state government would carry out the exercise daily for at least four and half hours for about six weeks, with the equipment flying low at 4,500ft above sea level.
The deputy governor noted that the international standard is for a government to carry out mapping and survey of its area at least every five years, for developmental and security purposes.
He said:
The aircraft has a strong camera. When it flies, it can capture a coin. It flies relatively low at about 4,500ft above sea level. So, we urge residents not to panic when they see the aircraft in the neighbourhood. The essence is for it to capture everything in Lagos. It can go and return. There are layers of flying. The essence, for us, is to know what is in Lagos. It has a glider that can capture water and land.
We have done it before. Lagos, like any other city, is dynamic. What we had five years ago is not what you have today. The international standard is to do it every five years, so that you can update your database and everything. Basically, what it does is that you are able to map every inch of soil in your land, and various buildings where you have your allocations and sizes,
Special Adviser to the Governor on eGIS, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, said after the successful mapping of the state, the government would also embark on surveying the land.
Babatunde said:
Our land use database shows that we have over 600,000 properties in the state. However, I know we have more than that. If you don’t have a title deeds plan, you cannot even go to the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) for building approval.
