The Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has concluded plans for a partnership with the Edo State Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS) Agency to explore the use of high-grade equipment at the polytecnic’s Center for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS) in capacity building and to drive rural and urban development.
Speaking to journalists, Rector of the institution, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, said that the CGIS will set the pace for the deployment of geographic information science in solving society’s problems.
According to him, “We are finetuning partnership with the EdoGIS to see how our equipment will serve to better the lives of Edo people, as we have a cache of high-grade equipment for collecting and processing geospatial data. There is also the area of capacity building, which we are exploring as well. Already, we have set up certificate courses at the center, to bridge the skills gap in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Disaster Response and Management and allied areas.”
On the partnership with EdoGIS, he said, “We have state-of-the-art facilities at the center 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. It will help the agency in carrying out a number of its activities, while we are open for capacity building opportunities.”
He noted that the institution already has packages for secondary school students, who are to be introduced to basic concepts in geography, data science, space technology, satellite systems, earth observatory and outer space studies.
According to him, “All these are expected to expose the students to the workings of space and how it affects them. It would also pique their interest to take up career in these fields.”
