Firm introduces GIS technology in Nigeria

Indigenous ICT and telecommunication professional services firm, Kropman Communication Limited, has unveiled the Geospatial Information System (GIS) in Nigeria.

The GIS  is a technology that integrates hardware, software and data for capturing, managing, analysing, and displaying all forms of geographically-referenced information.

Kim Fraser, chief executive officer of Kropman, made this known during a media interactive session in Lagos.

“GIS information cut across practically all business sectors and government portfolios, which includes Utilities (electrical, water), telecommunication, oil and gas, land management, resources management, transportation modelling, demographic analysis etc,” Fraser said.

“Geospatial applications are quite extensive and can be utilised in practically any field of endeavour. Most activities we engage in on a daily basis and the system we use such as bank ATMs are tied to physical locations, as such, can be represented displayed and analysed in respect to geographic location.”

Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), introduced GIS for mapping of areas to drive its financial inclusion strategy.

In the area of transportation, Fraser noted that GIS technology can be used to design infrastructure to accommodate traffic flow.

In resource management, government agencies can make use of GIS technology to determine the location of oil resources and other mineral resources and parents can also use the technology to monitor the where about of their children/wards.

“GIS are  particularly well suited for management of assets in the power sector, oil and gas sector, and network and property assets in the Banking and telecommunication sectors, and can be utilised within many governmental agencies, for land and resource management, urban planning, transportation modelling, demographic analysis, healthcare and communicable disease management etc, Fraser explained.

The impact and usefulness of GIS has grown exponentially since the advent of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology leading to special events focused on raising the awareness and promoting the benefits of this technology.

“The GIS technology can help entrepreneurs in the development of mobile applications, which can enable a phone to become a tracking device,” he added.

“GIS allows users to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualise data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.”