Udoma Harps on Usefulness of Geospatial Data in National Development
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, yesterday emphasised the potential of evidence-based decision-making and the power of geospatial data in providing solutions to developmental problems.
He therefore, called on agencies whose focus are on geospatial data generation and mapping to help generate data that can help both government and the private sector in planning more accurately based on established data. This, he said, will further help in economic development and help government to achieve the objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
The Media Adviser to the Minister, James Akpandem, quoted Udoma as stating this in his remarks at the opening of a two-day workshop on Geo-Referenced Infrastructure and Data for Development (the GRID3) Use Case, in Abuja.
He said that the potentials of geospatial data and technology applications became evident in Nigeria when it was first used for polio vaccination efforts through the GRID3 Project.
According to him, after an upsurge in polio cases in 2011, geospatial vaccination tracking efforts were put in place, which provided updated settlement maps, population data, and health ward boundaries.
“The data collected was integrated into a Vaccine Tracking System that allowed vaccinators to reach every settlement. As a result, polio cases dropped to zero by 2015.
“This example is a demonstration of the potential of evidence-based decision making and the power of geospatial data in providing solutions to development problems”, the Minister added.
Following that success, he stated that it became obvious that geospatial data could also be useful in other areas of government concerns such as health, education, agriculture, water resources and infrastructural development.
The minister said in order to develop this further, the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, working in collaboration with relevant development partners, established the Nigeria GRID3 secretariat and initiated consultations with stakeholders.