The Surveyor-General of the Federation (SGOF), Surveyor Adebomehin A. Adeyemi, has disclosed that an AI-driven geospatial mapping would serve as the best alternative to the traditional population censuses.
He said with the AI, existing residential structures and estimated population figures would be figured out without conducting costly and time-consuming nationwide surveys.
Adeyemi spoke in Abuja on Thursday at a one-day workshop on the use cases of Very High-Resolution Drone Imagery and Street View Data for parts of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
The project was facilitated by the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF).
“The developed countries do not conduct censuses every five or six years. Instead, they use AI to estimate population sizes by analysing the number of residential buildings and average household sizes. This system allows for more accurate planning and resource allocation,” he said.
Speaking on the project, he said the role of mapping in the national planning and emergency response can’t be overemphasized.
Adeyemi explained that the drones employed in the project are vastly different from commercial drones used for filming and recreational purposes.
He described them as sophisticated real-time observation tools designed to enhance geospatial data collection and urban planning initiatives.
“The Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) has positioned the system as a game-changer in various sectors, including land administration, disaster response, and urban development,’’ he said.
Adeyemi spoke about the potential collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), stating that the high-resolution imagery could significantly improve emergency preparedness and disaster mitigation efforts.
“We have even set up a briefing, but I will wait until NEMA reaches out requesting access to this data. When that time comes, they will understand the value of what we have created,” he remarked.
