GEODETIC POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) APPLICATIONS IN NIGERIA’S TRAFFIC CONTROL AND MONITORING

SURCON QUESTION: DISCUSS THE INITIATIVE THE SURVEYORS MUST MAKE FOR GEODETIC POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) APPLICATIONS IN NIGERIA’S TRAFFIC CONTROL AND MONITORING.

Geodetic Positioning System (GPS) is a global 24-hour, all-weather positioning system that is based upon a constellation of 24 satellites to determine precise location and position on earth. GPS is a revolutionary tool for surveying and geomatics. It is being applied to all human activities that have to do with location, positioning and navigation, which include transport and transportation systems.

A body of knowledge for such systems is known as Intelligent Transport System (ITS). ITS consists of intelligent devices which direct traffic flow, detect incidents on the roads, alert for quick response, inform users of alternative routes, and make transportation network more efficient. These systems allow goods and services to be monitored on transit, encourage travelers to report incidents, call for assistance, and be located. ITS has been applied in personal routing, asset tracking, traffic detection, commercial routing, electronic toll collection, traffic enforcement, and supply chain management. Provision of these activities for the public has been placed under an umbrella term called location-based services.

Location-based service is simply a service for locating, monitoring and enhancing movement of people, goods and services from one place to another. Location-based service makes optimum use of geospatial data. In fact, it has been said that a location-based service is a as efficient as the efficiency of the location technology driving it, which in turn depends on the accuracy of the geospatial  data at its base. These services are provided using GPS technology and geospatial data.

This new technology opens up new and challenging opportunities for geomatics surveyors who are the collectors, analysts and managers of geospatial data. Surveyors remain the custodians of Geodetic Positioning System (GPS), even though the technology is being applied by both professionals and non-professionals.

Surveyors should take initiative to meet the challenges and enjoy the opportunities. The Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) is mandated by law to coordinate and supervise all surveys being carried out in the country. OSGOF should therefore take the initiative of involving surveyors in providing needed maps for traffic control and monitoring.

As mentioned above, Intelligent Transport System and location-based systems need a map base to function optimally. All GPS-based systems for location and positioning depend on availability of adequate, accurate and current digital maps of the environment. The accuracy of these systems depends on the accuracy of the base map upon which they operate. If the maps are not available, the best the system can do is to indicate the coordinates of the users. They would not be able to ‘tell’ the road on which the user is driving and the name of the area.

Unfortunately, there are no adequate and current digital maps of Nigerian roads. However, this unfortunate situation is also an opportunity for surveyors who can collectively synergize to map Nigerian roads. Using a mobile GPS, which almost all professional surveyors have personally acquired, connected to a continuously operating reference station (CORS), every surveyor can map the roads in his or her environment. Collaborating with their professional colleagues elsewhere in the country, these digital road map data can be integrated to form a comprehensive digital map of Nigerian roads. The collaboration can be organized by Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) and supervised by OSGOF, which shall serve as the ‘collating center’.

In conclusion, application of GPS to traffic control and monitoring is one of those new challenges modern technology opens up to surveyors. Professional surveyors have two options: to face these challenges intelligently and enjoy the opportunities they bring with them, or to continue focusing only on cadastral survey and let the opportunities slip by. It must be stated, however, that if surveyors linger for too long, other professionals will take over the opportunities.

DISCLAIMER: This material is only an attempt to answer an examination question, though written from a background of solid knowledge and practical experience in Surveying and Geoinformatics. It has not gone through peer review. Therefore, all views and opinions expressed therein remain the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent that of any institution.  Feedback on corrections and constructive criticisms are welcome. Thank you.