As part of its social responsibilities to Nigerians and human society, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has concluded necessary arrangements to release high resolution satellite images to relevant stakeholders in line with the provisions outlined in NASRDA Act 2010.

In a statement by the Director Media and Corporate Communications and Spokesperson for the Agency, Dr Felix Ale, the Space Agency is irrevocably committed to its mandate in the utilization space science and technology for the socio-economic development of Nigeria as well as playing its part in the global community as a member of disaster monitoring constellation.

Dr Ale explained that the initiative which aims to foster accessibility to valuable geospatial data for diverse applications and research endeavors, comprises of satellite images with a range of resolutions on both panchromatic and multispectral as well as spectral bands, 2.1m

According to him the resolution on the Panchromatic include 2.5m and 3.5m, while on the Multispectral the resolution of the images include, 5m, 8m, 10m , 16m as well as 30m Multispectral, with the spectral bands in Blue, Green, Red, and Near Infrared.

Dr Ale pointed that in a bid to ensure responsible use of the satellite images, the Agency admonishes that users desist from selling the satellite images received as the images are not for commercial purposes; adding that recipients are only allowed to request for satellite images not exceeding a spatial extent of 50km² at a time, particularly for images with a spatial resolution below 10m.

The Agency’s spokesperson stressed that students as well as individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by requesting satellite images for their research and projects, adding that individuals seeking satellite imagery are expected to include a summary of their project in their request.

The request according to him should consist of a brief detailing the project’s title, state, local government and town while application type for instance may be in environment studies, climate, urban planning, natural resource management and several others.

The Agency therefore invites interested parties and stakeholders to submit their inquiries to the Director General/Chief Executive at the National Space Research and Development Agency, located at the Obasanjo Space Centre on Umaru Shehu Yaradua Way, Airport Road Abuja or via email to geodata@nasrda.gov.ng.

For added convenience, data collection will be facilitated through DROPBOX, eliminating the need for physical visits to NASRDA. Request submissions must also include a shapefile for the area of interest, utilizing the Geographic Coordinate System with WGS84 Datum.