TEN ci E 
ES Mee 
NE 
  
oc 
—— 
  
  
RO m sre im te Sts Ae 
  
  
A A A EA A CU SE ARE NH N HT HERNE > - . 
: ca 
ARATE A 
  
GROWTH OF PRIVATE MAPPING COMPANIES IN NIGERIA 
The first set of private companies started to operate in Nigeria about the mid- fifties. They 
consisted of overseas Survey Organizations, who were engaged under contract by the Directorate 
of Overseas Surveys namely, Fairey Air Surveys and Hunting Aerial Surveys. Later other 
companies involved in the same programme, i.e. Meridian Air Surveys and J. A. Story & Partners 
joined them, In 1962, the Canadian Aero Survey Services came into the country under the 
Canadian Special Commonwealth African Aid Programme. These companies continued execution 
of mapping programmes for the Survey Departments and other parastatals after the Aid Pro- 
gramme through which they first came into the country had ended. 
In the late sixties the foreign companies operating in the country were required by law to 
employ the services of Nigerian Licensed Surveyors, who are by law, together with government 
surveyors, are the only people empowered to carry out survey work. As a result, some of these 
companies either employed Nigerian Licensed Surveyors directly or entered into direct partner- 
ship with such Licensed Surveyors. During the 3rd Development plan period, i.e. 1975 — 1980, 
the volume of mapping increased as a result of government's policy to invest on mapping. A 
number of Licensed Surveyors started formed their own mapping companies Indigenous 
mapping companies were formed as off shoots of the existing 'one-man-business' Licensed Sur- 
veyors. Because of the very limited expertise of these companies and non.availability of necessary 
equipment for mapping, the Federal Surveys insisted that the companies have foreign partners. 
The idea of foreign partners is to enable the Nigerian firms to take advantage of the cooperation 
with their foreign partners towards being self-reliant in mapping by acquiring the technology 
and establishing facilities here in Nigeria. However, this technology transfer has been to a very 
large extent a dream as some of the Nigerian partners do not have competent photogrammetrists, 
geodesists and cartographersat the technologist and professional levels who can actually benefit 
from the joint venture. Today we have about 25 such companies all over the country each with 
different foreign partners scattered all over the world! 
The encouragement and insistance of Federal Surveys on foreign partnership has not been 
very fruitful. It could have been more ideal to ensure that competent Nigerian photogrammetrists, 
geodesists, cartographers teamed up to form formidable companies rather than allowing foreign 
surveying companies to mush-room around Licensed Surveyors. Such companies should have 
been allowed to decide which aspect of any contract given to them would be sub-contracted to 
foreign partners rather than the Nigerian and the foreign partners signing agreement together with 
the Government. 
4. TRAINING FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING 
For a successful photogrammetric and Remote Sensing practice, well trained personnels 
are required at various levels viz: 
technician level 
technologist level and 
the engineer/professional level. 
The early training of photogrammetrists in Nigeria was provided on-the-job locally and throu- 
gh attachments at the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (D. O. S.). for a period of 3 to 6 months. 
15 
  
* rn x 
A cm le hab p d : 3 
A SE nS CARTER E A puso 
x 
m RES 
ait 
= gris 
TE 
Et 
E VER RA 
  
— 
da e LH > 
    
    
    
   
    
    
    
    
    
  
   
     
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
    
   
    
  
   
    
  
   
   
gradu 
tary 
cours 
quite 
mme: 
H 
office 
Earth 
progr 
techn 
MSC 
duate 
ment: 
O 
thoug 
State. 
kind i 
Engin 
of for 
and Pi 
has al 
throuc 
4.2 
Ph 
survey 
ying e 
contin 
Th 
Th 
Polyte 
course 
Th 
ty, Za 
gramm 
ses, wl 
prograi 
Inspite 
researc 
of the: 
both pi