Indigenous Earth Observation Data in Implementing SDGS in Nigeria

Earth Observation (EO) data is playing a crucial role in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the globe. This chapter examined the effects of the availability and accessibility of Nigeria’s Indigenous EO data in implementing SDGs in Nigeria. A survey was conducted via questionnaires completed by individuals in the spatial and environmental science fields to assess their level of awareness and use of EO data for different projects that relate to SDGs. The result shows a lack of awareness and limited access to the Indigenous Earth Observation data in Nigeria. While 55.6% of the respondents have used EO data for projects and research on SDG in Nigeria, only 24.7% used EO data obtained from Nigeria Earth observation satellites. Total 55.6% of the respondents identified the unavailability of data from Nigerian Earth observation satellites as the major inhibiting factor for using Nigeria’s EO data. This study recommends a publicly accessible central data repository as the country plans to succeed the NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X with new Earth Observation satellites to derive optimal benefits and expedite the achievement of the sustainable goals in Nigeria using EO data. Using Nigeria’s Indigenous EO data for regional capacity development training will also foster its accessibility and usage for sustainable developments. This study contributes to efforts to the utilization of EO data to achieve sustainable development goals and improvement of open access data policy in Nigeria.