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American Journal of  
Geospatial Technology (AJGT)

Geospatial Intelligence Training Concept for Terrorism Surveillance, Nigeria to Infusive 
Sub-Saharan African Countries  

Nwachukwu, M. A1*, Nwachukwu, J.1, Anyanwu, J.1, Babatunde, A.1, Ekweogu C1, Nwachukwu, A. N1

Volume 1 Issue 1, Year 2022
ISSN: 2833-8006 (Online) 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajgt.v1i1.537
https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajgt

Article Information ABSTRACT

Received: August 31, 2022

Accepted: September 10, 2022

Published: September 13, 2022

The wave of  insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping, killing, and shooting of  innocent citizens, 
as well as environmental destruction due to terrorism in Nigeria is of  great concern to 
governments, security operatives and the civil society. Life now means nothing to terrorists 
operating in the region, as hundreds of  people are kidnapped or killed every day. Informa-
tion about these crimes and atrocities virtually end up on social media with heart breaking 
photographs, thus bringing down the dignity of  man on earth. This paper proposes a geo-
spatial intelligence framework for terrorism surveillance (GIFTS) so that terrorists’ activi-
ties in Nigeria could at least be digitized on crime maps, and published as an outcome of  
surveillance research. The framework will enable scholars designated as research associates 
from Federal University of  Technology Owerri (FUTO), and those from 5 other universities 
in Nigeria to acquire geospatial intelligence and engage in surveillance research extended 
to selected sub-Saharan African countries. This will be the first of  such framework in the 
region, adaptable by any institution or organization worldwide. Sadly, Nigeria spent millions 
of  dollars sending micro satellites into the orbit, but most regional researchers do not have 
access and capacity to use the imagery data and information. This model therefore will have 
state of  the art tools to build geospatial intelligence capacity among scholars, government 
agencies, police and the military, using training modules on 12 project areas. 

Keywords

Geospatial Knowledge, 
Terrorism, Surveillance 
Research, Kidnapping and 
Killing, Environmental 
Destruction

1 Center for Sustainability Studies, Federal University of  Technology Owerri, Nigeria
* Corresponding author’s e-mail: nwachukwu.ma@futo.edu.ng

INTRODUCTION
Geospatial intelligence is a product of  geospatial 
technology, it is a peculiar knowledge that can be acquired 
or developed by scholars who work with geospatial 
data from acquisition, processing to analysis (Fig. 1a & 
b). Many Nigerian scholars are into research involving 
geospatial data, and in most cases, the outcomes of  these 
researches lack geospatial intelligence (Fig. 2a & b). This 
in no small measure brings down research visibility of  
Nigerian scholars in the global academic community. 
Lack of  geospatial intelligence has prevented scholars 
from researching certain critical social problems relating 
to security, man-made and geo-hazards. It is therefore 
imperative that training on geospatial knowledge 
acquisition, in other words called geospatial intelligence 
(Geoint) be promoted worldwide and not excluding 
Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, geospatial 
intelligence stand as the basic tool for surveillance 
research; mapping and studying cases of  terrorism and 
environmental hazards in Nigeria, extended to five 
linkage countries in the sub-Saharan Africa. 
Geospatial intelligence was initially started as a working 
tool of  the US military to survey and access human 
activities in the world. The tool was later acquired by 
European countries and other technologically advancing 
countries in the world, making the tool no longer about 
military only. The academia, professionals and the civil 
society need this knowledge to keep track of  what happens 
around them in the modern society. Nigeria, a country of  
36 states and the federal capital Abuja (Fig. 4), is far behind 
this knowledge. Most of  the states are fully besieged by 
terrorists drawn from different parts of  Africa, and only a 

holistic approach such as surveillance research based on a 
Geospatial Intelligence Framework can bring the desired 
impacts. The goal is to improve geospatial knowledge of  
scholars and enable state of  the art research outcome 
on insecurity in the region overwhelmed by terrorism 
and environmental destructions. In the long run, this 
will bring Nigerian scholars and their universities to 
global research visibility, which is presently constrained 
but remains the target of  every university. Quality of  
maps and graphics in a research paper ranks the paper, 
and geospatial intelligence will help manage security 
challenges and improve the quality of  maps and graphics 
in the regional research publications.
How our proposed geospatial intelligence framework 
will extend surveillance to target states in Nigeria (Fig. 
4) and institute a surveillance research network, and how 
scholars and practicing professionals can be exposed to 
the knowledge of  satellite and radar imageries, as well 
as Geographic information science (GIS) and classical 
analytical software tools is our major challenge. To 
subdue this challenge, we started by forming a geospatial 
intelligence research team (GIRT) in 2019 in the School 
of  Environmental Sciences. Geospatial intelligence can 
be described as the integration of  GIS and Satellite 
imagery knowledge to obtain information about a remote 
target. The original idea was for GIRT to build geospatial 
intelligence capacity among faculty and post-graduate 
students in the School of  Environmental Sciences, 
extended to other schools in the university. Due to the 
present wave of  insecurity in Nigeria, often linked to 
nearby regional countries, GIRT is now transformed 
to Geospatial Intelligence Framework for Terrorism 

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surveillance (GIFTS) research in the region. We plan to 
acquire state of  the art mapping drones (Fig. 2a and 2b) 
to enable survey of  large areas at a fraction of  time, cost, 
and effort. Surveillance research allows data collected 
locally by drones, regionally on satellite and remote 
sensing platforms to run through GIS and emerge into 

full digital maps. This is made possible on software 
platforms such as: COLMAP, obtainable from GitHub; 
WebODM, product of  Open Drone Map since 2017 and 
MeshRoom, obtainable from binaries of  MeshRoom.
GIFTS will use drone operations and exploitation and 
perform advanced data analytics on UAS acquired data 

Figure 1: Digital Processes leading to Geospatial Intelligence

Figure 2a: Professional mapping Drones from
GIDI Drones Nigeria Ltd                                                

(a) (b)

Figure 2b: Aerial Vantage Drone Geoint Washington 
DC, 2022

including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning 
(ML) to generate and store information on terrorism at 

every collaborating center.
The lack of  geospatial intelligence manifests also in 

Figure 3: Spatiotemporal variation of  SO2 (ppb) Spatiotemporal variation of  NO2 (ppb)

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research reporting with scholars still presenting hand 
drawn project maps and graphics. Some of  them use old 
maps produced with analog tools and use hands to effect 
positions. Some use computer tools of  low precision 
other than GIS and remote sensing, with no practical 
knowledge of  GIS and satellite imagery. Many of  the few 
who have access to GIS lack geospatial intelligence to 
manipulate their data into an informative outcome. On 
the whole, only very few scholars working on geospatial 
data have geospatial intelligence to present acceptable 
maps and figures. What magic could such researchers 
perform if  they do not also have access to necessary 
remote sensing tools, notwithstanding that Nigeria 
spent millions of  dollars sending micro satellites into 
the orbit? The truth is that most researchers in Nigeria 
do not have access and capacity to use the imagery data 
and information but such capacity can now be acquired at 
GIFTS research center in this wave of  terrorism. Below 
is a typical example of  the quality of  GIS map based on 
geospatial data, confirming lack of  geospatial intelligence 
by the author
The above figures are supposed to be informative, but are 
incomplete, due to lack of:
- Locations and identity 
- No scale shown
- No coordinates shown
- Data source accuracy is in doubt.
Above problem is challenging to the GIFTS research 
center, and when added to the problems of  insecurity 
and environmental destructions prevalent in Nigeria, the 
ideas of  this GIFTS becomes highly justified. The primary 
aim is to have a GIFTS in FUTO extended to five other 
universities located in the five other zones in Nigeria where 
scholars designated as research associates could collaborate 
with others from infusive sub-Saharan African countries  
to improve their geospatial knowledge and foster terrorism 
surveillance in the region. Coordinating these research 
associates and some expert professionals within the region 
and from other parts of  the world to counter terrorism 
through surveillance research is part of  what is required 
to save humanity in this part of  the world, believing that 
the United Nations will see the need to intervene on 
account of  human rights of  existence and justice. Each 
GIFTS center will have an initial 120 research associates to 
constitute a geospatial intelligence network for the region. 
It is expected that the early trainees will acquire geospatial 
intelligence, and will in turn train others who will also 
impart the full knowledge to security officers; the military, 
police and others. This Capacity building program is very 
important and urgent in Nigeria, and can be achieved in the 
region within 12 and 24 months if  fund is accessible. The 
good thing about this program is that the center will be 
sustainable by itself  when fully equipped and operational.

Surveillance Research
The wave of  insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping, killing, gun 
battles between security operatives and terrorists groups, 
as well as other environmental destructions in Nigeria 

is of  great concern to environmentalists, governments, 
security officers and the civil society. Life now means 
nothing to terrorists operating in the region, as hundreds 
of  people are kidnapped or killed every day. According 
to Dokua Sasu (2022), Nigeria has one of  the highest 
terrorism threat in the world, with a terrorism index of  
about 8.3. Sasu stated that several militant groups exist 
in Nigeria attacking and killing civilians without sparing 
the military and the police. Boko Haram he said is the 
deadliest, followed by their splinter group called Bandits 
and the Fulani herdsmen. The states most affected by 
Boko Haram and Bandits are Borno, Kaduna, Adamawa, 
Plateau, Bauchi, and Niger. The states most affected by 
Fulani herdsmen are Benue, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Kogi, 
Taraba, Ekiti, and Kwara, while states under siege by 
the unknown gunmen are Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ondo. 
Other states not mentioned are still not exonerated from 
the wave of  crime in Nigeria. In effect, 21 out of  36 
states and Abuja are now in the hands of  deadly terrorists 
groups. Often Boko haram and their rival terrorists  
SWAP, engage in gun battles, killing themselves and 
innocent citizens.
Information about these crimes and atrocities virtually 
end up on social media with heart breaking photographs 
showing how human beings are slaughtered, but not 
properly documented for record purposes. We are 
therefore introducing surveillance research with GIFTS 
as a new line of  research where researchers can use 
surveillance tools to investigate, monitor and study crime 
events in the environment and society. Surveillance 
research goes with geospatial intelligence and can be 
applicable to various targets to generate geospatial data. 
Two factors preventing surveillance research in Nigeria 
are the lack of  geospatial intelligence tools and the 
knowledge, and the two are what this center is designed 
to overcome. In this paper, surveillance is presented as 
different from research. The center will rather combine 
research with surveillance, using surveillance data 
to simulate research, evaluate existing crime control 
measures, monitor changes, and facilitate planning. 
Surveillance data can be used to estimate the magnitude 
of  crime, environmental destruction and hazards which 
can help generate a research hypothesis. This has made 
surveillance research approach stand independently 
different from normal research. In this case, it is a 
research to save human existence from the killing hands 
of  terrorists in this part of  the world.
According to Baber (2018) Geospatial Intelligence was 
defined by the U.S. government as “the exploitation 
and analysis of  imagery and geospatial information to 
describe, assess, and visually depict physical features 
and geographically referenced activities on the earth’’ 
Geospatial intelligence consists of  imagery, imagery 
intelligence, and geospatial information and the skill to 
manipulate them into something informative. The term 
geospatial information refers specifically to information 
that identifies the geographic location and characteristics 
of  natural or constructed features and boundaries on the 

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earth and includes (A) statistical data and information 
derived from, among other things, remote sensing, 
mapping, and surveying technologies; and (B) mapping, 
charting, geodetic data, and related products. There have 
been notable updates to this definition in more recent 
years, endeavoring to capture the essence of  Geospatial 
Intelligence in practice. 
One academically-developed definition describes 
Geospatial Intelligence as “actionable knowledge, 
a process and a profession, the ability to describe, 
understand, and interpret so as to anticipate the human 
impact of  an event or action within a spatiotemporal 
environment, also the ability to identify, collect, store, and 
manipulate data to create geospatial knowledge through 
critical thinking, geospatial reasoning, and analytical 
techniques” 

The Future of  Geospatial Data
In a comprehensive report presented by Ball Aerospace et 
al. (2018) the team explored the uses of  geospatial data in 
retail, health care, financial services, and transportation/
logistics. According to them, ‘‘innovation and cutting-
edge research and development (R&D) in the field 
of  geospatial data, geospatial science, and analytics 
continue to yield new ways to incorporate geospatial 
data into new arenas and offer solutions to today’s most 
challenging problems’’ They confirmed that companies 
and academic institutions across the world are investing 
in developing geospatial technologies that will further 
extend the use of  this valuable data outside traditional 
markets, but this is not the case with most countries in 
the sub-Saharan Africa. According to them,  ‘’The fields 
of  remote sensing and mobile drone platforms/sensors 
are expanding rapidly and providing consumer markets 
new levels of  persistent and targeted geospatial data 
previously available only to the military and intelligence 
agencies’’ Furthermore, they described geospatial data as 
a critical element to the operation of  drones and small 
autonomous spacecraft, while numerous R&D activities 
are providing more accurate data to these platforms, thus 
enhancing their overall performance.
The team further expressed that “surveillance research 
has become a critical element in developing artificial 
intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies” 
However, the understanding of  these technologies in 
sub-Saharan Africa translates to greater challenge than in 
most other regions. 
AI innovations offer groundbreaking ways to perform 
topological data analysis, spatial analysis, change 
detection, and feature selection, and geospatial data is 
also one of  the foundational elements of  virtual reality 
(VR) development all of  which are yet to be integrated 
into research in the region. There is urgent needs to use 
geospatial data related to insecurity, demography, and 
environmental destruction to inform policy-making by 
government and activities of  security operatives in the 
region.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Insecurity in Nigeria according to Obi (2015) ‘‘include 
activities of  Boko haram and Bandits such as bombing, 
suicide bomb attacks, sporadic shooting of  unarmed 
and innocent citizens, burning of  police stations, 
churches, kidnapping of  school girls and women, and 
not excluding kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and 
political crises, murder, destruction of  oil facilities by 
Niger Delta militants alongside the attacks carried out by 
Fulani herdsmen on some communities in the North and 
South’’ According to Tanko Aliyu of  BBC News 19 July 
2021, Nigeria insecurity is hinged on 3 persistent life and 
property destructions threats; 1. Jihadism championed by 
Boko haram and caused death of  about 350,000 people 
by end of  2020 and displaced millions from their homes 
following UN report. 2. Clashes between herdsmen and 
farmers resulting to killing of  thousands of  rural dwellers 
by armed herdsmen over grazing land. 3. Banditry and 
kidnapping, resulting to one of  the scariest threats for 
families in Nigeria when thousands of  school children 
and ordinary citizens become abducted and only released 
after millions are paid as ransom or killed.  
Geospatial intelligence is the ability to present knowledge 
in a way that is appropriate to the decision-making 
environment (Bacastow and Bellafiore, 2009). An 
industry-based definition indicates that “GEOINT is 
the professional practice of  integrating and interpreting 
all forms of  geospatial data to create historical and 
anticipatory intelligence products used for planning, 
or that answer questions posed by decision makers” 
(Murdock and Clark, 2016). Collectively, data capture, 
visualization, and analysis for decision support are 
key elements of  these definitions. Further, it’s notable 
that military, defense, and intelligence applications 
are not explicitly described within these definitions. 
From the University of  Southern California website, 
while geographic information science (GIS) requires 
specialized knowledge to succeed, the discipline is full of  
varied opportunities. Geospatial intelligence represents 
one of  the dynamic areas where professionals can further 
evolve their GIS careers, pursuing opportunities with the 
government, military or with humanitarian organizations.
Nwachukwu (2018) presented a Mathematical Approach 
to Measure Academic Visibility in Universities and 
highlighted that the lack of  geospatial intelligence affects 
the quality of  maps and graphics and not excluding 
data acquisition methods, thereby preventing Nigerian 
scholars and their universities from global visibility. 
Fajemirokun et al., (2006), declared that due to lack 
of  adequate and modern technology and sufficient 
manpower having geospatial intelligence, the Nigerian 
security agents have not been able to effectively tackle the 
issue of  crime in Nigeria. This has led to the formation 
of  community vigilante groups. They described GIS as 
a tool for effective crime mapping and management. In 
their study of  groundwater prospects in Imo River basin, 
Nwachukwu et al. (2013), used Geographic Information 

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System (GIS) to model geospatial data acquired from 
electrical resistivity and direct well measurements to 
show groundwater prospect in Imo River basin. The 
result showed areas of  high, medium and low prospects 
correlating with the local geology, and presented a case 
for sustainable groundwater development in Imo River 
Basin.
Pranav Kedia (2016). Conducted crime mapping and 
analysis using GIS to show area of  crime hotspots, areas 
deficient in security outfit, areas requiring constant police 
patrol, time and days when citizens face the maximum 
crime and of  what type. Argun and Murat (2016) explained 
that development in technology and the accessibility 
of  geographic data sources make it feasible for police 
departments to use GIS in crime mapping. Nwachukwu 
et al., (2017) stated that abandoned borrow pits and their 
associated risks are on the increase in Nigeria. They 
insisted that borrow pits should be reclaimed soon after 
use, to prevent their use as crime hotspots. Further, they 
advocated the use of  drones for surveillance mapping 
over abandoned borrow pits, quarry pits, and erosion 
gullies suspected to be crime hotspots. 
Amangabara, et al. (2017): presented an assessment of  the 
suitability of  some sites for Aquaculture Development in 
the Onitsha Sub-basin of  southeastern Nigeria using GIS 
methods but an improvement to this study will require 
the use of  satellite imagery. It should also be recognized 
that there is often considerable overlap with application 
areas of  Geospatial intelligence to the broader academic/
professional geospatial field. Areas of  overlap include 
examples such as climate change (Crosiar, 2015) and 
humanitarian crisis mapping (Stack, 2017). Andrew 
Helen (2019) and the 7th report of  the European Union 
Committee on civilian use of  drones listed several 
applications of  drones to include security surveillance as 
part of  geospatial intelligence. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The center will establish a laboratory as a regional 
geospatial information service center, maintain ArcGIS, 
and install remote sensing and statistical software to 
include; 
ILWIS - Integrated Land &Water Information System 
ENVI (Environment for Visualizing Images); 
PCI Geomatica- Processing earth observation data and 
ERDAS IMAGINE
JUMP Statistics – World famous statistical analysis 
software shall be installed to discourage use of  stuff  like 
Excel. The center will seek linkage with world geospatial 
intelligence experts.
The center will engage some industry based specialists 
for online and center based training using well prepared 
training modules. The capacity building framework is 
as shown in figure 4, and can be copied by any higher 
institution in sub-Saharan Africa to foster surveillance 
research and counter terrorism in the region with 
minimum funding. With partnership, GIFTS will focus on 
regional security challenges under surveillance research 

using training modules as summarized under discussion.

Explanation of  GITC Framework 
The center has 40 registered research associates from 
FUTO, 100 from other universities selected in Nigeria, 
20 from the industry and universities outside Nigeria, 
and 40 research assistants and technologists. These are 
people to receive the initial training and who will then 
train others. The ideas of  this center is incorporated into 
a theoretical framework representing a research project 
(Figure 4). Details of  the research framework or project 
as presented is self-explanatory. Arrows have been used 
to explain the direction of  projects and their interface, 
including final collaboration with geospatial intelligence 
experts or agencies in advanced nations to complete 
a network for surveillance research and training in the 
sub-region. The states numbered 1-20 in the map are the 
target states, with number 1 as having the highest human 
killing and kidnapping for ransom and 20 about the least, 
in that order. Any institution can afford to adopt GIFTS 
as presented to foster surveillance research and counter 
terrorism in the region. Without many GIFTS established 
and collaborating across the region, the country Nigeria 
will seize to exist. Listed in the framework are 12 training 
modules specifically designed to bring about the center’s 
most needed capacity building areas? Content and 
characteristics of  each module is hereby presented under 
discussion.

GITC Network
A primary objective of  this paper requires the adoption 
of  GITC in six universities in Nigeria. The six universities 
will be located in northeast (NE), northwest (NW), north 
central (NC), southeast (SE), southwest (SW), and south-
south (SS) zones of  the country as illustrated in figure 
4. The university of  Origin; the Federal University of  
Technology Owerri (FUTO), is located in the SE and 
designated as zone A. University of  Calabar, zone B will 
coordinate surveillance research in the SS. University 
of  Ibadan will coordinate SW zone C, Nasarawa state 
University will coordinate NC zone D, while Usmanu 
Danfodiyo University Sokoto will coordinate the NE 
zone E, and University of  Maiduguri coordinates NW 
zone F. This arrangement is capable of  instituting a 
network of  surveillance research to counter terrorism in 
Nigeria which is already beyond the control capacity of  
the country. We are calling on the world powers to come 
to our rescue; save Nigerians from the killing hands of  
these terrorists groups. United states and the European 
Union and the entire world under the United Nations 
should not keep quiet as though nothing is happening and 
as if  the hundreds dying every week are no human beings. 
Are there no more world leaders investigating activities 
of  Islamic extremists whose stalk in trade is to kill, kidnap 
Christians including the priests, and burn down churches?

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Mapping Land use and Urbanization

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Figure 4: GITC Framework

This module will explain how geospatial intelligence can 
be applied in urban planning, mapping transportation 
routes; roads and rail tracks ahead of  their development 
and usage. Identification of  land areas for agriculture, 
forestry, markets, schools and hospitals ahead of  time 
of  development and in line with the principles of  
sustainable urban and regional planning are vital aspects 
of  this training module. How surveillance research can be 
conducted over rail lines and major highways in Nigeria 
will be priority in this module.

Mapping of  terrorists’ camps and operational 
hotspot 
Terrorists’ camps, including kidnappers’ dens must be 
investigated and under surveillance. Hundreds of  people 
are being kidnapped on daily bases across the region, and 
while half  may be released after ransoms, half  others are 
killed or buried alive. This act of  inhumanity by persons 

who identify themselves as terrorist groups such as the 
Boko Haram, ISWAP, Bandits, Fulani herdsmen etc., must 
be under surveillance research to expose and curb their 
activities. This module will contain details and methods 
of  surveillance research on terrorist camps in Nigeria

Surveillance over oil pipelines and communities
Surveillance research will be extended to the protection 
of  oil and gas pipelines and installations in the region. 
This facility has in recent times suffered vandalization by 
terrorist groups who often cause explosion of  pipelines, 
spillage and resultant environmental degradation. Land 
and water bodies get polluted, affecting aquatic life and 
ecosystem loss. A training module on the application of  
geospatial intelligence to monitor pipelines will be handy.

Surveillance over industrial and residential estate 
Crime waves; abduction, killing, arm robbery and raping 

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in urban areas across Nigeria is now too much to be 
ignored. Many residential estates are now unsafe for 
human dwelling following cases of  robbery, kidnapping, 
killing and rapping associated with such estates in urban 
and semi-urban areas of  the region. Perpetrators of  such 
evil are often not permanent in one country. They commit 
evil in country A and will escape security operatives to 
hang out in the next country B only to return to Country 
A again after sorting out or could move to country C 
when B is no more comfortable. Along, such criminals 
go ahead with their crime which in most cases capitalize 
on drug pushing. Geospatial intelligence can be applied to 
track criminal excesses and drug pushing in urban areas in 
this training module.

Mapping oil spill sites and Pollution studies
Geospatial intelligence is applicable in the investigation 
and mapping of  pollution sites. Open dumping of  
domestic and industrial wastes as well as transferred toxic 
wastes dumping along the Atlantic coast of  West Africa 
are all major environmental insecurity in the region, 
causing pollution of  land, air, and water resources. It 
also lead to insecurity of  food products. Waste dumping 
on land or along the coastline is hazardous, and there is 
every need to monitor coastlines and land for dumping 
of  hazardous wastes. Several oil spill sites exist in the 
Nigeria Niger delta areas often the handiwork of  terrorist 
groups who target destruction of  oil and gas installations. 
Such brownfields also need to be investigated, properly 
documented for possible remediation and policy decision 
making. This module will be designed to offer knowledge 
in these areas using geospatial intelligence.

Mapping and surveillance over Gully erosion sites 
Gully erosion sites are wide spread in the region without 
record of  locations, history and extent. Geospatial 
intelligence can be useful in mapping gully sites, since gully 
sites have been identified as criminal dens; kidnappers 
hide out and hazard areas to farmers and other roaming 
animals. It destroys arable land thereby causing food 
scarcity and insecurity. How gullies can be mapped, and 
subjected to surveillance research will be part of  this 
training module. Best management practice to remedy 
and control gully erosion will be added. 

Mapping impacts of  Climate Change on water 
resources and biodiversity 
Geospatial intelligence is applicable in the mapping 
of  climate change impacts on water resources and 
biodiversity. Most streams and lakes in the region have 
declined. For example, Lake Chad which was 25 km2 in 
the 70s is only 5km2 today. There is ecosystem decline, 
resulting to loss of  aquatic life and other organisms 
which amounts to another aspect of  life insecurity, calling 
for surveillance research. With geospatial intelligence, a 
comparative specie analysis of  birds and other organisms 
available today and those that were available 50 years ago 
can be carried out and duly integrated in this module.

Mapping Desert encroachment and Drought
Northern Nigeria and other northern areas of  the 
sub-Saharan Africa are largely impacted by desert 
encroachment and there is no record or data about 
the rate and extent of  spread collectively. It is possible 
that individual country is tracing desertification within 
its boundary, but geospatial intelligence can be used 
to understand events of  desertification in the region. 
Environmental hazards associated with the desertification 
also comes under surveillance research. For example, loss 
of  grazing fields resulting from desertification has made 
Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria to move southwards along 
with guns and other dangerous weapons to force gracing 
on farm lands in the south, thereby instituting violence 
and killing of  innocent farmers on their farms. Again, 
near surface groundwater system typical of  the igneous 
basement areas of  the north have seen drought, resulting 
to decline of  tube wells and water scarcity. These and 
more are issues to include in this training module. 

Mapping Gas flaring sites and illegal mining and oil 
and gas activities
Too many gas flaring sites exist in the oil and gas mining 
district of  Niger delta. Geospatial intelligence can be used 
to bring to book all the flaring sites for easy assessment 
and policy decision towards effective solution. Gas 
flaring is environmental degradation of  a higher order, 
causing continuous release of  greenhouse gases to the 
atmosphere and climate change consequences. Gas 
flaring bring about acid rain to soil and surface water 
contamination. Surveillance research can use geospatial 
intelligence to map all flaring sites and illegal mining 
activities in Nigeria. Several illegal sites for oil bunkering, 
petroleum refining, solid mineral extraction can be 
monitored using geospatial intelligence constituting a 
good training module for the center. Cases of  explosion, 
shooting and killing, communal crises and fire incidents 
taken hundreds of  lives are frequently reported in these 
areas predominantly in the Niger delta.

Aiding Police, Air force and Naval operations
Geospatial intelligence will be useful in mapping police, 
air force and naval operations. This module will be used 
to train police, air force and naval officers on how to apply 
geospatial intelligence in their operations, and be able to 
strike a target accurately. Basic digital mapping techniques 
will be added. Operation of  radar control in space for 
both aircrafts and marine vessels will also be discussed. 
Surveillance research using geospatial intelligence will 
isolate crime hotspots to the knowledge of  police and 
other security operatives for continuous surveillance. This 
module will be very attractive to security departments.

Documentation of  Daily Terrorists Activities
The center will serve as data bank and terrorism 
information workstation, where all cases of  kidnapping, 
killing, shooting and property destructions would be 
recorded on daily bases for public use. Information 

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Am. J. Arts. Geo. Spat. Technol. 1(1) 44-51, 2022

exchange network will be established among researchers 
and important stakeholders for decision making. 
Information from security officers, newspaper reports 
and confirmed public posts will be accountable. 
Information collation, storage and more will be discussed 
in this module.

CONCLUSION
The interdisciplinary nature of  this counter-terrorism 
perspective is interesting, and the most target professionals 
for the training are Security officers, Air force and Naval 
officers, Surveyors, Environmentalists, Geoscientists, 
Urban planners, Petroleum engineers, Public health 
officers, Education managers, Transport managers, 
Maritime managers, and Forestry officers, etc., The center 
will give priority to research associates of  the mentioned 
professions to register with the center to acquire geospatial 
intelligence skills for surveillance studies. There is need 
for a more holistic but collaborative efforts to subdue 
insecurity challenges collectively by setting up centers 
where scholars in Nigeria and nearby countries could 
collaboratively acquire geospatial intelligence to empower 
terrorism surveillance research. The center will aid and 
train security operatives; the military, police, civil defense 
and others to acquire geospatial intelligence and apply 
the knowledge in their routine operations. Surveillance 
research to counter terrorism in Nigeria and the sub-
Saharan Africa calls for special trust fund if  the region 
sincerely wishes to counter terrorism. GIMC framework 
as presented is open to be adapted by any university in 
the region for surveillance research to counter terrorism. 
Collaboration of  such centers will provide useful 
information required in the fight against terrorism in 
Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.

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