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Ghana Needs Geospatial Technology To Delimit Her Territorial Waters Against The Ivorian Invasion

Feature Article A Map Showcases The Disputed Oil Field In The Off-Shore Belt Of Ghana  Ivory Coast
DEC 20, 2013 LISTEN
A Map Showcases The Disputed Oil Field In The Off-Shore Belt Of Ghana & Ivory Coast

Since the news regarding our western neighbour, Ivory Coast claiming portions of our huge oil potential broke in 2011, Parliament had been tasked to with immediate effect pass a new law that would establish the Ghana Boundary Commission to undertake negotiations to determine, demarcate and delimit it's land and maritime boundaries.

The diplomatic fracas and friction started, two years ago between the two countries when Vanco, a United States Operator, struck oil in huge volumes in the deep water off Ghana's Cape Three Points, near Ivory Coast.

While the matter has been tabled before United Nations' International Seabed Authority, and Ghana's application to extend its continental and territorial shelf beyond the statutory 200 miles is still pending at the UN, waiting for approval or order wise, there is an urgent need for the government to consider employing the service of a geospatial consulting firm, which has the necessary expertise and professional pedigree to demarcate our maritime borders, which is the best technical and technological solution for the seeming international dispute with our francophone western neighbor, Ivory Coast.
Having been reading and watching documentaries about the interesting and exciting geospatial technology, and being so curious to know much about this cutting edge Arial technology, I google-searched companies that use such kind of technologies here in the US, with the intention to do this advocacy piece, by suggesting to the government in the wake of the oil field dispute with Ivory Coast, the need to utilize this amazing and intricate technology in order to delimit our territorial waters from our neighbors, to help solve the long and protracted oil field crisis. And frankly speaking, one of the few companies that I came across worldwide, is NorthStar Geospatial Consulting Group, based in Canada and the United Sates.

Coincidentally, while reviewing NorthStar's website, I was shocked to realize that, the company has already crafted and calibrated an exclusive Geospatial Technology concept for Ghana dubbed, "GeoGhana 2013-National GeoSpatial Infrastructure Programme." The company, which has a terrific, tried and tested track records of Geospatial experience in many countries, utilizes state-of-the-art mapping and surveying techniques to develop framework geospatial data layers that cover both Ghana's terrestrial, coastal and maritime environments.

In the executive summary of the company's proposal that I stumbled upon, NorthStar has developed a multi-disciplinary approach to accomplish a consistent and comprehensive national spatial data infrastructure for Ghana. One of which is, Coastal Topographic Mapping: With this approach, by the use of aircraft, Airborne terrestrial LiDAR technology will be used with the goal of mapping the coastal plain up to 50 km from the coast.

This technology will provide a very dense three-dimensional view (map) of all existing infrastructure, landforms, and vegetation. Additionally, through a series of domestic and internationally tendered value-added products from LiDAR database-topographic maps, digital orthophotos, slope maps and other geo-products will be generated.

LiDAR,(Light Detection and Ranging)by way of definition, is an optical remote-sensing technique that uses laser light to densely sample the surface of the earth, producing highly accurate x,y,z measurements. Lidar, primarily used in airborne laser mapping applications, is emerging as a cost-effective, and more creative alternative to traditional surveying techniques such as photogrammetry. Lidar produces mass point cloud datasets that can be managed, visualized, analyzed, and shared using ArcGIS.

NorthStar's Airborne LiDAR operation can clearly demarcate the geographical boundary of Ghana, both on land, and more importantly on the coastal belt or off-shore and thereby help solve the current and future crisis between Ghana and her neighbor, Ivory Coast, permanently.

This NorthStar's technology will go the extra mile to enable even the President himself, within the four walls of his house or office, at any given time to monitor the complete processing and movement of Ghana's oil/gas resources with just a click of a button.

Other cutting edge and innovative technological strategies that NorthStar would like to adopt are; Satellite Imagery, Geographic Information System, Corridor Mapping of Power Transmission Lines and Railroads, Academic Cooperation, Support and Training, as well as Data Center-Where they will establish a state-of-the-art data center in Ghana to allow direction for all government agencies to connect and reap the benefits of current, accurate geospatial information. The data centre be built in Ghana and backup of data for this centre in a remote location with extreme broadband capability. This will service all commercial and governmental-geo-data needs and will drive the program to recoup the costs of the project.

This GeoGhana technology will revive Ghana's outdated information system, by facing out the old and obsolete information, archival and record keeping techniques. While absorbing over 1500 employees.

President Mahama, in his "State of the Nation Address" to Parliament last year observed that, "…all Ghanaians deserve to live in a country with improved infrastructure, which is inextricably linked to enhancing the quality of life...The viability of private sector investments hinges on a robust and functional infrastructure of roads, rail, sufficient energy, stable water supply and seamless communications and ICT infrastructure…government will use information technology to support infrastructure development, urban renewal, land use management and environmental protection.”

Obviously, the multi-dimensional angles of this company's initiative will help achieve these national socio-economic infrastructural objectives. NorthStar's GeoGhana initiative will undoubtedly contribute to nation building by providing the foundational geographic information. The project modeled after the successful one for the United Arab Emirates, once completed will serve as the African model, thereby solidifying and showcasing Ghana as the Gateway to the entire Africa in terms of tourism and investment.

Husseini Y. BabalWaiz, Director, Media & Marketing, Energy Source Solutions
New York, USA, [email protected]
Source of information on LiDAR: http://resources.arcgis.com

A Map Showcases The Disputed Oil Field In The Off-Shore Belt Of Ghana  Ivory CoastA Map Showcases The Disputed Oil Field In The Off-Shore Belt Of Ghana & Ivory Coast

A diagram Above Portrays A LiDAR-Air Operation And Recording Of Data Via SatelliteA diagram Above Portrays A LiDAR-Air Operation And Recording Of Data Via Satellite

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