DUE to the inability of the National Space and Research Development Agency (NASRDA) to measure up with demands of most Nigerians in the ongoing search for the over 200 missing secondary school girls, a cross session of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) stakeholders in the efforts to bring back the Chibok girls in Borno State; are calling for heads to roll in the agency, reports ITRealms.
NASRDA, according to ITRealms investigations is a Federal Government agency in-charge of development and application of space science and technology, otherwise known as satellite technologies, for the socio-economic benefits of the nation.
Unfortunately NASRDA at this critical time is practically down on the World Wide Web and offline in the real sense of it, as ITRealms exclusively reports that none of its telephone lines are going through but rather recognized by voice prompter as incorrect phone numbers.
Investigations by ITRealms also showed that the first global contact of the agency, which is the www.nasrda.gov.ng is not accessible and all the supposed official telephone lines are not working, in spite of the fact that Nigeria has cooperation in space technology with the United Kingdom, China, Ukraine and Russia to name a few.Efforts to reach the spokesman of NASRDA, Mr. Felix Ale, was not fruitful, as he refused to pick his call and reply Short Messaging Service (SMS) queries sent to his telephone, just as the space agency is yet to migrate to official electronic mailing (email) address of all the public sector agencies and departments by the National Council on Communication, last year, as its acclaimed official email is ‘nasrda_nig@yahoo.co.uk.’
In addition, ITRealms gathered that efforts to access the official website of NASRDA was marred by an internal server error, which experts attributed to misconfiguration hence unable to complete the request.
Definition of Satellites
Satellite comes in various shades and shapes depending on the need by the proponents, as such, there is a mere classification of satellite, which in its right context is a spaceflight. A satellite is an artificial object which has been intentionally placed into orbit .
ITRealms gathered that as at February 2014, 64 Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation satellites have been launched.
Other satellite build-out include that for television, used for television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna; Natural satellite is a natural satellite, or moon, and seen as a celestial body that orbits another body, for example, a planet , which is called its primary.
Also, there is reconnaissance satellite commonly referred to as a spy satellite categories as an earth observation satellite or communications satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications.
The first generation type (i.e. Corona [1] [2] and Zenith) took photographs, then ejected canisters of photographic film which would descend to earth. Corona capsules were retrieved in mid-air as they floated down on parachutes. Later spacecraft had digital imaging systems and downloaded the images via encrypted radio links.
Satellite internet access:
Equally, satellite internet access is internet access provided through communications satellites. Modern satellite Internet service is typically provided to users through geostationary satellites that could offer high data speeds, with newer satellites achieving downstream data speeds up to 15 Mega Byte per second (Mbps).
:
Weather satellite
This is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the earth.
Global Positioning System.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. The system provides critical capabilities to military, civil and commercial users around the world. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite:Globalstar is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for satellite phone and low-speed data communications, somewhat similar to the Iridium satellite constellation and Orbcomm satellite systems.
Telstar:
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls, fax images and provided the first live transatlantic television feed. Telstar 2 was launched May 7, 1963. Telstar 1 and 2, though no longer functional, are still in orbit as of October 2013.
NigComSAT:
This invariably is where the likes of the Nigerian Communication Satellite (NigComSAT1 and 2) took its similarity.
Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NigComSAT Limited, Mr. Sonny Aragba-Akpore, told ITRealms that those trying to bring in or link NigComSAT to the inability of NASRDA to deliver on its mandate of covering Nigeria’s earth observation services are either ignorant or just mischief makers.
NigComSAT, he explained is simply a communication satellite.
NASRDA versus GPS:
However, the failure of NASRDA to prove its worth of tax payers, in effect could be the gain of the Global Positioning System (GPS) industry with her resolutions and technologies.
Additionally, ITRealms gathered that the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites housed in the orbit by the United States Department of Defense. Originally streamlined for military purposes, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.
How GPS works:
GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user’s exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the receiver could determine the user’s position and display it on the unit’s electronic map.
NASRDA explains why SatX, Sat2 failed Nigerians
Rising in defense of NASRDA, the obviously ailing agency consoled itself that satellite images from the Nigeria SatX and Sat 2 could not trace the location of over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno State, over a month.
Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agencies (NASRDA) Prof. Seidu Mohammed told newsmen penultimate Friday that although many Nigerians expected the satellite to do astonishing things by tracing the girls, he said, the nation’s satellites only possessed 2.5 meters resolution, which is not sufficient to do such tracking.
He said that even some developed countries of the world with advanced satellites that have three meters resolutions still find it difficult to trace terrorists, but only help in providing useful information on the possible locations of the hide outs.
Mohammed said, Nigeria Sat X and Sat 2 are working perfectly but they have 2.5 meter resolutions, which means that they do not have the capacity to trace individuals movement but only give maps of some locations at some particular times.
“People thought satellites are video cameras. They are not. Satellite moves from one location to another and some times before they come back to a particular spot it takes up to four days. An earth observation satellite is not a video machine that can capture people anywhere therefore cannot track a migrant militants who are moving every 15 minutes or so,” he said.
NASRDA boss further elucidated that is why America with hundreds of active satellite could not be able to track Taliban and other militants, “but that is not to say it has no relevance. It has in updating maps to know how many routes are available for terrorist to escape.”
Just as he insisted that NASRDA is liaising with other relevant agencies in giving useful information available in the efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok schools girls.
Special Forces and GPS:
Barely 24 hours after claims by the Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Prof. Seidu Mohammed, on the inability of satellite technology by Nigeria to really aid the search and rescue mission of the abducted over 200 Chibok school girls, a glint of light has shown that they are still being kept at the notorious Sambisa forest in Borno State, DigitalSENSE Business News reveals.
DigitalSENSE Business News gathered that the Special Forces led by the United States Marines invariably deploying the Global Positioning System (GPS), have located these girls in Sambisa Forest, using satellites and what some industry observers tagged as advanced tracking equipment.
This is against earlier reports that most of the abducted school girls were being sold into earlier marriages into neighboring countries for $12, about N1,900 only.
DigitalSENSE Business News gathered that aside locating the girls in Sambisa forest, a combined team of the Marines and Nigerian forces, is said to have arrested a leader of the terrorist group who reportedly aided in the abduction of Chibok girls.
According to sources close to the joint special forces the Boko Haram leader arrest was facilitated through an advanced interceptor equipment used to track him during his exchange of “information with his colleagues in Sambisa Forest” on the movements of Special Forces in Maiduguri and its environ.
He has since been handed over to the Nigerian security forces for further interrogation.
Infuriated Nigerians take to social media:
Based on the unseeingly no result, infuriated Nigerians took to social media to register their displeasure over the abduction of over 200 school girls, whilst government organs trade blames, even as the state of insecurity continue.
This brought followership from the global community including the first lady of United States, Mrs. Mitchell Obama and Angelina Jolie to name a few as well as US lawmakers canvassing for global war against terrorism.
For this school of thought the investment made in Nigeria Satellites coupled with its recent deorbiting of one due to alleged backup battery failure, these industry watchers say has not been very helpful in terms positioning Nigeria as a serious satellite country.
For many Nigerians the abduction and continued hostage taking of over 200 school girls from Federal Government Secondary School Chibok in Borno State till date, that is four weeks after is suffocating.
Many industry stakeholders, especially within the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) cum Science Technologies, were recently ignited when during the search for the Malaysian Airline MH 370 some section of the media allegedly reported the Nigeria Satellite via NASRDA spotted the missing plane and it was not long, thereafter, the Chibok girls in their hundreds went missing and four weeks after there has not been any satellite imagery of those girls or their location, but a declaration of the kind of satellite’s inability to be among the advanced technologies.
Whether NASRDA?
It was not surprising that several infuriated stakeholders are wondering what exactly NASRDA is doing if it cannot actively cover the aerials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which should be its primary area of concern.
For some industry followers, it has become shocking how clueless the entire apparatus of our collective existence continues to be even in spite of the huge investment made in buying technology, services and experts, especially on satellites.
Yet for some, NASRDA do not have an idea how the satellite really works, hence dazed on what to do.
Reacting to seeming inability of NASRDA to respond promptly almost one month after, Rotimi Oyetunji from University of Lagos, lamented what he called government reversal and subsequent crash of the satellite built by the Chinese on contract from Obasanjo’s government may not have helped the situation, which investigations shows he may be referring to just NigComSAT.
Anjorin James Sunday, Chairman at Sunyprofit International Ltd guessed the satellites were not working, “since we have not heard of anything it does before.”
And for Victor Ozurumba, a Concept Artist, NASRDA simply may not know how to use the satellite at their disposal. Hence, Nigerians may not expect much.
It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark:
However, a cyber security expert, Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, in his reaction told ITRealms that the information is incomplete on the state of the Nigeria observation satellites based on the fact that they do not have the requisite resolution.
He explained that 2.5 meters implies they – satellites - will only register items larger than 2.5m thus a truck will seem like a blur while a house will be seen as an outline.
Ajijola went on to suggest that the like of Ikonos satellite provides commercial resolution of 0.8 metres and anybody can pay via credit card.
“I don’t know if this was done. Modern high resolution Arial cameras can read a vehicle number plate from at least 4,000m (approx 12,000 feet). They all work in tandem. Low resolution satellite quickly cover a broad area to discern areas of probable interest; the high resolution satellites increase focus to confirm which areas of probable should be further investigated; and ultra high resolution Ariel cameras can get ground proofing details,” he said.
He submitted that proactiveness on the part of the authorities is encouraged, wondering if we must wait to have crisis before taking right steps like investing in appropriate technologies.
“After all, it was not raining when Noah built the Ark,” he declared.
Conclusion:
Above all, it’s crucial Nigeria rethinks about its satellite investment as the abduction of Chibok school girls has not only exposed Nigeria’s ignorant attitude to satellite business and usage and loss of such an investment.
May be, Nigeria should invest recovered loot in our own Global Positioning System.
by: Remmy Nweke
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