Media
OLUWAFEMI Fajilade, Training Officer, Sambus Geospatial, has urged journalists to use Geographical Information System (GIS) to uncover hidden patterns and deepen their reports.
Fajilade spoke on Wednesday at a training organised by the Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), in collaboration with Sambus Geospatial, in Lagos.
She said GIS could support reporting on crime, elections, health, environmental issues, weather, oil and gas activities and other areas.
According to her, GIS enables journalists to connect data with specific locations, helping them compare places, identify patterns and examine relationships.
She urged journalists to ask location based questions such as where an incident occurred, who was affected, what was nearby and what had changed.
Fajilade said journalists could map kidnapping incidents and examine nearby roads, forests and other features to identify possible factors linked to crime.
She said GIS could also help journalists analyse election data, including voter turnout, voting patterns, incidents and anomalies across communities.
“GIS does not replace reporting. It is not a takeover. It is just an addition to what already exists,” she said.
She cautioned journalists against treating spatial patterns or proximity as proof of causation.
Fajilade urged journalists to combine GIS analysis with interviews, field reporting, official documents and expert opinions before publishing their findings.
She identified comparing locations, connecting data, identifying patterns and tracking changes as four major ways journalists could investigate spatial data.
Fajilade also advised journalists to verify GIS data sources and metadata before using them in reports.
She said satellite imagery and drones could support investigations in inaccessible or dangerous locations, while remote sensing could track environmental changes over time.
Fajilade added that GIS could support maritime investigations by combining vessel GPS information, routes and arrival times to track ships entering seaports.
She said ArcGIS Pro could connect datasets to maps and support spatial analysis, while ArcGIS StoryMaps could combine maps, text, images and multimedia for digital storytelling.
Earlier, Mr Adeleye Ajayi, Chairman, Lagos NUJ Council, stressed the need for continuous training and retraining to keep journalists abreast of developments in the media industry.
Ajayi said journalists needed to continually update their skills to remain efficient in a rapidly changing media environment.
Also speaking, Mr Adedotun Agboola, Technical Sales Officer, Sambus Geospatial, said the company had operated in the educational solutions sector for more than 30 years.
Agboola said Sambus Geospatial provided geospatial solutions, training, technical support, data visualisation and mapping services across several West African countries.
He said the training was designed to expose journalists to GIS applications for reporting elections, flooding, natural disasters, environmental issues and other subjects. (NAN)
A.I
Sept. 10, 2026
Tags: GIS Miss Oluwafemi Fajilade Mr Adedotun Agboola Mr Adeleye Ajayi Sambus Geospatial