A novel UK satellite has returned its first pictures of heat variations across the surface of the Earth.

HotSat-1 carries the highest resolution commercial thermal sensor in orbit, enabling it to trace hot and cold features as small as 3.5m across.

In the initial imagery, a Chicago train is observed moving through the night and the flame fronts of Canadian wildfires are precisely mapped.

London operator SatVu plans to launch seven additional spacecraft.

This will increase the volume of data it can acquire but also reduce the time between passes over particular locations, meaning changes in a scene can be detected more rapidly.

HotSat-1, with its mid-wave infrared camera, was assembled by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) in Guildford and launched in June on a SpaceX rocket flying out of California.

The spacecraft manufacturer is due to complete its in-orbit testing and commissioning phase in the next week.

“At that point ‘we get the keys’, so to speak, and we’ll then be able to task the satellite ourselves and get the data down for our customers,” Tobias Reinicke, the chief technology officer at SatVu, told BBC News.

They’ll permit urban planners, for example, to see roof tops and walls.

This will enable them to understand the temperature profiles of individual buildings, offices and factories. It’s information that can identify infrastructure that’s wasting energy and is in need of better insulation.

General Manager, Niger State Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA), Dr Mohammed Abubakar has called on residents to change their attitude toward indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

Abubakar made the call during a meeting with staff of the agency on assumption of office in Minna, the state’s capital.

“It is not going to be business as usual; we need to change our attitude towards lots of things.

“You cannot generate waste and confidently bring out that waste and dump it in an open ground, we want to ensure responsibility in management of waste and this include disposal of waste,” he said

He said that the agency would come up with new policies on waste disposal in the state.

The general manager said that the new policies would be either disposal of waste at a primary dumping site, or secondary collection points depending on the peculiarity of the area.

He said that the era of people dumping waste indiscriminately was over, adding that the urban renewal policy of Gov. Umaru Bago could only succeed in a clean environment.

Abubakar said that the governor had given a matching order to reposition the agency within the next six months to become a revenue generating agency.

In her remarks, Hajiya Halima Ndanusa, who had been overseeing the agency, expressed optimism that the new general manager would bring his wealth of experience in waste management.

She said the agency was faced with the challenge of inadequate funding, and lack of modern equipment to enable it discharge its responsibility effectively.

In line with efforts to forestall incessant articulated vehicle accidents which have claimed lives on some bridges in the State, the Lagos State Government has announced traffic diversion on the night of Saturday, 7th October 2023 for the installation of the Dorman-Long Bridge truck barrier, from 10.00 pm to 7.00 am.

Consequently, the following alternative routes will be available to Motorists during the diversion:

i. Motorists from Western Avenue inbound Ikorodu Road will be diverted to Empire Road/Jibowu to continue their journeys

ii. Motorists from Western Avenue can alternately use Agege Motor Road to link Mushin and proceed to their desired destinations.

Motorists are implored to be patient as the closure of the bridge is planned for the nighttime as part of the traffic management strategy to avert further accidents and loss of lives.

The State Government has, however, noticed the continuous damage on the truck barriers and has therefore warned again that henceforth, any driver who runs into them will face the full wrath of the Law.

The Lagos State Task Force has impounded 35 vehicles for illegal parking and road obstruction along the Jibowu corridor in the Yaba area of the state.

The task force’s spokesperson, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, in a statement on Thursday, said the operation took place on Wednesday and was coordinated by the agency’s chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye, who described the actions of some transport operators as “self-cantered” for occupying a large portion of the road to load goods on their vehicles and pick up passengers.

According to Abdulraheem, Jejeloye disclosed that residents and commuters who ply the route complained of the activities of the bus operators at Jibowu “who converted those areas to roadside courier stations and mini garages.”

“It is sad to see these transport operators move their business from their premises down to the main road meant for free vehicular movement just for their selfish gains.

“Their actions cause increased travel time and unnecessary chaos once it gets dark,” the statement quoted Jejeloye as saying.

The chairman further disclosed that the vehicles impounded had been booked and the owners would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“It’s high time we put a stop to this inhumanity to Lagosians plying that route. We will ensure constant patrol and monitoring of the Jibowu corridor especially at night when such infractions usually occur and make sure anyone caught inflicting unnecessary discomfort to road users is arrested and charged to court,” he added.

Meanwhile, officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Thursday demolished shanties and makeshift structures around the Lekki-Epe area.

The operation was carried out around Ikota, Eleganza Bus Stop.

According to a post on X (formerly Twitter), the shanties and makeshift structures defaced the expressway and were also said to be dens of criminals in the area.

Officials of the task force were said to have faced opposition from some individuals who initially stalled the operation.

When contacted, the task force Public Relations Officer, Abdulraheem, confirmed the operation which he said targeted only shanties that were against the “New Lagos status.”

He said, “Given the agenda of the state, we don’t want that kind of thing in New Lagos mega city status, shanties were demolished, not buildings.”

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has reiterated the commitment of his administration to enhancing the livability of Lagosians by prioritising the provision of infrastructure because of the critical role it plays in facilitating economic growth and improving the people’s living standards.

The governor made these remarks at the commissioning of the newly constructed 5-A-Side Astro-Turf Football Pitch with Parking Space at the Ijeh, Dolphin Road and reconstruction of Olawale Dawodu Street, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat stated that the commissioning will improve the aesthetic of Ikoyi as well as have a direct bearing on the socio-economic development of not only the residents of the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) but the state as a whole.

He noted that since the inception of his government in 2019, his administration has invested in the construction and upgrade of several roads such as Reeves Olulegbale, Thompson Road, Oyinkansola Abayomi and many more which has resulted in improved connectivity and a reduction in travel time.