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0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:48 PM Page 31 Organizing National Level Imagery and Mapping By J O H N S T R E B E C K Agency Mapping magery and Onfoer mcaatetgioonry poafr btiactutlleasrplyac ree ilne-- National I vmaanntd teor so pise rtahtieo npahl ycsoicma-l environment. Imagery, imagery intelligence, and geospatial information If there was one lesson learned from the Persian Gulf that (mapping, charting, and geodesy) portray that environment and are thus still rings clear, it was that today’s modern battlefield has important bands along the battlespace moved into the information age, where good intelligence information spectrum. They enable commanders to place myriad battle- and battlefield awareness are often more critical than the space data into a framework based on quantity and quality of tanks or technical aircraft. time and location. Fusing all data sources in this manner allows for the —Congressman Floyd Spence development of an awareness of the Chairman of the House battlespace in order for decisions to be National Security Committee made faster than an enemy can act— the core concept of knowledge-based warfare. Accordingly, intelligence and information are the basis of dominant battlespace awareness. The National Imagery and Map- ping Agency (NIMA) was established by Congress in 1996 to furnish im- John Strebeck is a physical scientist assigned to the National agery, imagery intelligence, and Imagery and Mapping Agency. Spring 1998 / JFQ 31 Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 1998 N/A - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Organizing National Level Imagery and Mapping 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Center for Counterproliferation Research National Defense University REPORT NUMBER Washington, DC 20319-5066 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release, distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The original document contains color images. 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE UU 7 unclassified unclassified unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:48 PM Page 32 n JFQ FORUM geospatial information in support of The Cold War set terms for image processing functions of the Defense In- national security objectives. It is the intelligence development that focused telligence Agency, the National Recon- combat support/intelligence commu- more on collecting information than naissance Office, and the Defense Air- nity agency charged with merging im- exploitation and dissemination. Cost borne Reconnaissance Office as well as agery and mapping from separate in- was secondary because the products components of the Central Intelli- telligence and defense organizations. were unique in providing critical infor- gence Agency. While NIMA is a com- NIMA has broad authority over the mation for national and military users. bat support agency, its unique respon- U.S. imagery and geospatial informa- Technology available at the time sup- sibilities and global mission make it tion system (USIGS) and the produc- ported largely separate system solu- part of the intelligence community. tion/dissemination of imagery, intelli- tions. Distinct non-integrated pro- gence, and geospatial information grams also continued because of the Information Databases which permit commanders on all lev- procurement process, where acquisi- One measure of effectiveness in els to acquire access to common refer- tion oversight was not prescribed. consolidating imagery, imagery intelli- ences and information. However, security constraints pre- gence, and geospatial information One challenge facing NIMA is to vented users from being brought into databases is the evaluation of its im- construct imagery and geospatial data- the decision process to balance needs, pact on products, using the attributes bases with a global framework on technological opportunities, and cost. of intelligence quality as a guide. Joint which to build a common view of the World events and technological Pub 2-0, Joint Doctrine for Intelligence battlespace. Within the information change have shaped image intelli- Support to Operations, describes these at- gence. First, the demand for informa- tributes, which provide standards for tion has replaced the push of collec- assessing activities and products. Oper- geolocational information tion technology: users select the ations may fail because of shortcom- plays a role in each of needed information. Technology has ings in any attribute. the emerging JV 2010 arrived at a point where collection is no longer a con- operational concepts straint. Multiple platforms, including commercial imag- domain, NIMA is one step toward ing systems, let users deter- achieving the information superiority mine their collection re- envisioned in Joint Vision 2010. quirements. Second, the This article examines the impact information revolution of NIMA on military operations with shifted the emphasis from emphasis on the synergy of merging satellite collection to infor- imagery and geospatial databases: mation distribution. One richer information that is timely, rele- can configure systems to mvaanntd, earns dm aucsct uarpaptere. cMiatoer etohvee nr,e wco imn-- canoldl edcits,s epmroincaetses., Mtraonresomveitr,, Agency faocrhmieavtei odno minifnraansttr ubcattutlrees pinac eo radwera rteo- dcoiflfleercetinocne sa nbdet wexepelno iitmataiogne Mapping npleasys.s Aal sroo,l eg einol oecaacthi oonfa lt hine feomrmeragtiionng hinagv ec obmeepna roavbelrec aotmteen btiyo ng itvo- magery and JnVa n2t0 m10anoepuevreart, iporneacli scioonn ceenpgtasg: edmoemnit-, biso tah c founnccetrionn. sI.n Tnhoivrda,t icoonsst National I focused logistics, and full dimensional allow the private sector to protection. provide a greater share of image intelligence hardware and soft- Timeliness. Commanders will ben- Geospatial Information ware. The task is deciding which sys- efit from the improved response to in- Image intelligence remains as vital tem to pursue. formation requests that will result today as it was during the Cold War. NIMA absorbed the activities of from converting vertically-integrated For example, the Armed Forces used it the Defense Mapping Agency, the Cen- imagery and mapping production sys- to accurately deliver precision muni- tral Imagery Office, Defense Dissemi- tems to a “client-server” system. In this tions during the Persian Gulf War. The nation Program Office, and the Na- architecture, imagery and geospatial intelligence and defense communities, tional Photographic Interpretation data will move from collection along with policymakers, need it to Center within the Central Intelligence through exploitation and distribution understand an increasing range of ac- Agency. The agency also subsumed im- (such as magnetic media) in a totally tivities. In addition, satellite imagery is agery exploitation, dissemination, and softcopy, digital format. This architec- a significant source of NIMA mapping ture supports interoperability with the products which thus makes it essential defense information systems network to the mapping community. (DISN), which means that geospatial 32 JFQ / Spring 1998 0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:49 PM Page 33 Strebeck Agency Mapping magery and National I Joint operations graphic. information will eventually be dissemi- NIMA is not charged with devel- processes, and with the nated electronically. oping, procuring, or operating imagery move to a prescribed The improvements in imagery col- collection systems. Those tasks fall to technical architecture and standards for lection, data extraction, and informa- the National Reconnaissance Office, image processing and dissemination, tion dissemination also will provide Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Of- NIMA anticipates that within a few more timely responses to commanders. fice, and service intelligence elements. years users will have access to images Congress made NIMA responsible for NIMA is not replacing current organiza- and maps not older than 30 days as op- imagery requirements management, tions for tactical military exploitation posed to a year or more. tasking collection, coordinating pro- and use of imagery products but will be Improved responses also will cessing and exploitation, and ensuring an intermediary between them and the come from greater use of commercially dissemination and archiving. To enable high end of the imagery spectrum. generated imagery. The Defense Map- the image flow, NIMA was also empow- In August 1996 the director of ping Agency bought more than a mil- ered to prescribe the technical architec- NIMA remarked that a major task was lion square miles of commercial satel- ture and standards for imagery process- to determine which imagery exploita- lite positioning and tracking imagery ing and dissemination and to ensure tion systems should be retained. The after the Gulf War and before NIMA compliance with such a framework. goal is to move from a series of imagery was established. NIMA is the DOD pur- exploitation systems and programs to a chasing agent for commercial multi- single integrated base. From the unifi- spectral imagery, which is composed of cation of imagery management and images collected in wavelength bands that exhibit false-color scenes when Spring 1998 / JFQ 33 0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:49 PM Page 34 n JFQ FORUM combined, such as with the land re- and global positioning system (GPS) Joint Staff. During its implementation, mote sensing satellite or LANDSAT sys- will be the norm. the NIMA support strategy was periodi- tem. Acquisition and archiving of Commanders must know the cally reviewed by the senior steering multi-spectral imagery data eliminates quality of geospatial information. To- group under co-chairmanship of the redundant and uncoordinated imagery ward that end, most data sets carry Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition purchases at higher cost. auxiliary information on relative and and Technology), the Vice Chairman of While funding for intelligence absolute accuracies. But many digital the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Deputy and defense is declining, the rationale data sets were intended for specific sys- Director of Central Intelligence. for establishing NIMA focuses on pro- tems and now are applied to uses that Commanders will benefit from viding greater capabilities to comman- require their own “measures of trust” having a single source of imagery, im- ders, not only cost savings. Testimony (namely, metadata). To address this re- agery intelligence, and geospatial in- by the Deputy Secretary of Defense quirement, the data sets will be pro- formation. NIMA prioritizes uniform and services reveals the object of estab- duced with spatial metadata standards, requirements across the community, lishing the agency: to increase the ef- in essence providing data on the data eliminates duplication, and uses re- fectiveness of commanders in terms of such as source, currency, and lineage. sources efficiently. Congress also timeliness and completeness of infor- To ensure that imagery and charged NIMA to identify and advo- mation. Savings may be realized in geospatial data fuse, all data must be cate the needs of a growing pool of di- time but are not the central factor. referenced to a common datum. While verse customers. Commanders, for ex- Objectivity. As conceived NIMA most products are now referenced to ample, require training in the use of eliminates the organizational barriers the World Geodetic System (WGS) 84, image and geospatial databases, identi- among members of the imagery com- having everyone on a standard in the fying the type, quantity, and scale of imagery and mapping com- information needed, accuracy require- munity will ensure co-refer- ments, metadata needs, and program commanders must know the quality enced data sets. Geocoded management. of geospatial information raster and vector data will A response improvement will also align for visualization and be enabled by emphasis on providing support evaluation, particu- information rather than products. This munity. As a result, it has the potential larly if the metadata of the data sets is strategy is part of the core NIMA mis- to develop creative synergistic solutions comprehensive. The requirement for sion and is made feasible through to demands for imagery and imagery- data referenced to WGS 84 is opera- “data warehousing” or federated data- derived information: generating combi- tionally and tactically critical because basing architecture whereby user ac- nations of information with richer con- the global positioning system is simi- cess data is stored in thematic layers. tent. By using this approach, and by larly referenced. Such a client-server architecture is consolidating current databases wher- Completeness. Given a single focal being adopted. ever they exist, the agency will offer in- point for imagery, imagery intelli- Relevance. Commanders will bene- formation of higher value, in shorter gence, and geospatial information, fit from imagery, imagery intelligence, times, and with greater relevance for commanders will benefit from full sup- and geospatial information resources every commander. Its framework for port through customer support teams that are relevant, current, and properly fusing battlespace data will be more (CSTs) in the field. These teams first prioritized for production to satisfy comprehensive, with greater fidelity to determine customer needs and then current and foreseeable demands. the real physical environment. work within NIMA to meet them. They As a combat support agency, Accuracy. An improved response to can also identify emerging require- NIMA is under the control of the Sec- information requests will be mani- ments and cultivate a “smarter con- retary of Defense. But it also gives the fested by accurate geospatial informa- sumer/smarter provider” environment. Director of Central Intelligence a clear tion. The early vector-formatted prod- The customer support office provides and prominent role in tasking imagery ucts originated from existing guidance in prioritizing customer re- systems and exploiting imagery prod- cartographic sources. (Vector products quirements and serves as a link to pro- ucts. Congress and the Commission on use points, lines, and areas to portray duction offices to satisfy demands in a the Roles and Capabilities of the U.S. features while raster products use ar- timely and efficient manner. Intelligence Community have con- rays of image pixels to portray maps.) Users in intelligence, defense, and cluded that such an arrangement im- For higher vector position accuracy civilian agencies can submit their con- proves support to defense operations production is shifting from carto- cerns to the NIMA Customer Advisory and planning as well as other national graphic to photogrammetric sources Board on proposed actions. The board is users. The President has called for whereby positions are derived from tri- co-chaired by the Vice Chairman of the closer coordination of defense and in- angulation rather than cartographi- National Intelligence Council and telligence space work for national secu- cally-displaced symbols. This accuracy Deputy Director for Operations (J-38), rity, and this moves in that direction. will provide the precision required for Furthermore, to assure that relevant the future battlespace where forces geospatial information is produced aided by precision-guided munitions and maintained, customer support 34 JFQ / Spring 1998 0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:49 PM Page 35 Strebeck Agency Mapping magery and National I Tactical pilotage chart. teams are in place with users to make created a standardization program, the is leading standardization efforts while sure the right products are produced. goal being a suite of standards for the cooperating in the development of a Usability. Commanders will bene- exchange, manipulation, and display national spatial data infrastructure fit from the general adoption of data of digital mapping, charting, and geo- (like the Federal Geographic Data specifications across the imagery and detic data. The standards will assist in Committee). These standards operate mapping production community. Data compatibility and interoperability of on the following levels: standards and conventions facilitate mapping, charting, and geodetic data- n environment—hardware, operating sharing information—the ability to bases supporting simulators, command systems, query languages, graphic interfaces electronically exchange mapping and and control, and weapon systems. n exploitation—user-nominated mod- imagery information with anyone, re- NIMA has membership on the Defense ules for projection, grid, and datum trans- gardless of the system. The advantages Standardization Council and manages formations are support of global operations, inter- the mapping, charting, and geodetic n data directory—indexing and cata- operability among DOD systems, and data technology program. loging schemes, legend, and marginalia n product—design, accuracy, symbol- integrated information exchange de- Since subsuming the Defense ization, etc. defined by military specifica- velopments. Mapping Agency, NIMA has operated tions Secondary image dissemination internationally under co-production n data dictionary—spatial data struc- must comply with the national im- agreements, and standard product ture, raster and vector, and feature coding agery transmission format standard. specifications have been established or scheme For mapping information, NIMA has are being developed (like the Digital n format—the exchange format and Geographic Information Working export mechanism (International Standards Group, which is releasing the Digital Organization) Geographic Exchange Standard). NIMA Spring 1998 / JFQ 35 0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:49 PM Page 36 n JFQ FORUM Agency Mapping magery and National I by exchanging information. Technol- copy prints. Though bulky, these prod- ogy breakthroughs will be more ucts are in high demand. During the National Imagery and Mapping Agency quickly realized throughout the im- Gulf War, 90 million maps were printed agery and mapping community by a and delivered to the theater. Geospatial single procurement office. Moreover, data is increasingly being produced dig- n media—comply with industry stan- NIMA has formed a commercial advo- itally in raster or vector format and dis- dards for 9-track and 8 mm tape or cate office for industry coordination. tributed in both CD–ROM or 8-mm CD–ROM. magnetic tape versions. Standards will continue to be de- Global Information Planned paths to imagery, imagery veloped by NIMA as new technology Infrastructure intelligence, and geospatial information. and information emerge. Requests for imagery and geospa- Imagery and geospatial products in Readiness. Commanders will bene- tial information are sent through hardcopy will survive for years. Print- fit from the quality of imagery, im- NIMA liaison personnel at unified ing and hardcopy product distribution agery intelligence, and geospatial in- commands or directly to NIMA head- are being consolidated in a facility formation with one agency managing quarters. In addition, the Joint Staff, with new printing systems and tech- and maintaining the production commands, services, and defense agen- nologies which will improve customer cies annually submit priori- responsiveness. The remote replication the Joint Staff, commands, services, tized geospatial require- system has already proven its value in ments to NIMA for the Bosnia. It can manipulate existing and defense agencies annually submit upcoming year as well as products by overlaying information prioritized geospatial requirements new product needs to such as land mines and then print full- NIMA headquarters. size maps on-site. In late 1996 NIMA processes and inserting technological NIMA product metadata is avail- announced a transfer of responsibility developments to sustain their modern- able in both standard (hardcopy) and for hardcopy product distribution to ization. With representation from a softcopy (CD–ROM) catalogs as well as the Defense Logistics Agency for im- single entity, the U.S. Government will in limited amounts via Internet (unclas- proved customer support. be able to team with industry in devel- sified) or DISN (classified). Its webpage In addition to hardcopy products, oping technologies that match com- <www.nima.mil> shows the product commanders will soon have electronic mon internal NIMA production re- line and summary product. The NIMA access to imagery, imagery intelligence, quirements, thereby sharing the risks Softcopy Catalog of Topographic, Aeronau- and geospatial information in data and rewards with minimal impact on tical, Hydrographic, Digital, and Other warehouses. Maps, charts, and images all involved. It will allow NIMA to in- Productsprovides the capability to use a will be downloaded, displayed on fluence industry to develop products personal computer to browse, select monitors, and printed. USIGS is an in- and services to better match its needs products, develop orders, and access on- formation framework and infrastruc- line servers to update catalog data. ture that will provide commanders Maps are available on paper and im- with access to imagery and geospatial agery is produced on film and in hard- 36 JFQ / Spring 1998 0818 Strebeck Pgs 1/26/99 2:49 PM Page 37 Strebeck information on a global U.S. Imagery and Geospatial Information System (USIGS) scale through the defense information infrastructure. USIGS will implement Information Community Processing an open-system processing Providers Networks Environment environment via distributed ADM Aeronautical Data architecture based on government owned and com- CIB® Controlled Image Base ns Intelink mwaerrec iaalnlyd asvoafitlwabalree .h aTrhde- C A RDaRsGte®r G rCaopmhipcrsessed Arc Digitized ublicatio oftware JWICS JDISS P S environment will be a gateway service for both na- CSPE Digital Product Data DAGS tional and military cus- DPS Gateway MC&G Data Gateway Services Intelink S tomers. It will be the single SIPRNET electronic interface between GNPS Geographic Names Data Architecture GCCSN NIMA libraries and users. Data Customization The services will provide pe- G&G Geodesy and Geophysical Data rusal of NIMA holdings, on- HYSAS Hydrographic Data line ordering for authorized customers, and on-line IPA Imagery Product Archive INTERNET—World Wide Web transmission of digital data. NIMA libraries will have a MCS Modernized Catalog logical design to support NSS Navigation Safety imagery, imagery products and intelligence, and geospatial information. NIMA DAGS Customers will be able to tailor data to meet their Source: Adapted from NIMA Data Architecture and Gateway Services Requirements Document(NIMA 100-97-R-5001), specific needs. attachment 1 (November 7, 1996). NIMA holdings in USIGS are accessed through DISN and divided into aeronautical data, geodesy and geophysical geospatial databases is a force multi- attributes of intelligence quality, there data, geographic names, hydrographic plier. It allows quick access to informa- are many benefits. Most notable is the data, map catalogs, navigation data, tion that is richer in content, more rel- potential to develop creative synergis- imagery archives, raster graphics, and evant, and more precise and that tic solutions to demands by opera- digital products. Electronic networks provides commanders with the same tional commanders for imagery and access databases on the required secu- geospatial data in a common frame- imagery-derived information—mating rity level and include the joint world- work. Such improvements bear on the databases to yield information of wide intelligence communications sys- operational concepts in JV 2010: richer content. Moreover, commanders tem, secret Internet protocol router on all levels will have improved access n precision weapons need accurate network, and Internet. The processing target coordinates to the same information in a global environments supporting data access n mobile forces need detailed knowl- framework through USIGS. The cumu- are the joint deployable intelligence edge of the terrain to achieve dominant ma- lative result is a force multiplier: a support system, global command and neuver stronger, more capable, and adaptable control system, Intelink (with com- n understanding lines of communica- basis for fusing battlespace data. This mercial web browsers), and World tion is necessary for focused logistics will enable each commander to better Wide Web (see accompanying figure). n attaining full dimensional protec- develop battlespace awareness and tion requires maintaining battlespace aware- thereby to do more with no increase in ness on a common spatial background. Force Multipliers, including more force size or cost. JFQ accurate munitions and new doctrines The end of the Cold War world for using military force, are means of and technological developments fos- improving effectiveness or productiv- tered the foundation of NIMA. Data- ity without increasing force size or base consolidation strengthens the costs. By definition the consolidation agency’s mission to provide timely, rel- of imagery, imagery intelligence, and evant, and accurate information and intelligence. When products and services derived from the consolidated database structure are analyzed with Spring 1998 / JFQ 37