Building National Spatial Data Infrastructures

How DLA Uses GIS to Create a Catalog of Maps

—Darrin Sinclair, Defense Logistics Agency

DLA is where all US Military and government agencies go for standard map products such as Topographic maps, Hydrographic and Aeronautical charts and geospatial products and information on CD and DVD. These standard issue products are typically created by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and distributed through DLA. While DLA Aviation in Richmond maintain map accounts, inventory and distribution, DLA Logistics Information Service in Battle Creek Michigan creates and maintains a catalog of all 80,000 unique map products for the US Military, government agencies and foreign nationals to search, locate, identify and order their geospatial products. The DLA Map Catalog team uses ESRI's suite of GIS software to create, maintain and display these products on several different map oriented catalogs.