Using ArcView GIS in different applications presents new challenges and unique opportunities. The design, development, and implementation of the DLA/DLIS CD-ROM Catalog of NIMA Products is no exception. The design of the catalog maintains some familiar aspects of the old hardcopy catalogs with new interactive capabilities. The rapid development of the catalog was facilitated through HTML programming and the use of ArcView shapefiles, readable in both ArcView and ArcExplorer applications. This dynamic interactive map catalog will revolutionize the way Geospatial needs of warfighters are met.
In the past, the Mapping, Charting, and Geodesy needs of DoD users were fulfilled by former Defense Mapping Agency (DMA)/National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) hardcopy catalogs, which were often cumbersome and difficult to use. Current Geospatial Information and Services (GI&S) needs are fulfilled by NIMA in a partnership with two commands of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA): the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) and the Defense Supply Center - Richmond (DSCR). The development of a CD-ROM interactive catalog is a major step forward in providing GI&S support to the armed forces.
The DLA/DLIS CD-ROM Catalog has been designed for a wide range of users. The primary goal of the designers was to create a product broad enough for general use, with the flexibility to be customized for specific applications. Familiar aspects of the old hardcopy catalogs have been integrated with the technological capabilities of a browser-based interactive catalog to serve as a tool for ordering maps, charts, or digital data. However, it may be used in other areas such as planning, distribution, and customized applications in the mapping and logistics arenas. The catalog design was based not only on users’ needs, but also on the availability of the data necessary to portray available NIMA products (Metadata). Because product data at NIMA resides in sometimes disparate databases with inconsistent data fields, certain products may not appear in the catalog or may appear in description form only. A close partnership with the NIMA catalog liaison ensures all available data is included in the catalog.
The catalog was designed to meet the current needs of the warfighter as well as provide a foundation for future GI&S support developments (to include online browsing of catalog data and ordering). The move from a CD-ROM to an online catalog is a small step, and the design of the catalog is flexible enough to accommodate this possibility.
During development, there were two major decisions to be made: 1) What GIS software package to use: ArcView or ArcExplorer and 2) Which browser to use: Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Development of the E-Catalog involved the parallel processes of creating NIMA product projects and building HTML code.
All NIMA product projects are created using Esri’s ArcView GIS software. In the course of testing these projects, it was discovered that there was a problem with relative linking and browser compatibility. In the interest of reaching the broadest possible audience, the decision was made to use Esri’s ArcExplorer software as the primary data viewer.
ArcExplorer is a GIS data viewer provided free by Esri and, with their permission, included in the E-Catalog. ArcExplorer gives the user the flexibility to see a single product series or multiple product series without having to open additional projects. The actual creation of the ArcExplorer projects is performed using ArcView GIS and a free downloadable script developed by David Whiterod and found on Esri’s ArcScript page View2aep, which converts an ArcView view into an ArcExplorer project. This is an efficient means of producing both ArcView and ArcExplorer projects. Both projects are included in the E-Catalog. The product availability themes are created by joining product grids themes (provided by NIMA) and product data (provided by DSCR) keyed to a unique common data field. The projects are built on a common base of themes, including the following World Vector shoreline (WVS) data: 1:40 million country/ocean/coastline areas and lines, 1:3 million country/ocean/coastline areas and lines, cities, rivers, and lakes. To this basemap are added the additional product themes. The product grid themes are in shapefile format, with corresponding .dbf tables containing series numbers and item numbers. To build the product availability themes, the following procedures are followed: from the project window, SQL Connect is selected to connect to the dB2 DADMS database. SQL queries are then performed by series and when the table is returned, a join is performed on the dB2 table and grid table with the common field Item. The resulting theme is then converted to a shapefile and this theme is included with the ArcExplorer projects. Once the ArcExplorer projects are created, they are opened and edited. Theme properties, colors, and map tip field selections are edited and a scale added. Then the projects are saved. Once saved, they are relative linked by opening them in notepad and editing file paths. ArcView GIS projects are relative linked as well.
While viewable only to license holders of ArcView GIS, the ArcView projects included in the E-Catalog allow those users the additional powerful analytic tools provided with ArcView. These capabilities include, but are not limited to, creating buffer zones, route planning, and use of a drill-down function. As users discover the additional capabilities of ArcView, demand for the software may increase.
The decision of which browser to use was also influenced by technical constraints. Investigation had revealed that NIMA-in-a-box had used Netscape Navigator. However, we were informed that the NIMA-in-a-box program was discontinued. That fact, added to the discovery during creation and testing of ArcExplorer projects, that there were difficulties associated with opening an ArcExplorer project with Netscape Navigator forced the selection of Microsoft Internet Explorer as the browser.Initially, the HTML coding was compiled using only notepad and simple HTML coding. A simple, straightforward, utilitarian catalog was the result. There is, however, a programming principle that to be dealt with: simple programming often produces a complex user interface; and the inverse: complex programming often produces a simple user interface. It was fortunate that the initial simple programming produced a rather simple user interface. The project lead had some previous HTML experience, but the other two cartographers had none. The lead shared what he knew and the result is the current prototype catalog. There are additional developments that can be incorporated into the catalog and those will be addressed later. However, in order to incorporate these developments, Microsoft FrontPage and other HTML development tools have been acquired to simplify the coding process. As new suggestions are incorporated into the catalog, there may be a point where the cartographers do not have the requisite HTML programming skills to make the changes wanted. The option of using other resources is a viable alternative. Of course, one of the deciding factors will be the benefit to the largest group of users. This is a guiding principle of development: any change should benefit the largest group of users possible. A developmental change requested by one user may adversely impact the E-Catalog for 1,000 users, so in this instance, the change would not be made because it is easier for the single user to modify their catalog to their specific applications. This modification is made possible by the flexibility of ArcExplorer.
The catalog was developed along product lines: section 1 contains Aeronautical products, section 2 portrays Hydrographic products, section 3 has Topographic products, and section 4 shows Digital products. Also included is a section on how to use the catalog and a section for ordering NIMA products.
The Aeronautical products section contains a link to product-specific information and groups Aeronautical products by series and scale. Each series link contains a series description and a link to the ArcExplorer product coverage project. The E-Catalog contains graphics for almost every Aeronautical product distributed by DSCR. In addition, product-specific information is included as a separate link. If additional NIMA products are required, the themes may be added, thus customizing ArcExplorer to each individuals user’s needs.
The Hydrographic products section contains a link to product-specific information that appears in the regular hardcopy catalog. The focal point of the Hydrographic products section is a world graphic divided into hydrographic regions 1-9 that are linked to ArcExplorer projects. Clicking on any region automatically opens the ArcExplorer project for that area. If a user wants to look at products in more than one region, instead of opening additional ArcExplorer projects, the region product themes can be added to the existing opened ArcExplorer project. These customized or modified projects may be saved for future reference. In addition, there is a link to worldwide miscellaneous products that is a separate ArcExplorer project or the themes may be added to other ArcExplorer projects.
The Topographic products section, like the Aeronautical section, is grouped by series and scale. Beginning with product-specific information, series descriptions, and country information, the Topographic section then presents product coverage by scale, i.e. 1:100K TLM, 1:50K TLM, etc. broken out by country or series. In this way, the E-Catalog is designed to be user-friendly. The design allows users to locate desired product coverage by country or by series. The Topographic section contains two ways (country/series) to the same destination (product coverage). Like the Aeronautical and Hydrographic sections, if a user want to see additional coverage over a particular area, an additional theme may be added without having to open a new ArcExplorer project.
The Digital products section is grouped by series and has a link to NIMA’s Geodata page. When a user clicks on the product series link, they are taken to a page containing the series description and a link to the ArcExplorer product coverage project. If the product is available for download, a link to one of NIMA’s gateway servers is provided.
There is a brief introductory tutorial with instructions on how to use ArcExplorer. In addition, a theme listing is included for reference purposes. The themes are linked to the ArcExplorer projects and will open when selected.
Currently, this section is a direct copy of existing hardcopy catalog ordering procedures. One of the future developments is the incorporation of a shopping cart style ordering system that will automatically submit to DSCR requisitions for map products.
Development of the E-Catalog has been exciting and educational. Many lessons have been learned in the design and development stages and many more things will be learned as this project is implemented.
Our intention is to further enhance this catalog. We will strive to make this product more user-friendly. In the future, our customers will be able to search world-wide Department of Defense map coverage with simple scroll down menus.
The first scroll down menu will alphabetically list the nations of the world. By simply clicking on the country name, the customer will be linked to a graphic that portrays all of the map products stocked by the DoD covering any portion of that country. They will then be able to generate a listing and order for the needed map products.
The next scroll down menu will be an alpha-numeric listing of all of the NIMA map series. It will list all of the map series currently available from the DoD Richmond, Virginia facility.
Another search mechanism will allow the customer to define a geographic area by latitude and longitude or bounding box. They will then be able to determine all of the map products within that geographic area.
Related to the previous search method, our customers will also be able to search an area within a specified radius from a given point on the earth. An example of this would be a list of all maps within a 100 mile radius of a particular point of interest.
We will also add the ability to search by major military command area, crisis area, or military reservation area.
We believe that by adding these and other search capabilities to our product, we will provide our customers with the tools to greatly enhance their ability to quickly and accurately determine their mapping needs.
The decision to create the E-Catalog was made jointly by representatives of NIMA, DLA HQ, DLIS, and DSCR. At the same meeting, timelines and milestones were established, and thus far, the schedule has been maintained, with the E-Catalog’s first edition to be distributed late December 2000/early January 2001.
The successful implementation of the E-Catalog will include the distribution of the catalog to the widest possible audience, receiving feedback from those users, and incorporating, sometimes incrementally, recommended changes, additions, or increased functionalities.
Successful implementation relies on distribution. For this aspect, we rely on the teamwork developed between the commands of DLA, the Defense Supply Center- Richmond (DSCR) and the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS). DLIS and DSCR will work together to insure that the E-Catalog is distributed to all users with a valid need-to-know. The current prototype and first edition are Limited Distribution products. DLIS will also produce, at the discretion of NIMA, two additional E-Catalogs: a classified version containing both unclassified and classified data, and an Unlimited Distribution E-Catalog intended for public release.
Contractual agreements are being negotiated to facilitate the distribution of the CD-ROM E-Catalog. The E-Catalog will also appear on NIMA’s SIPRnet. DLIS is in the process of obtaining SIPRnet access and will, with NIMA’s permission, offer the E-Catalog and possibly migrate to a web-based on-line catalog if there is sufficient demand and resources.
Monthly editions of the E-Catalog will be produced, thus eliminating the need for Bulletin Digests. As stated earlier, the E-Catalog is designed to be a dynamic catalog, and every effort will be made to provide the tools necessary for our customers to do their jobs. Sometimes the changes requested will be simple and easily completed in a short timeframe. However, other changes may be more complex and require significant amounts of code to be re-written or new projects to be created and will therefore take more time.
Part of any successful implementation plan involves training. While many of the E-Catalog users may be familiar with hardcopy catalogs, some may not. With the introduction and widespread distribution of ArcExplorer data viewer, some users may shy away from using it and realizing its full potential. An attempt has been made to diminish this effect by providing instruction with the E-Catalog, but it is realized that a more detailed tutorial may be required. Additional documentation may be required or an animated tutorial that demonstrates some of the basic functionality of ArcExplorer may be provided. The path taken will most likely be determined by the responses received from the distribution of the prototype E-Catalog. The requested responses are a vital part of the implementation of the E-Catalog.
One of the most important aspects of the E-Catalog is its dynamic nature. As previously stated, the E-Catalog has been designed to change rapidly to user requests. In addition to institutional changes made by DLIS in the production of the catalog, customized changes are possible through the adaptation of ArcExplorer projects. Each user is free to implement any changes they may deem helpful in their specific application.
The design, development, and implementation of the DLA DLIS CD-ROM Catalog of NIMA Products has been an interesting experience. The use of ArcExplorer has allowed a wide range of users to identify and order the GI&S products required in the most efficient manner possible. With the introduction of new functions and enhancements, it is hoped the old labor-intensive methods of ordering maps will be replaced with a more transparent point-and-click method that allows the user access to required data and eliminates any obstacles to mission success.