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Track: Defense and Intelligence
Christopher Duhring
Harris Corporation
PO Box 98000
Melbourne, FL 32902-9800
Telephone: 407-984-6689
Fax: 407-984-6746
E-mail: cduhring@harris.com
Douglas Knowlton, Erol Morey
Geospatial Information and Users: A "MAD" Process
Geospatial information is the composite of a wide variety of data and information from a broad range of sources. This information is characterized by a number of elements either physical or abstract. All the elements have a common attribute that relates their content to some absolute position on the earth. Elements include information layers like roads, terrain, lines of communication, land cover features, and so forth. Elements also include products like orthophoto maps, vector line maps, and raster maps. In fact, the domain the element types include data sources such as aerial and satellite imagery, ground surveys, and video data. Geospatial information is a dynamic collection of data and information that has associated with it some geographical and temporal reference. The information is either utilized directly or is further manipulated by a user to derive additional knowledge. The range of user types is as wide as the range of geospatial information itself. Some users are heavily involved in the
data extraction and analysis with subsequent products produced as information layers. Other users simply access information as finished products to orient themselves or provide relative spatial relationships. Some users have direct local access to geospatial data, either physically or electronically, while others require remote access through network communications or via less timely means such as catalogs and postal services. Regardless, users are comprised of individuals who may have a variety of needs and resources available to them to accomplish their mission, but common to all of them is the need for and access to geospatial information. The process by which as at Harris connect geospatial information to users is "MAD>" The Harris Management, Archive, and Dissemination (MAD) system is a distributed information system that uses open standards to provide user access to query, browse, and order geospatial information. The management of the data and information is through available commercial database
engines. The data and information are archived in a distributed system using open standards to provide access by a number of commercial products. Once the user has located geospatial information of interest, the content is disseminated to the user in a format that is consistent with the user's needs. MAD utilized an interface framework to gather information from diverse sources into a unified catalog. This MAD process is being extended to support a number of defense-related programs. One program utilizing the MAD process is the Data Architecture and Gateway Services (DAGS) program being developed for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). The DAGS program will utilize commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) packages to provide management, archive, and dissemination functionality. The goal is to allow users access to NIMA's geospatial information holdings utilizing the latest web-based technologies. Users will be able to query, browse, and order information based on specific user profiles and
requests. DAGS provides the bridge between NIMA, as a geospatial information providers, and the user who requires timely and accurate information in support of planning, training, and operations.
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