MANAGING, ORGANISING AND SHARING 'UNGLAMOROUS' DATA FOR VISUAL IMAGE GENERATION APPLICATIONS

摘要

It is possible to categorise the data used in visual or sensor simulation applications into two distinct groups - "glamorous" and "unglamorous". The "glamorous" group would contain such things as satellite imagery, digital terrain and feature data, IR or sensor data, in other words, data that often requires large amounts of resources, specialised dedicated hardware and funding to collect. These data sources are typically managed by large government agencies, such as the UK Mil Survey, or by commercial organisations such as the SPOT satellite imagery company. The "unglamorous" group would consist of land-based photographs, maps, diagrams, approach plates, physical properties of materials or even written descriptions. This is often obtained on site, and managed locally by the organisation collecting the data. Whilst not having the allure of an expensive 1m resolution colour satellite image, a ground based photograph of a critical airport building within that satellite image is nevertheless vital when creating a realistic simulation of it. Yet, more often than not, this valuable source of data is discarded after only one use, due to the lack of a co-ordinated system of cataloguing, storage and distribution. This can be seen quite clearly when looking at the duplication of data gathered by different countries, different branches of the armed forces of one country, different commercial companies or even different departments of the same company. This paper will look at the types of "unglamorous" data available, typical examples of the data requirements, and the penalties this can be incurred if these requirements are not met. Existing methods of data cataloguing and retrieval will be compared. It will propose an approach for the categorising of the data based on currently available technology, and a centrally organised internet-based method of sharing it in order to maximise the re-use of this costly and valuable resource.