Geospatial Challenges in a Net Centric Environment: Actionable Information Technology, Design and Implementation

摘要

Terrain and weather effects represent fundamental battlefield information supporting situation awareness and the decision-making processes for Net Centric operations. Sensor information can have a greater impact when placed within a terrain and weather contextual framework. Realizing the promised potential of Net Centric operations is challenging with respect to these effects, since these effects can both enhance or constrain force tactics and behaviors, platform performance (ground and air), system performance (e.g. sensors) and the soldier. We have defined a methodology that starts with military objectives and determines the most useful terrain products to support these missions, taking into account weather effects and sensors. From this methodology we have designed a number of technical standards and components. A key standard is geospatial Battle Management Language (geoBML) to represent Mission input to Geospatial and Sensor Products. An example of components for creating these products are those in the Battlespace Terrain Reasoning and Awareness (BTRA) system. These standards and components enable interoperability between force elements that address not only syntactic consistency, but consistency of both a lexical and semantic representation to realize shared, coherent awareness. This paper presents a systemic approach for successful resolution of these challenges and describes an Actionable Geo-environmental Information Framework (AGeIF).