GI Soup in a Network Centric Pot: A Maritime Perspective on Geospatial Information in a Network Centric Environment

摘要

This paper is about geospatial information and technological change. The paper describes what geospatial information is, help users understand that it has various levels of abstraction associated with it, and conceptualize how the bigger picture of geospatial information relates to the nature of future warfare. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it is to familiarize, review, and/or update the reader with geospatial information concepts and issues. Secondly, the purpose is to promote a shared vision of geospatial information related objectives, strategy, and policies that support a network centric environment and operational concept - a common framework for program implementation decisions. The analysis of these concepts and issues will support the position of this paper that object-oriented databases are the database of choice for geospatial information, of various data model structures, is registered in object-oriented databases in an appropriate format, then it will support network centric concepts for situational awareness applications. Balancing production requirements against technology and future concepts, this paper recommends that National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) continue to produce and distribute vector product format based products. At the same time NIMA should continue to transition this data to object-oriented data structures for updating existing products and eventual shift to pure object-oriented databases.