Tag Archives: ArcGIS for Defense
The ArcGIS Query Analysis Add-In is available for download
The Query Analysis Add-In is available for download. At 10.1, the Query Analysis Add-In expands support for rasters to include building complex queries over multiple single-band rasters. The Query Analysis Add-In is designed to rapidly create a query that consists … Continue reading
The Squad Leader Application Template is available for download
The Squad Leader app is a new ArcGIS app for Android smartphones and tablets. It is designed to enhance situational awareness for platoon and squad-sized units during operations. The app allows a soldier to submit and read reports, drop virtual … Continue reading
Measuring on Imagery in ArcGIS 10.1
Imagery Analysts frequently have to measure features and determine their height. At ArcGIS 10.1, the Image Analysis window provides tools that give you the ability to take measurements of building heights directly from imagery. The process of making such measurements on imagery is referred to as mensuration. Mensuration tools apply geometric rules to find the length of lines, surface areas, or volumes using information obtained from lines and angles. Mensuration can include measuring the height and absolute location of features. Any georeferenced raster dataset can provide distance, area, point, and centroid location. Height measurements can be obtained when the sensor model is known. Sun angle information is required for measurements using shadows, while 3D measurements require a DEM.
This image shows how you could use the Base to Shadow tool to find the height of a building. The height is calculated by selecting a point at the base of the building and the corresponding point at the top of the shadow. For more information on the Mensuration tools and how to use them, see the ArcGIS Online Help.
Contributed by Natalie Campos.
The Vehicle Check Point Template is available for download
The Vehicle Check Point Template for ArcGIS 10.0 is available for download from Arcgis.com.
This Esri Defense template is designed to help you create a Vehicle Check Point (VCP) plan. The template contains features typically used in developing a VCP plan, including: point features that represent guards, vehicles, searchlights, bushes and trees, signs, and telephones; line features that represent such things as fences, gates, roads, special lanes, lane barriers, speed bumps, ditches, berms, and fighting positions; and polygon features that represent a command post, rest area, latrine, EPW holding area, and equipment storage area. You can add new features to represent other objects as needed.
The downloadable map package contains a finished example map, a map template, and feature templates.
Visibility and Range and Position Analysis templates updated for ArcGIS 10 SP3
The Visibility and Range template and the Position Analysis template have been updated for ArcGIS 10 SP3.
Visibility and Range template version 1.1 updates:
The Visibility and Range template version 1.1 modifies the Force visibility to infinity (edge of surface) option in the Radial Line Of Sight tool. The tool now processes large surface datasets to the observer’s horizon on the surface. Effectively, on the surface of the earth, this is the farthest an observer can see without interference from the earth’s curvature. Also, the Find Local Peaks, Highest Points, and Lowest Points tools have been updated to better handle various input surfaces, and the symbology and labels for Range Rings have been improved.
You can download the updated Visibility and Range template here.
Position Analysis template version 1.1 updates:
Updates for version 1.1 of this template include fixes for ArcGIS 10.0 SP3 and several cartographic enhancements for the result layers.
The issues fixed with version 1.1 are: validation errors for the Locate Event, Table To Line Of Bearing, and Table To Ellipse tools; and problems with the Range Rings and Locate Event tools running as a tool layer when selecting points interactively. Also, several of the tools have been modified so they will run with an ArcView license, rather than an ArcInfo license, which was required with the previous version.
You can download the updated Position Analysis template here.
Creating a direction of movement graphic modifier
In this post we’ll see how to create a direction of movement graphic modifier that points in the reported travel direction of a military feature. This post assumes that you know how to add Military Features to a map (see this post for an overview, or see this help topic) and that you know how to use the Label Manager. Continue reading
Defense and Intelligence workshop at the 2011 Esri Developer Summit
The ArcGIS for Defense and Intelligence team will be at the 2011 Esri Developer Summit this March 7th to 10th in Palm Springs, CA. On Thursday we will be presenting a technical workshop showing what is available to developers and what is coming next.
| What: | ArcGIS for Defense/Intel – A Developer’s Guide |
| When: | Thursday, March 10, 2011, 8:30am-9:45am |
| Where: | Palm Springs Convention Center, Mesquite GH |
| Description: | Developers can build defense and intelligence products and solutions using the ArcGIS software stack. The focus of this session will be on demonstrating how to leverage key elements of ArcGIS to develop focused defense and intelligence applications. Topics of this session will include real-world examples of constructing military features, building planning and intelligence templates, and creating a situation awareness Web application. Patterns, frameworks, and practices that will help defense and intelligence developers easily build, test, and maintain applications will be discussed.
Prerequisites: ArcObjects, .NET experience |
A quick introduction to Text Modifiers for Unit, Equipment, and Installation features
In the last post I went on at some length about how specific military feature symbols are built up out of layers of marker symbols that show the base symbols and graphic modifiers.
So, you may ask, what about the text modifiers? Well, the text modifiers specified in MIL-STD-2525C and APP-6B are created from attributes of the features as labels, and they’re placed in the proper position using label classes and the ESRI Maplex Label Engine. The Military Overlay layer packages that you can download from ArcGIS.com are set up to place all of the text modifiers in the right positions. Continue reading
Representing Command and Control Tactical Symbols in ArcGIS as Military Features
Command and Control (C2) Tactical Symbols, as specified in Mil-STD-2525C, represent Units, Equipment, or Installations. They present information that can be pinpointed in one location at a particular point in time. These symbols are composed of frames, fills, icons, and text. The size and shape of a symbol are fixed and remain constant, regardless of the scale of the background projection, unless changed by the operator.
Given the requirements of the standard, how do we represent them in ArcGIS? Tactical Symbols are created in ArcGIS as Unit, Equipment, and Installation (UEI) Features. The UEI Features are stored as point features in a geodatabase. UEI Features are drawn with marker symbols, which are composed of one or more symbol layers that show the frames and fills, with additional symbol layers that provide information about each symbol’s identity, battle dimension, status, and mission.
Composition of tactical symbols
In Mil-STD-2525C terms, a fully displayed tactical symbol is composed of a frame, fill, and icon. It may include text and/or graphic modifiers that provide additional information. The frame attributes (i.e., standard identity, battle dimension, and status) determine the type of frame for a given symbol. Fill color is a redundant indication of the symbol’s standard identity, with red representing enemy and blue representing friendly.
The number of possible combinations of the various Tactical Symbol components is in the millions. Rather than attempting to create a unique symbol for each of these, we’ve stored the components used to draw a UEI Feature as individual marker symbols in style files. These style files are installed with ArcGIS, so they’re available in the Symbol Property Editor and Symbol Selector dialog boxes when you need to define a new UEI Feature. You can combine these marker symbols in multiple symbol layers to properly represent a given UEI Feature.
So, how would you go about doing that? First, you’d decide in which layer to create the new UEI Feature. Layer packages make it easy to generate the layers that you need. See the links here to download layer packages.
A new Friendly Mechanized Infantry unit feature would go in the Friendly Units layer.
Next, you’d change the symbol for the new type of unit.
Next, you’d search for the right base symbol.
To show that the unit is wheeled, you’d add a symbol layer to represent that graphic modifier.
You’d search for the appropriate modifier in the Symbol Selector, much the same way you found the initial symbol.
If necessary, you could use the controls on the Symbol Property Editor to adjust the placement of the new symbol layer.
For all UEI symbols there exists a base symbol in one of the styles which contains the frame and icon referenced by the Symbol ID code. Identity, Status, and symbol modifiers can be added to the symbol as additional layers to differentiate it. For most UEI symbols a feature template may not exist. In these cases the feature template needs to be added to the layer to which the symbol belongs.
Task Force, Headquarters, and Echelon graphic modifiers are examples of symbol layers that would frequently be added to a base symbol as part of defining a new UEI feature template. Unit symbols consist of a frame, a color, branch or functional symbols, and text or graphic symbol modifiers.
In the diagram below, the callouts indicate the required positions for the graphic components of Tactical Symbols (as defined by the 2525-C standard). Many other text modifiers exist as well, but they’ll be covered in another post.
Unit symbol graphic components
|
Field |
Field Title |
Description |
|
A |
Symbol Icon |
The innermost part of a symbol that represents a warfighting object. |
|
B |
Echelon |
A graphic modifier in a unit symbol that identifies command level. |
|
D |
Task Force |
A graphic modifier that identifies a unit or SO symbol as a task force. |
|
E |
Frame Shape Modifier |
A graphic modifier that displays standard identity, battle dimension, or exercise amplifying descriptors of an object. |
|
Q |
Direction of Movement Indicator |
A graphic modifier for units and equipment that identifies the direction of movement or intended movement of an object. |
|
R |
Mobility Indicator |
A graphic modifier for equipment that depicts the mobility of an object. |
|
S |
Headquarters Staff Indicator/Offset Location Indicator |
Headquarters staff indicator: A graphic modifier for units, equipment, and installations that identifies a unit as a headquarters. Or: Offset location indicator: A graphic modifier for units, equipment, and installations used when placing an object away from its actual location. |
|
AB |
Feint/Dummy Indicator |
Feint or dummy indicator: A graphic modifier for units, equipment, and installations that identifies an offensive or defensive unit intended to draw the enemy’s attention away from the area of the main attack. |
|
AC |
Installation |
Installation: A graphic modifier for units, equipment, and installations used to show that a particular symbol denotes an installation. |
|
AG |
Auxiliary Equipment Indicator |
A graphic modifier for equipment that indicates the presence of a towed sonar array. |
|
AL |
Operational Condition |
An optional graphic modifier for equipment or installations that indicates operational condition or capacity. |
|
AO |
Engagement Bar |
A graphic amplifier placed immediately atop the symbol. May denote, 1) local/remote status; 2) engagement status; and 3) weapon type. |
The ArcGIS style files for Military Features contain symbols that combine the frame and color, as well as many branch or functional symbols. They also contain additional symbols for the various graphic modifiers. The text modifiers are added in a separate process, as they are labels based on individual feature attributes; the workflow for adding text modifiers will be covered in another post.
Status modifiers and amplifying descriptors
In Mil-STD-2525C terms, the status and details of a tactical symbol can be conveyed using various frame patterns or additional graphic elements. A dashed frame indicates Pending, Assumed, or Suspected status.
These graphic modifiers can be applied to UEI features by adding layers with corresponding marker symbols to the base symbol.
When adding symbols to a base, be aware that the symbols draw in order from the bottom to the top of the stack of symbol layers.
Exercise, Feint, and Dummy modifiers
A symbol can be modified by adding a symbol layer to indicate that a given UEI Feature is part of an exercise.
The same process would be used to indicate that a unit is a Feint, or that a piece of equipment is a Dummy. Add a new layer to the Unit symbol, and search for “Exercise.” Choose an appropriate exercise modifier and click OK.
Operational condition modifiers
Equipment symbols can be given an Operational Condition modifier to indicate the status of the equipment. Add a new layer to the equipment symbol, and search for “operational condition.” Choose an appropriate condition modifier and click OK.
The military symbology styles contain the base symbols and graphic modifiers needed to create the symbols in the MILSTD-2525C and APP-6B standards. ArcGIS also comes other style files and fonts that can be used to construct additional symbols.
Content provided by Bob Booth.
Converting and Displaying Coordinates in ArcGIS 10
There are many ways of representing locations. One of the most common uses angular latitude and longitude coordinates to specify the location of a point. These Geographic coordinates may be expressed in several different notations, including Decimal Degrees (DD), Degrees Decimal Minutes (DDM), and Degrees Minutes and Seconds (DMS). The formula for converting Degree Minutes and Seconds to Decimal Degrees is discussed in the ArcGIS 10 Help. Another common method is to use a projected coordinate system and X and Y coordinate pairs, that is, two sets of numbers in a planar Cartesian system.
Gridded systems, like Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), United States National Grid (USNG), Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) divide the world into zones which are projected and then overlaid with one or more grids. Within the grids, point locations are specified by their position East and North the zone origin or the southeast corner of the cell. For USNG and MGRS the numeric values of the northing and easting can vary from 1 to 5 digits, depending on the precision of the location (they must both use the same number of digits) and then the values are concatenated.
Two less frequently used systems, the Global Area Reference System (GARS) and Geographic Reference System (GEOREF), divide the world into polygonal areas based on different sets of nested grids and encode locations as a string of grid ID values.
Each of these ways of representing a location results in different strings of characters with a variety of formats. This table shows the coordinate representation for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the US (75° 9’ 18.382” West longitude by 39° 59’ 0.637” North latitude) in each of these systems. This is not an exhaustive list of the delimiters and hemisphere indicators that are used in each system.
ArcGIS 10 can convert coordinates expressed in each of these systems into the others, and provides ways of displaying and accepting coordinate input in most of them.
Displaying Coordinates
You can see the coordinate value for a place on a map in the ArcMap status bar, at the bottom right of the application. The default coordinate format in the status bar is based on the units of the first layer added to the map, often feet, meters, or degrees of longitude/latitude.
You can change the coordinate display to use any of these systems (except GARS and GEOREF) by right-clicking Layers in the table of contents and selecting Properties. On the General tab, under Units, you can select the type of coordinates you would like to see, for example MGRS.
Go To XY Coordinates
If you have a set of coordinates and you want to find their location on the map, you can use the Go To XY tool. 
Open the tool from the toolbar, then select a coordinate format. Type (or paste) the coordinates into the text box and click one of the buttons to Pan to, Zoom to, Flash, Add a Point, Add a Point Labeled with Coordinates, or Add a Callout.
The Go To XY tool also keeps a record of recent locations, which you can return to by clicking the Recent button and selecting the location. You can use this to manually convert coordinates from one format to another. To do so, select your input coordinate notation, input your coordinates and pan to the location. Then select your new output format and select the coordinates from the Recent button.
Find MGRS coordinates
If you work with MGRS coordinates, the Find tool has an MGRS Locator that works like the Go To XY tool, but provides additional capabilities tailored to the MGRS system.
To use these, open the Find tool on the Tools toolbar. In the Find tool dialog box, click the Locations tab, select MGRS from the locator drop-down list. Then type (or paste) the coordinate into the MGRS box and click Find.
The tool will return a list of location matches (in our case there should only be one). If you right-click on the coordinate you have various options for marking the location.
So what’s different about the MGRS Locator?
The locator has options for matching shortened MGRS coordinates when you work in the same Grid Zone Designator (GZD). It has options to pull the GZD and 100,000 meter square identifier from the current map center, a default value, or use the last one used. This is convenient if you work in the same GZD over and over again, you can type “8675725939” or “VK8675725939” rather than “18SVK8675725939”, which will save you a few extra key strokes when entering your coordinates.
Converting Tables of Coordinates
There may be times when you have a lot of coordinates that you need to convert to another system. If you have the coordinates in a table, you can convert all of them by running the Convert Coordinate Notation (CCN) geoprocessing tool.
For example, you might convert a table of longitude and latitude values in decimal degrees (DD) to MGRS.
With the CCN tool you can convert between DD, DDM, DMS, UTM, USNG, MGRS, GARS, and GEOREF.
The tool takes your table of coordinates and converts them to point features with an attribute containing the new output notation.
It is important to note that the CCN tool is a geoprocessing tool and represents a single-focus process of converting a table of coordinates; its only function is to do the conversion. The output point features do not have the same fields as the input table.
If you want the output points to have all of the attributes of the input table (in addition to the new notation field) you must put the tool in a Model Builder model that uses the Join Field tool to attach the original fields.
The model would look something like this:
This table lists the coordinate notations mentioned above, and shows the different tools and functions that support them.
Content provided by Matt Funk
