Geographic data elements are an essential part of any intelligence information system. Visualization of this data on map displays is indispensable in supporting data analysis for mission objectives. No matter what the application domain, (DoD/State Government/e-commerce) the display of information on a geographic map is no longer a "nice-to-have" feature; it's now a mandatory one. The need for data visualization with map graphics has created an abundant supply of mapping products. The capabilities of these products range from advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to basic products for map graphics presentation. The Core Mapping Application Programming Interface, CMAPI, provides a standardized interface to commercial and government off-the-shelf map engines. Using CMAPI allows application developers and their customers to avoid being locked into a specific vendor. As a result, sites where applications are deployed can avoid having to license multiple products that perform the same function. CMAPI is designed and implemented using software component technology for "plug and play" map engine compatibility. CMAPI front-end software components are easy to integrate with web-based thin-client and multi-platform thick client applications. CMAPI back-end components provide implementation of core mapping functionality using any one of several off-the-shelf map engines. In addition, CMAPI provides an XML import and export capability that allows applications to share map data while using different map engines.
The Intelligence Data Object Server (IDOS) has been developed under the Air Force Research Laboratory Global Information Base Branch (AFRL/IFED) Global Awareness Virtual Testbed project to provide automated mechanisms for using Military Intelligence Data in modeling and simulation experiments. The IDOS software allows information from multiple data sources to be published in exercises using the High Level Architecture (HLA) or other object-oriented formats. IDOS uses the AFRL/IFEB Broadsword Gatekeeper for data source access. IDOS has been used in simulation-based acquisition experiments designed and carried out among distributed AFRL sites. This paper describes the IDOS architecture and capabilities including the use of the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) to provide a common representation for data objects, and application of IDOS to visualization of Intelligence Information.
KEYWORDS: Databases, Distributed interactive simulations, Data modeling, Modeling and simulation, Human-machine interfaces, 3D modeling, Java, Associative arrays, Visualization, Information visualization
Today's modeling and simulation world is rich in 3D models and distributed architectures. There is, however; a need to interject operational intelligence data into this environment. The ability to represent intelligence information in a realistically modeled environment provides a unique, exploitable, global awareness capability. We have designed and implemented the global awareness visual information system protocol data unit (PDU) generator, a prototype interface that allows information in intelligence databases to be data sources for distributed interactive simulation (DIS) capable systems. The interface provides tools, using middleware, to create database views and an agent to obtain database information for publication as PDUs. The current implementation provides information from sample intelligence databases for visualization in an off- the-shelf 3D DIS viewer.
KEYWORDS: Databases, Data conversion, Visualization, Military intelligence, Data acquisition, Data visualization, Intelligence systems, Visual analytics, Human-machine interfaces, Software development
This paper describes an effort to provide mechanisms for integration of existing law enforcement databases with the temporal analysis system (TAS) -- an application for analysis and visualization of military intelligence data. Such integration mechanisms are essential for bringing advanced military intelligence data handling software applications to bear on the analysis of data used in criminal investigations. Our approach involved applying a software application for intelligence message handling to the problem of data base conversion. This application provides mechanisms for distributed processing and delivery of converted data records to an end-user application. It also provides a flexible graphic user interface for development and customization in the field.
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