GIS interoperability: current activities and military implications

Geographic information systems (GIS) are gaining importance in military operations because of their capability to spatially and visually integrate various kinds of information. In an era of limited resources, geospatial data must be shared efficiently whenever possible. The military-initiated Global Geospatial Information and Services (GGI&S) Project aims at developing the infrastructure for GIS interoperability for the military. Current activities in standardization and new technology have strong implications on the design and development of GGI&S. To facilitate data interoperability at both the national and international levels, standards and specifications in geospatial data sharing are being studied, developed and promoted. Of particular interest to the military community are the activities related to the NATO DIGEST, ISO TC/211 Geomatics standardization and the industry-led Open Geodata Interoperability Specifications (OGIS). Together with new information technology, standardization provides the infrastructure for interoperable GIS for both civilian and military environments. The first part of this paper describes the major activities in standardization. The second part presents the technologies developed at DREV in support of the GGI&S. These include the Open Geospatial Datastore Interface (OGDI) and the geospatial data warehouse. DREV has been working closely with Defence Geomatics and private industry in the research and development of new technology for the GGI&S project.