Ultra Electronics, ProLogic

Ultra Electronics, ProLogic is extending ERSI’s ArcGIS framework into niche market areas such as weather analysis and LIDAR data exploitation. The primary goal is to achieve maximum end user benefits from the core GIS capabilities by extendeding and tailoring these capabilities to work efficiently with their unique data sets.

LIDAR sensors are laser radar sensors that measure ground terrain elevations from airborne platforms and produce a very high resolution point cloud. These sensors return data sets consisting of millions of 3D points and are capable of creating Level V terrain digital terrain elevation data (DTED) images.

Ultra Electronics, ProLogic based this research and development project on the NASA Earth Sciences Enterprise (ESE) funded Phase I and II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts. The ArcGIS technology enables visualization of large, unstructured geospatial data sets, such as LIDAR data, within a commercial desktop Geographic Information System (GIS). The architecture converts the raw LIDAR data sets into the newly approved LAS LIDAR data standard, then creates efficient spatial indexing mechanisms to visualize high-fidelity, interactive models within a 3D GIS environment. The efficient data model also supports high-performance raster and TIN creation. ArcGIS then integrates all three data types (raw point cloud, raster, and TIN) with its native visualization, querying, filtering, and analysis capabilities. The technology may also be extended through APIs to enable third-party developers to implement algorithms for image analysis and feature extraction. The architecture also supports the use of high performance computing (HPC) platforms for resource intensive processing that may not be appropriate for a single desktop system.

The new LIDAR technology enables all users a new capacity to visualize and analyze large data sets at full resolution, and provides a processing framework for domain experts to implement analysis techniques from this displayed data. The application will be provided as a commercial GIS software extension, thus leveraging geospatial data and geoprocessing techniques supported by GIS, extending capability without requiring users to learn a new software interface, and allowing interactive browsing of data combined with traditional GIS data sets.

For more information, visit:
http://www.ultra-prologic.com/Lidar
or contact us at: lidar-info@prologic-inc.com

This research and development project is based on the Phase I and II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts funded by the Air Force Research Lab. The SBIR Phase II project focuses on the development of new technology that provides 2D/3D/4D visualization of weather information within a commercial Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Since weather information is both temporal and dynamic in nature, it is often accessed as large, global, four-dimensional data sets that provide a wide range of weather parameters. Current applications that use weather information tend to be stove-piped systems that are tailored to a specific weather data set and have limited capability for integration with other mapping and geographic analysis systems.

Although commercial Geographic Information System (GIS) software provides rich support for mapping, geographic data handling, spatial queries, geographic analysis, and flexible symbology, it does not include native support for weather. The Phase II research and development will create a “weather extension” for commercial GIS software, thereby allowing the development of “weather-aware” applications. Specifically, the extension would support the incorporation of weather data within future mission applications, would provide weather visualization through C/JMTK, and would enable users / applications that are based on the ArcGIS ™ desktop platform (from ESRI ® ).

The weather extension would utilize native data format and access mechanisms including GRIB and JMBL in order to provide users with a greater capability to access, analyze, and visualize dynamic weather forecast information. The application is intended to be available as a ArcGIS Extension to support users and developers of: C/JMTK, ArcView and 3D Analyst, and ArcObjects.

For more information: weather-info@prologic-inc.com

The SDD program integrates decision support, smart filtering, munition effects, and full-dimensional display technologies to enable faster and smarter netted fires command and control decisions that optimize usage of weapon assets against targets. The SDD program supports netted fires effects simulations for the Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal. The netted fires system integrates with the Combat Decision Aid Suite (CDAS) and the Joint Weaponeering Service (JWS) to access several levels of information to create the simulations, including:

SDD provides the mechanism for the warfighter to realize the concept of Netted Fires in a scalable, Net-Centric, Services-Oriented Architecture, which combines the power of leveraged Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) technologies with the cost savings of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technologies. By combining the powers of the Geographic Information Systems (ESRI ArcGIS), Army standard databases, and the leading edge netted fires algorithms, the warfighter will be able to exponentially increase his combat multiplier with regards to indirect fires.

Key features of the SDD Netted Fires Application are:

For more information: sdd-support@prologic-inc.com

SAGE, part of the SEDRIS/GIS Toolbox for ArcGIS, provides a bridge technology to support data interoperability between ArcGIS and SEDRIS communities. SEDRIS is an ISO standard for representation and interchange of synthetic environments for use by Modeling & Simulation communities. Specifically, SAGE works as an ArcMap extension and supports powerful workflows to convert user selected layers (feature layers, TINs, rasterized terrain, and imagery) for conversion into a SEDRIS transmittal. This allows producers to utilize the full set of ESRI import and processing capabilities. SAGE runs on Windows, has an intuitive graphic interface, supports classification and attribution, and maps ESRI Coordinate Systems into SEDRIS SRFs.

Current features:

Automatic creation of default ESD given an ESRI map (MXD)

XMDF Analyst is a new technology that provides visualization of scientific and engineering (S&E) data within a commercial Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. This data is created by complex multi-dimensional numerical modeling and simulation software typically run on large servers and supercomputers. These large datasets are both spatial and temporal in nature and occur in a wide range of data models/structures, dimensionality, and formats. Current applications that process S&E data tend to be specialized applications tailored to specific sub-domains and used by modeling experts. As such, these applications have limited capabilities for integration with other mapping and geographic analysis systems. Commercial GIS software provides rich support for mapping, geographic data handling, spatial query, and geographic analysis, but does not include native and comprehensive support for integration of S&E data.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has developed a data standard, "XMDF", to develop, store, and manage all their enterprise scientific and engineering information resulting from various models and finite element analysis. XMDF is a superset of the industry standard HDF5 format. XMDF files are written and read by a wide variety of the modeling software tools used by the Corps of Engineers. The Corps' need was to have access to the information stored in these files via ArcGIS, the software more commonly used by the community of planning engineers.

Ultra Electronics, ProLogic developed an extension that natively accesses and visualizes this spatio-temporal information with ArcMap and ArcGlobe applications. The extension reads the metadata in the XMDF file and presents the user with an intuitive interface thought which they can select the model parameters, time ranges, and time interval of the data to be viewed. The selected data is extracted from the file and displayed as familliar ArcGIS layers. Custom temporal layers are created allowing the data to be animated through time. This data can all be integrated with any other data supported by ArcGIS for visualization and analysis. The result is a significantly improved enviroment in which planning engineers can make decisions.

In support of Department of Defense efforts to move toward Net-Centric computing, Ultra Electronics, ProLogic developed the Service-Oriented Visualization Framework (SOVF).

This work included an overall methodology (design patterns for geospatial visualization in an SOA environment) as well as C/JMTK-based framework software. Data from C2 web services (TBMCS, GMTI, JMBL, CRD) is adapted to a GIS profile, cached in an enterprise geodatabase, and surfaced as ArcIMS data services.

The architecture follows a service-oriented paradigm, with service discovery provided by UDDI, content discovery provided by an ArcIMS metadata service, and several additional mediation services (e.g., stylization) supporting the visualization pipeline.

The SOVF system includes two custom clients, a "rich" client based on the ArcIMS Java Viewer, and a "thick" client providing a dedicated SOVF toolbar in ArcMap or ArcGlobe. This paper discusses the SOVF architecture, the use of C/JMTK components, and lessons learned applicable to net-centric environments.

Airborne networking of military weapon systems is a critical capability needed for Net-Centric Operations on the modern day battlefield.

Airborne Web Services provides the US Air Force’s Electronic Systems Center (ESC) and Command and Control (C2) community with Net-Centric visualization capability that utilizes airborne networking technology allowing shared situational awareness between aircraft and ground stations.

Built on Ultra Electronics, ProLogic’s Service Oriented Visualization Framework (SOVF) Net-Centric Visualization technology this system utilizes an open Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Net-Centric Enterprise Solutions for Interoperability (NESI) design guidelines.

AWS is designed to satisfy enhanced situational awareness requirements for in-flight air battle managers on the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JointSTARS) along with controllers and commanders on the ground in the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC). AWS applications include visualization of:

AWS automates AWACS and JointSTARS air battle manager’s workflow and enhances decision support for C2 operations and Time-Sensitive Targeting (TST). This increased situational awareness and automated workflow is specifically designed to reduce timelines in the kill chain.

Two AWS clients are available based on widely used military technologies:

AWS was highlighted in the large-scale Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s directed Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment (JEFX) 06 as part of an AWACS effort demonstrating Net-Centric warfare using the Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) data link system.