NIMA: A vital part of the EAC team - National Imagery and Mapping Agency; - Statistical Data Included

Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, April-June, 2002 by Jeffery S. Reichman

Historically, one of the most difficult problems for brigade and battalion S2s has been the acquisition of timely and accurate terrain information and products. Until the Gulf War, the highest-resolution terrain information and products were only available at division and corps levels. Following the Gulf War, there was greater emphasis on providing small, often ruggedized computers and tactically functional local- and wide-area networks (LANs and WANs) down to the lowest echelons. Use of these systems now allows S2s at all levels to access a great deal of previously inaccessible terrain information and products, not only through their higher organizational elements but extending into national levels.

In an attempt to consolidate the various mapping and imagery elements into a single organization, the Department of Defense established the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). NIMA's establishment has not only allowed the consolidation of developmental and production assets but also has streamlined the communications and product acquisition processes. This combination of an effective multi-echelon, two-way digital-communications architecture and a single, "one-stop shopping" mapping and imagery organization now provides unparalleled terrain and imagery support to the field.

This article provides a brief overview of NIMA's organization, products for Army units, the ordering process, and points of contact. It expands on the information provided in "Applicable NIMA Products Covering Afghanistan and the Middle East" in the January-March 2002 issue of the Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin (MIPB). Finally, it also briefly addresses the products of two other agencies with which it has close ties, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Topographic Engineering Units.

The Organization

Established in 1996 under the National Imagery and Mapping Act, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency brought together in a single organization the imagery tasking, exploitation, production, and dissemination responsibilities and the mapping, charting, and geodetic functions of eight separate organizations. Those agencies, which no longer exist under their former names, include the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), the Central Imagery Office, and the Defense Dissemination Program Office in their entirety, and the mission and functions of the Central Intelligence Agency's National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC). NIMA also includes the imagery exploitation, dissemination, and processing elements of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRa), and the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO).

Given such a large and complex organization, intelligence analysts and combat forces are often confused as to what products are available. They may not know how to access data which is downloadable directly from the Worldwide Web (WWN).

The GEODDUC CD--A "Must Have" for Intelligence Officers

Have you ever wanted or needed to view and manipulate a map, imagery, or elevation data on your computer? Do you want to figure out what is on those NIMA compact discs (CDs) that keep coming in the mail and how to get them to work? Have you ever had trouble obtaining the actual CDs required for your area of interest (AOI)? Do the acronyms ADRG, CADRG, CIB, and DTED (1) make you wonder what those NIMA guys are babbling about? Then the Geospatial Digital Data Users Course (GEODDUC) CD is what you have been seeking.

The Imagery and Geospatical Information (IGA) Branch of the Defense Mapping School (DMS) produces the GEODDUC CD, a compilation of various government off-the-shelf software (GOTS) and freely available software packages, training materials, and information that helps the user exploit NIMA digital data. The IGI originally produced the CD to support the DMS's GEODDUC, a week-long course designed to expose the various digital data types and products that NIMA produces, and to show students how to exploit them in a Windows[TM] 95/ NT/98 environment with little or no cost to the user. IGI's Geospatial Information and Services Team (GIST) now distributes the CD as a training and operational tool for students of other resident courses and for mobile training. The CD includes several GOTS systems and freely available software packages such as Falcon View. With this CD the user can exploit NIMA digital products (e.g., CADRG, CIB, DTED, VMAP, DNC, AAFIF[TM], ECHUM, (2) etc.) to perform terrain visualization, produce bri efing graphics, conduct mission planning, execute real-time navigation, and calculate datum transformations and coordinate conversions. A tool that allows the user to easily add and edit military symbols and graphics in PowerPoint[TM] 97 has been recently added to the CD as well. This tool supports both rectangular and diamond-shaped military unit symbols and will save hours for your operation and planning cells.

All GEODDUC course materials and practical exercises are part of the CD to facilitate data and software training. Additionally, the CD includes information that expedites ordering NIMACADRG, CIB, and other products and downloading data from the NIMA gateways. The GEODDUC CD is truly a one-stop shop for geospatial information and services (GI&S) information as well as software, which allows anyone to quickly become a general user of NIMA's vast array of digital products and to expedite many operational tasks. For more information or to request the latest version (3.2), contact DMS at (703) 805-2644 or DSN 655-2644.