A LABOR-INTENSIVE PICTURE


This information architecture represents a high- density point cloud, viewed obliquely. A point cloud is a set of points on a coordinate plane; in this case, the data points are the edges of buildings and other structures in this dense urban area. Taken together, they create a 3-D visualization of a space. ARL is looking for a way to collect this kind of data about an urban environment from multiple sources and craft it into a usable map, without the many human analysts currently required to do so. (Images courtesy of the authors)


on different equipment. Research interest across the ERDC and the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command also has focused on characterizing, moving and communicating within the confined space of building interiors and subterranean infrastructure.


Results of this research will shape design and development of techniques for much more rapid data generation, tailored dis- semination, change analyses and visualization. In other words, Soldiers will learn as they go, and retain this spatial knowledge. Tis new direction, in most cases, markedly departs from the commonplace use of flat maps, in perspectives that may include 3-D features and immersive training environments.


Te Army geospatial enterprise uses a concept called standard sharable geospatial foundation (data models and informa- tion architecture), which will allow for horizontal and vertical interoperability and sharing of geospatial information from the national level to the tactical edge. Built on this concept and the need for high-resolution 3-D topography of urban spaces, and working across Army platforms and applications, Army research efforts face technology-limited challenges from the near term to the far term. In the mid to far term, these include inves- tigations of methods to introduce a user to semantically and digitally enriched information that is key to combat activities, from training through rehearsal to combat operations. Seman- tic markup may include street names, for example, or symbols


referring to unit positions, while digital markup can refer to coordinates used in routing or targeting.


A critical line of research on visualization in a mobile con- text involves developing automated and rapid georegistration without delays during motion, which can distract attention or exacerbate motion distress. Some symbols and features added to displays, such as the user’s location, range to objects in the distance, etc., stay in the same position regardless of changing viewpoint. Other augmenting features, such as building out- lines, need to remain fixed in the real 3-D world even when the user’s perspective moves.


We can expect improved and more diverse techniques to pro- duce accurate, updatable geometries of urban infrastructure, including relevant materials and functions. Te need to support decision-making and faster action also shapes research on what makes terrain visualization intuitive, cognitively low-cost, mea- surable by operators and interactive when needed. Te following sections describe Army S&T research on the military-unique aspects of high-resolution 3-D enriched terrain data while lever- aging commercial and academic innovation.


THE 3-D URBAN ‘MAP’ Te goal of Army geospatial research is to design, develop and test a new, multidimensional 3-D “map” of urban infrastruc- ture geometries, materials and functions. Tis capability would


ASC.ARMY.MIL 147


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / DASA(R&T)


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