Essential Defense Mapping Solution vocabulary

Below are common terms that are encountered when using Defense Mapping.

Extraction guide

A document that provides extraction guidance for all the features in a data specification. The instructions provided in the guide can include information about the dimensions for features for a specific feature class as well as their attributes. The purpose of the extraction guide is to provide a logical approach to feature extraction that results in consistent data collection.

GAIT

Acronym for Geospatial Analysis Integrity Tool.

Geometric network

Geometric networks offer a way to model common networks and infrastructures found in the real world. Water distribution, electrical lines, gas pipelines, telephone services, and water flow in a stream are all examples of resource flows that can be modeled and analyzed using a geometric network.

Guide to Numbered Features

The Guide to Numbered Features is a set of bookmarks and surround elements that can be created when you are working with Image City Map (ICM) data. The data for the bookmarks and surround elements is derived from the ComplexOutline_A feature class that is part of the ICM schema.

Landcover feature

A Landcover feature represents the base for all land features in the Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program (MGCP) data specification. This type of feature can be created using specific polygon feature classes and subtypes in the database schema.

Map element

In digital cartography, a distinctly identifiable graphic or object in the map or page layout. For example, a map element can be a title, scale bar, legend, or other map-surround element.

In Defense Mapping, there are several surround elements that support ICM, Joint Operations Graphic (JOG), and Topographic Line Map (TLM) production.

MGCP extraction guide

The MGCP extraction guide provides extraction guidance for all the features in the MGCP Features and Attribute Catalogue. It constitutes one part of the MGCP Technical Reference Document (TRD). The purpose of the extraction guide is to provide a logical approach to feature extraction that provides consistency to data collection by all participants.

MGRS

Military Grid Reference System. This is a grid-based system used to represent locations on the universal transverse Mercator (UTM) and universal polar stereographic (UPS) grid systems. MGRS coordinates, expressed as an alphanumeric string, define an area on the earth's surface, as opposed to a specific point.

SDSFIE

Spatial Data Standard for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment.

Shapefile

A shapefile is a vector data storage format for storing the location, shape, and attributes of geographic features. A shapefile is stored in a set of related files and contains one feature class.

Vertex

A vertex is one of a set of ordered x,y coordinate pairs that defines the shape of a line or polygon feature.

Z-value

The value for a given surface location that represents an attribute other than position. In an elevation or terrain model, the z-value represents elevation; in other kinds of surface models, it represents the density or quantity of a particular attribute.