Military features
Military features are ArcGIS features used primarily by the defense and intelligence communities. Military features are based on current versions of military symbology specifications, especially the following:
- MIL-STD-2525C (and its related publication, FM 1-02 Operational Terms and Symbols)
Examples of military features you can add to a map are infantry platoons, main attack arrows, and weapons ranges.
To add military features to a map, you use feature templates. You start with one of the military feature layer packages available in the ArcGIS for Defense and Intelligence group on ArcGIS.com.
You can think of these layer packages as a way to make your job of adding military features to a map much easier than creating symbols from scratch. For example, the packages:
- Contain pre-built feature templates that you can drag and drop onto your map or customize before adding to your map.
- Have a geodatabase schema that contains a table structure that adheres to military specifications. Each military feature template is tied to the appropriate ArcGIS layer type (point, line, or polygon).
- Contain pre-defined label properties that adhere to the military specifications. These properties tell ArcGIS things like where to position each type of label (text modifier) around the feature and which labels should be visible by default. For details, see Labeling military features.
The default layer package is the Military Overlay layer package. It is the default package because it contains nearly all the feature templates Esri has pre-defined for the defense community. Several other layer packages, such as the Friendly Operations layer package, are available in the ArcGIS for Defense and Intelligence group on ArcGIS.com. To view the layer packages in this group, go to the ArcGIS.com site and enter defense in the Search text box. You may have to click the Search for Groups list item that displays when you click in the Search text box.
You can add graphic modifiers to your military features by using symbol layers that use the military style files. For details, see Graphic modifiers for military features.
Some military features, such as weapons ranges, call for geodetic accuracy; use the ArcGIS Construct Geodetic tool to create geodetic features.
For more information on supported standards, see Military symbol specifications supported by ArcGIS.