A quick tour of Defense Mapping

The tools for Defense Mapping can be found throughout ArcGIS. Several toolbars are available in ArcCatalog and ArcMap, and several geoprocessing tools can also be found in the Defense Mapping toolbox.

ArcCatalog tools

In ArcCatalog, the Defense Mapping toolbar contains several tools that allow you to work with Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program (MGCP) data, GeoBase data, and Stereo Airfield Collection features. You can also import and export topology and import ancillary data sources into a geodatabase. Tools are also available for working with rasters and shapefiles.

Defense Mapping toolbar in ArcCatalog

ArcMap tools

ArcMap contains several tools that allow you to configure the editing environment for creating features that conform to the data specifications supported by Defense Mapping. You can also extract features so they conform to these specifications.

Defense Mapping toolbar

The Defense Mapping toolbar in ArcMap allows you to perform a variety of functions related to defense data. On the Defense Mapping menu on the toolbar, you have access to the options for editing as well as the surround elements related to Image City Map (ICM), Joint Operations Graphic (JOG), and Topographic Line Map (TLM) hard-copy products. There are also separate tools for working with ICM features in the ComplexOutline_A feature class to generate Guide to Numbered Features elements.

Other tools on the toolbar allow you to create specific types of features and manage attribute values and Geonames features.

Defense Mapping toolbar in ArcMap

Defense Mapping MGCP toolbar

The Defense Mapping MGCP toolbar contains tools so you can work with MGCP data. This includes tools for working with the LandCover features, which represent the surface of the earth. You can also automatically populate attributes for building facility types, validate them, and reset the attributes. You can also view the MGCP extraction guide.

Defense Mapping MGCP Tools toolbar

Defense Mapping Properties

The Defense Mapping Properties dialog box contains properties related to the tools on the Defense Mapping and Defense Mapping MGCP Tools toolbars. This includes the feature classes that are going to be used to create bridges and buildings, whose attributes are populated by various tools, and the minimum sizes of features to determine their geometry types. You can also specify the location of the MGCP extraction guide so it can be opened using the MGCP Show Extraction Guide tool.

Defense Mapping Properties dialog box

Defense Mapping toolbox

The Defense Mapping toolbox contains several tools that assist in the creation of cartographic products and calculating feature attributes such as default values and coordinates. There are also tools that import and export metadata and export geodatabases to shapefiles.

Defense Mapping toolbox

Learn more about the Defense Mapping toolbox


9/22/2010