Development of methods and means of providing troops with digital data about terrain.

The research works and experiments in the field of cartography automatization held in the 1960s in this country and abroad, resulted in asserting the need of substituting analogue (paper) maps with digital ones. Testing and employment of the high precision weapons, which came into service in the USA and other NATO countries forces, required digital maps, and this fact boosted the development of the cartography automatization theory and practice. Digital maps were created on the basis of transforming the contents of the analogue topographic maps into a digital form.

The 29th Research Institute, RF MOD, has been carrying out research and experiments in the field of cartography automatization since 1967. The Map Drawing and Photo Reproduction Automatization Laboratory has been engaged in the works. Within its framework new ways of automatization of cartography generalization were being explored. In 1971 a specialized department was organized to tackle cartography automatization problems.

Since the late 1970s the 29th Research Institute has been developing a new field of research: compiling digital maps of the terrain (DMT) to provide cartographic support for the high precision weapons. In 1977, two departments were established at the institute to conduct research works and tackle problems in the above-mentioned fields. One of the departments was engaged in the research of ways and development of methods and means of processing air-space photo material and in the compilation of DTM and topographic maps on their basis. The other one had to seek for ways, methods and means of making DTM, town plans, topographic and specialized maps on the basis of the cartographic material. Both of them have succeeded in working out: a methodology for creating digital maps of the terrain (DMT); methods and means of formalization (classification and codification) of data on terrain objects and their features; experimental technologies to create DTM on the basis of topographic maps and air and space photo material.

Later the experimental and design works succeeded in creating an experimental sample of a complex of automated base of digital cartographic data (CABDCD) designed to create, accumulate, store and issue digital maps of the terrain for users. Luckily it combines the technology of compiling digital maps of the terrain on the basis of cartographic material (circulation reprint or constant storage slides of topographic maps of home edition and circulation reprint of topographic maps of foreign edition), and the use of air and space photo material, as well.

The CABDCD went into service in 1984. Scientists E.I. Khalugin and E.A. Zhalkovsky were awarded the USSR State Prize for the success in creating digital maps of the terrain for cartographic support of the high accuracy weapons. Many engineers of the institute were also awarded with orders and medals.

With the CABDCD entering into service, the mission of creating digital maps of the terrain for cartographic support of the high accuracy weapons was accomplished. Besides, early 1990s demonstrated the fact that the fields of research of the two departments were intersecting, and some of them were getting closely interwoven. To avoid dubbing of the research works a decision was made to transform the two departments into one scientific department. At present time, it is involved in complex research works in the field of development and improvement of methods and means of cartographic support of the control automated systems of military designation; compilation and renewal of the geospace information; accumulation, storage, supply to the troops and employment of the geospace information; application of the navigation-time and geospace information.

Within the framework of the above-mentioned research directions works are being carried out in order to solve problems of reasoning the perspectives of development and methods of employment of air and space means of acquisition of the initial information about the terrain in the interests of mapping; problems of developing methods of acquisition, accumulation, storage and preliminary processing of the initial information about the terrain; problems of developing theoretical principles, methods and techniques to create high precision plan-altitude basis; problems of developing methods of processing digital geoimages and techniques of compiling high precision geospace information; problems of developing theoretical principles, methods, means and technologies of compiling geospace information on the basis of material and data of air and space photography; problems of developing and exercising information cartographic support of technologies to create and employ geospace information; problems of developing theoretical principles and fundamentals of designing geoinformation systems of general and special purpose; problems of developing theoretical principles, methods and technologies of accumulating, storing and providing geospace information to consumers; problems of developing theoretical principles, methods and technologies of applying navigation-time and geospace information; problems of developing and improving mathematical basis, contents and design of specialized maps; problems of developing and improving methods, means and technologies of operational compilation and use of geospace information; problems of developing and improving regulations and technical standards of accumulating, storing and providing geospace information to consumers.

The following things designed by scientific research institutions and industrial organizations (with participation and scientific assistance of the 29th Research Institute of the RF MOD) are considered to be the most significant results in solving the above-mentioned problems: a complex of automated terminals for creating, storing and issuing electronic maps (AT-EM) and a system of electronic maps; a complex of automated terminals for creating aviation (topographic) maps and preparing them for publication; a bank of military purpose cartographic data; an analytic-and-digital photogoniometric station; a new unified system of aviation charts; a united system of military purpose maps.

The complex of automated terminals for creating, storing and issuing electronic maps and the system of electronic maps were commissioned by the Russian Federation Armed Forces in 1999. The AT-EM complex is designed for creating electronic maps and town plans included in the system of electronic maps, their accumulation, registration, storage and use on computer storage devices as well as edition and production of their final compilations. The AT-EM complexes are manufactured, delivered and successfully operated in the topographic service of the Russian Federation Armed Forces. Among others Sh.A. Diveev, S.A. Zharkov (posthumously), N.A. Zhivichin, V.A. Leontiev and A.I. Martynenko--all are from the 29th Research Institute of the RF MOD--were awarded the 2002 State Prize in the domain of science and engineering.

The "Karta-A " complex of automated terminals for creating aviation (topographic) maps and preparing them for publication designed for being used in stationary conditions was commissioned by the Russian Federation Armed Forces in 2002.

At the same time, the Russian Federation Armed Forces commissioned the bank of military purpose cartographic data designed for acquisition, accumulation, storage and issue of the digital information about the terrain.

The analytic-and-digital photogoniometric station (ADPS) is designed for creating and updating electronic topographic maps and town plans on the basis of single air and space photos. Functionally it enables the following operations: acquisition, evaluation and visualization of analog and digital air and space and cartographic images; production of digital photomaps with use of information about the plan-altitude support and terrain profile; automated and optical-and-visual interpretation of analog and digital panoramic, slot, radar and other type photos as well as digital photomaps; creation (update) of electronic topographic maps and town plans on the basis of interpretation results; creation of digital 3-D terrain models; issue of created digital information about terrain at the customers' requests.

The most important feature of the ADPS applicability is the creation of high precision information in the form of digital terrain models. It was demonstrated at the "High Defense Technologies" International Fair in 2000.

At present time, production samples of ADPS are delivered to the units of the topographic service of the Russian Federation Armed Forces and commissioned to perform tasks of creating and updating digital information about terrain.

The most important is the fact that use of ADPS makes it possible to refuse from technologies and hardware for creating electronic maps by digitizing rather old cartographic data but to make such maps and town plans on the basis of air and space data.

Analysis of series-produced ADPS operation in industrial conditions and researches going on in the 29th Research Institute made it possible to determine the main directions of improving technical assets of the system. It will include optimization of parameters of projector's magnifying system as well as improvement of measuring capabilities and resolution of technical means used for digital processing of ADPS images.

Besides, ADPS upgrade is linked to improvement of software and information support. A creation of software and hardware for processing perspective imaging materials (optoelectronic, hyperspectral, etc.) is one of the directions of this improvement. Expansion of nomenclature of the outlet cartographic products also belongs to this important direction of ADPS upgrade.

A team of authors including the specialists of the 29th Research Institute of the RF MOD (L.I. Yablonsky, G.V. Barabin, V.G. Eliushkin, N.I. Konon, R.S. Mukhudinov, I.V. Sidorov, V.V. Skripniuk) was awarded the 2004 State Prize of the Russian Federation in domain of science and engineering for developing and promoting an analytic-and-digital photogoniometric station and technology of compiling high precision information about terrain.

Starting from the mid-1980s research works in the sphere of improving aeronautical charts have been carried out. They resulted in creation of a new unified system of aviation charts introduced in service with the Russian Federation Armed Forces in 1995. Such specialists as A.A. Kuznetsov, V.M. Fonarev, S.P. Malinin, A.K. Soloviov, A.B. Kezling, V.P. Tiuriutikov, G.B. Voronov and others took an active part in the solution of this problem. In 1999 a team of authors was awarded the F.N. Krasovsky Prize for developing a new system of aviation charts.

Since the mid-1990s the 29 Research Institute of RF MOD has been conducting researches in the sphere of maps standardization and unification in order to create conditions for employing cartographic information in existing and perspective systems of troop command and control. In 2005 to manage this problem the specialists of the 29 Research Institute of RF MOD (V.M. Fonarev, A.A. Kuznetsov, V.P. Tiuriutikov and others) designed a united system of military purpose maps (US MPM). It is designed for replacement of the basic maps that are currently in service with the Russian Federation Armed Forces: topographic, geographic, and aeronautic. At the same time, there is still a chance of solving any task of the customer depending on the purpose of these types of the maps. USMPM consists of: subsystem of large-scale maps (1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000) and subsystem of small-scale maps (1:500,000, 1:1,000,000, 1:2,000,00, 1:4,000,000, 1:8,000,000, 1:16,000,000, 1:32,000,000). 1:250,000 scale map serves as an interlink between two above-mentioned subsystems. It is worth mentioning that previously developed system of aviation charts has become an integral part of USMPM as a subsystem of small-scale maps.

Preliminary assessment of the first prototype samples of the USMPM-series maps conducted in 1998 proves that in general qualitative factors of new maps surpass the maps that are currently in service with the Russian Federation Armed Forces. The subsequent approbation of 1:25,000-1:250,000 maps in 2005 also confirmed these results. The conclusion made on the basis of the approbation results says that USMPM can be recommended for being commissioned by troops as a significantly higher level system if compared with the existing one; introduction of this system will be an important step in developing and improving survey support of the Russian Federation Armed Forces.

Creation of USMPM will make it possible to solve the problem of unification and standardization of the maps used in the Russian Federation Armed Forces as well as to meet current and future troops requirements to cartographic information.

Col. A.N. SERDIUKOV

Head of the Department, 29th Research Institute, RF MOD, Candidate of Technical Sciences