Department of Defense (DoD) Projects

The first four GIS maps in this section were developed to facilitate flight test planning of the SiteSeer micro air vehicle (MAV) that was developed for the Air Force while employed at System Dynamics International (SDI).  The SiteSeer was a fully-autonomous, 26-inch wingspan UAV with a carbon fiber fuselage and foldable wing designed for a unique military application.  The fifth map in this section was developed to support an Army contract for field tests of ground equipment.

Airfield Boundaries for MAV Flight Tests

This map was produced to illustrate the range boundary limits for System Dynamics' Siteseer micro air vehicle (MAV) flight tests conducted at the Ray Helping Airfield in Archer, FL.  The boundaries were established to conform to Air Force guidelines regarding flight tests of radio-controlled and autopilot-equipped MAVs. The map was rendered by downloading DOQQ photos of the airfield site from the Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL).  A point feature of the MAV ground control station (MAV GCS) was created, and 300m and 500m buffer zones were generated around this point feature.  Two arc-shaped polygon features were then digitized by tracing the two buffers to render the “Caution” and “Kill” boundary extents shown on the map.  The buffer zone layers were then removed, leaving the arc-shaped polygon feature layer.  A Florida county shapefile was downloaded from the FGDL to complete the inset map and a photo of the airfield was inserted.

White Sands Missile Range Topography

In preparation for SiteSeer flight tests, three maps were produced in response to a customer request for terrain elevation, contour, and slope information at a test site at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), NM.  To generate the maps, 1-arcsec terrain elevation data was downloaded from the USGS data distribution website (http://seamless.usgs.gov/) to perform the analysis using ArcMap's Spatial Analyst tools that included bilinear interpolation, hillshade effects, and slope and contour tools.  Latitude and longitude graticules were added to the maps to provide an accurate reference for range coordinates.  To render the inset map, the New Mexico Resource Geographic Information System (http://rgis.unm.edu/) was accessed to download a New Mexico county shapefile.  U.S. Army personnel at White Sands were contacted to acquire a shapefile of the test range.  A photo of the Capitol Peak tunnel complex was inserted to establish a visual frame of reference.

SiteSeer MAV Test Sites at WSMR

This map summarizes the four test sites at WSMR where MAV automated-catapult-launch flight tests were performed.  The coordinates of each site defined point features that are spatially displayed on a topographic base map. The range boundary feature layer was added to provide a geographic reference of the site locations within the range.  Still photographs extracted from the SiteSeer's full motion video depict the aerial imagery acquired by the MAV.

Flight Test Planning at Eglin Air Force Base

This interactive map was created in ArcGIS Online in preparation for a micro air vehicle (MAV) flight test at Eglin AFB at Test Range B-70.  To create the interactive map, several features were accessed and/or digitized and uploaded to ArcGIS Online.  First, a shapefile for the perimeter of Eglin AFB was accessed from the Florida Geographic Data Library web site (blue outline).  A point feature depicting the target coordinates (back dot) was then digitized. Finally, 3- and 4-mile circular buffers were created around the target site that specify cautionary (yellow) and critical (red) range boundary conditions for the MAV.  If the MAV strays beyond the red boundary, a fail-safe is triggered in the autopilot to immediately land the air vehicle.  Left-clicking on any of these features provides a pop-up window of feature details.

Line of Sight Analysis at Redstone Arsenal

A line of sight analysis was conducted at Test Area 3 at Redstone Arsenal, AL.  The analysis was conducted to determine viewable and obstructed terrain between a pair of points located at the north and south extents of the Test Area in preparation for ground tests of equipment emplaced at various locations along the four mile length of the range.  For the analysis, 1/3-arcsec terrain elevation data was downloaded from the USGS seamless data distribution website (http://seamless.usgs.gov/). The line of sight analyses was performed using ArcMap's 3D Spatial Analyst tools, which included hillshade effects to enhance visual interpretation.  A line of sight profile plot was created to more easily visualize the analysis results.  A Google Earth image was used as the aerial viewpoint photo in the map.