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EGICS:EGICS:
A DEFENCEA DEFENCE
ENVIRONMENTAL ANDENVIRONMENTAL AND
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONGEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
CAPABILITY STUDYCAPABILITY STUDY22
Dr R.J.Williams MAIC
1996
ABSTRACT
Military commanders require the ability to visualize and exploit the
environment in which they must fight. To plan combat operations, appreciate
spatial relationships between friendly and enemy forces and manoeuvre
effectively, commanders and their forces require an appreciation of the
battlespace, using the environment as a force multiplier.
As well as an ongoing need for paper maps and charts, existing and emerging
Defence systems require computer compatible data to support a broad range
of applications. The availability of geographic information and the ability to
utilize it effectively underpins each of Australia’s key defence roles.
In March 1995, a senior Defence committee endorsed a plan which provides a
basis for the planning and conduct of major capabilities analyses.
This paper provides an overview of the study including expected (generic)
outcomes of the study.
1 Published by the Mapping Science Institute, Australia, 1996.
Technical Papers of the Mapping Sciences ’96 , Conference of MSIA, Canberra, 22-26
September, 1996.
Note: The paper was approved for PUBLIC RELEASE by the EGICS Steering Group
Chairman.
2 This paper has been re-typed but has not been altered in any other way from the original
paper. The presentation of this paper was given in Session 2 – Managing Our Environment.

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BACKGROUND
Current Government policy, specifically Defending Australia – Defence
White Paper 1994 (DA, 1994), acknowledges that “while the collection and
analysis of environmental information is not always a high profile activity, it is
essential to enable the Australian Defence Force to operate effectively in
northern Australia and the adjacent sea and air approaches. This information
improves the performance of our sensors and weapons and gives a natural
advantage to our forces. The ports, shipping routes and focal areas in the
waters of our sea and air approaches attract the highest priority for
hydrographic and oceanographic information, while our coastal areas and
offshore territories attract priority for land survey. It is also important to provide
meteorological and ionospheric information across those regions”.
“Environmental information is collected by various elements of the Australian
Defence Force: hydrographic information by Navy using its survey ships and
aircraft; opportunity tasking of Navy ships and data exchange programs; and
land survey information by the Army. Various State and local government
authorities and agencies provide extensive data and information. Civilian
organizations are used wherever possible for activities such as remore
sensing”.
DA (1994) further states that “ we will continue to give high priority to the
collection of information about our operational environment making optimum
use of commercial support. We will also emphasize maintaining the existing
capacity to collect and process environmental information and improve the
integration of geographic information with command, control and combat
support systems”.
EGICS
In March 1995, a senior defence committee endorsed a plan which provides a
basis for the planning and conduct of major capability analyses. The plan
provides for a study of Environmental and Geographic Information to be
undertaken in 1996/97.
The study is to concentrate on the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) ability to
collect, maintain, disseminate, access, transfer and exchange environmental
and geographic information to support Defence of Australia roles and other
relevant tasks.
Scope
When considering the Defence Environmental and Geographic Information
Capability, the knowledge of the environment and infrastructure and its impact
on military operations is viewed as fundamental. The environment includes
the natural phenomena of the land, sea and air, while the infrastructure
includes man-made features and administrative delineation.

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Environmental and geographic information is used at all levels of operation
and is particularly important in the following areas:
• Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
• Targeting and weapons employment
• Command, control and communication
• Navigation and guidance
• Health and survival
• Mobility and manoeuvre.
The study is to address the geographical extent of the ADF’s environmental
and geographic information requirements through analysis of roles derived
from policy documents (SR, 1993; DA, 1994), exercise and training
requirements, intelligence assessments and consideration of statutory
responsibilities.
Determination of geographic products, information and services is to be
achieved primarily through analysis of the specific requirements of current and
approved assets within the areas listed above.
The study is to assess existing, and Government approved future capability to
acquire, maintain, and disseminate environmental and geographic information
in order to provide geographic products, information and services to support
ADF operations.
KEY TERMS
Key terms include:
• Capability; and
• Military Geographic Information.
Capability is defined as the capacity to achieve a specific effect, in a
nominated operating environment or location, within a specific degree of
notice, and to sustain that effort for a given time.
Capability, as a function of force structure and preparedness, has as its
components:
• Personnel
• Training
• Equipment
• Organisation
• Structure
• Deployment
• Preparedness
• Doctrine
• Education

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Another key term used throughout the study is Military Geographic
Information (MGI). MGI is the information concerning physical aspects,
resources and artificial features necessary for planning and operations.
This broad definition includes a range of information including infrastructure,
natural terrain features and environmental information which, in turn, can be
subdivided into the following:
• Infrastructure information
• Hydrographic information
• Topographic information
• Aeronautical information
• Oceanographic information
• Meteorological information
• Geodetic information
• Imagery
STUDY METHODOLOGY
The study is being conducted in three phases and formally managed through
the Defence committee system.
Phase One is the definition phase of the study; defining and discussing a
number of key points and issues. Key issues include the selection of a set of
representative tasks that cover the scope of activities within the ADF, the
determination of measures of effectiveness, and the acknowledgment of wider
implications (particularly with respect to civilian community).
Key terms include collection, maintenance, dissemination, access, transfer
and exchange when related to environmental and geographic information and
Military Geographic Information.
They study acknowledges that the ADF has statutory obligations to collect,
maintain, disseminate, access, transfer and exchange environmental and
geographic information for non-Defence agencies; as well as having existing
arrangements with non-Defence agencies for the collection, maintenance,
dissemination, access, transfer and exchange of environmental and
geographic information.
The Phase Two objective is to use the tasks and measures of effectiveness
developed in Phase One to assess the existing and Government-approved
future Environmental and Geographic Information Capability in order to
identify limitations, inefficiencies and redundancies. This phase will make
clear the relationship between Defence, other Government (both Federal and
State) departments and non-Defence organisations at national and
international levels, and their respective capabilities to collect, maintain,
disseminate, access, transfer and exchange environmental and geographic
information suitable to satisfy Defence and other relevant tasks. The

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assessment will also address organisational aspects of environmental and
geographic information responsibilities.
The Phase Two methodology involves performing a number of key activities.
These include the defining of environmental and geographic information
requirements (in terms of products and services) elicited from the ADF
requirements and obligations; the establishment of suitable measures of
effectiveness based on assessment of priorities determined by geographic
location and response time for products and services and based on current
doctrine; and the identification of data requirements in a form suitable for use
by systems with applications such as intelligence; surveillance and
reconnaissance targeting and weapons; command, control and
communications; navigation and guidance; health and survival; and mobility
and manoeuvre.
This phase will also summarize the ADF’s assets and production capability
including data holdings in both map/chart and digital form and will include
assessment of non-Defence assets available through agreements,
understandings, etc. In addition, this phase will describe relationships
between Defence, other Government (both Federal and State) departments
and non-Defence organisations, and their respective capabilities to collect,
maintain, disseminate, access, transfer, and exchange environmental and
geographic information suitable to satisfy ADF requirements.
Phase Three will explore and propose realistic, broad options for providing
and managing the Environmental and Geographic Information Capability
focussed on the identified limitations, inefficiencies and redundancies and on
possible ways of enhancing cost effectiveness.
PARADIGM SHIFTS
The scope of this study is broad and there is not one, but several paradigm
shifts in the capability to be addressed. The study, in itself, represents a
paradigm shift. The study requires an analysis of endorsed roles; implying
specialised, and optimised, products and services. Currently, products and
services (some designed and specified as long as fifty years ago) are aimed
at supplying general purpose maps, charts and reports suitable for a wide
range of applications.
Next, there are a number of Defence projects at advanced stages in the
procurement process. These projects ask for capabilities that are proven and
known to exist in similar systems, both within Defence organisations and
similar civilian systems.
Finally, there is a major shift (both within international military communities
and the broader civilian community) from producing general-purpose
reference hard copy maps and charts to one of providing geospatial

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information and services in terms of tailored mission specific datasets and
information.
THE BROADER COMMUNITY
With respect to the technological change facing us, the broader community
(specifically industry and research and development organisations) has a role
to play. The assembly and fusion of a number of analytical tools required by
advanced applications will challenge industry; the design and maintenance of
very large geospatial databases will challenge research and development
organisations and industry alike; whilst the establishment of a private
commercial corporation capable of collecting, maintaining, and distributing
geospatial information is something that is lacking in Australia and poses an
opportunity for an enterprising organisation.
Furthermore, as noted earlier, this study is to acknowledge the contribution of
the broader community including Federal and State agencies and non-
Defence organisations at national and international levels. Such an
acknowledgment provides the motivation to establish formal arrangements
between the various organisations and the potential to contribute, in a very
real way, to the establishment of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
REFERENCES
DA (1994). Defending Australia, Defence of Australia, Australian Government
Publishing Service, Canberra.
SR (1993). Strategic Review 1993, DPUBS:8009/93, Defence Centre,
Canberra, 1993.