NATO MODELLING SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Generating JTLS

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Generating JTLS Scenarios using a GIS NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE LTC (USA A) Jason M. Jones Deputy Director mscoe. dr 02@smd. difesa. it NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE The Objective Building a geographic scenario using GIS Arc. Map software and transferring all the geographic data from a GIS database to DDS. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 2

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Requirement A need emerged to provide centralized geographic databases and support quick scenario development for C 2 and simulation systems. In this regard we began with creating and exporting a scenario from GIS (ESRI) systems to Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS). NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 3

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Archaria Model ACT Request: Build a 3 D static model representing a generic megacity, in the year 2035 to support an Urbanisation Limited Objective Experiment. Solution: 2035 Metropolitan City, 2 D/3 D Model Creation, to extrapolate possible scenarios supporting NATO decision-making processes, using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools (ESRI). 2 D 3 D NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 4

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Scenario Generation Needs • Preparation of a new setting is costly and time consuming • A scenario generator should: – allow development of scenarios based on exercise and training objectives. – support the vision of the strategic commands for exercises for the next several years. • Setting is mainly geographic (including simulation terrain data) and contains: – – – demographic information history and political info infrastructures targets OPFOR …. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 2

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE JTLS Geographic Data • In the JTLS, all geographic information are collected in an Oracle database: the DDS (Database Development System). • The "JTLS GIS" is a JTLS application that allows the creation of geographic scenarios and is able to export the geographical elements enclosed in a particular area of interest into the DDS. • The disadvantage of using this application lies in its usability and its inability to modify some of the geographic elements inside of it. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 6

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE A Geographic Data Editing Solution In a real GIS interface like Arcmap, geographic elements can be edited, interrogated and interpolated in order to achieve the scenario and / or planner needs. The solution is the creation of a suitable framework that allows the exportation from the GIS to the DDS. The link between the GIS (feature class Geo. DB) data and the Oracle tables of the DDS is made possible through Python tools developed by the M&S Co. E and Fabaris team. These tools are collected in the Arcmap toolbox. Geo. DB DDS NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 7

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE The Geodatabase Structure The geographic database used in the ESRI GIS is organized into four main groups: Terrain Type, Network, Target, and Other Data, each containing several feature classes. Each feature class, using the export tools, will populate a DDS table. TERRAIN TYPE • City • Desert • Forrest • Ice • Island • Lake NETWORK TARGET • Roads • Aircraft • Runways • Railroads • Bridge • SAM-AAA • Rivers • Combat Arms • Sensor site • Air routes • Communication • Ship • Sea Lines • Equipment • Pipelines shelter • Mountain • Facility • Ocean • Interdiction • Open point • Small boat • SSM • Support Storage OTHER DATA • National Boundaries • Barriers • Terrain grids • Weather conditions • DEM • Supply Type • Rolling Hills • Jammer • Tunnel • Swamp • MHE • Vehicle • Pumping station NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 8

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 1 -Overview The Geodatabase Structure The geographical scenario we have implemented includes the several regional states. The two largest Italian islands have been moved to the Adriatic Sea and reshaped. We called this new state “Ticia. ” The rest of the nations have been united, creating the state “Vatan. ” The changes have also involved Corsica which has been completely removed. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 9

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 2 -The Digital Elevation Model a. The starting DEM has the elevation of the three islands. IOT have elevation modified we have transformed DEM into contour lines. c. Further changes have also been made on the Tyrrhenian Sea, eliminating the Corsica level curves and modifying bathymetric curves. b. Island contour lines have been moved to the new position and we edited the existing bathymetry lines in order to adapt the terrain to the new situation. d. Once adjusted the contour lines of the new scenario, the terrain has been converted back to DEM. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 10

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 3 -Network transformation Roads, railways, shipping routes, pipelines and rivers have been imported into our GEOdb and adapted to our scenario using a dedicated transformation tool based on control points Network input data can be different: OSM, JTLS GIS, open data, etc. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 11

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 4 -“Terrain Type” adjustment The feature Classes describing the Terrain Type (city, desert, forest, etc. ) have been adapted to the new shape. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 12

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 5 -Identifing critical “Targets” We selected 20 different target types managed by our tools, and represented two bridges and a tunnel. TARGET 1. Aircraft 11. Runways 2. Bridge 12. SAM-AAA 3. Combat Arms 13. Sensor site 4. Communication 14. Ship 5. Equipment shelter 15. Small boat 16. SSM 6. Facility 17. Support Storage 7. Interdiction 18. Supply Type point 19. Tunnel 8. Jammer 20. Vehicle 9. MHE 10. Pumping station NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 13

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 6 -“Terrain Grid” attributes calculation With the Terrain Type in the correct position, we proceeded to gridding the terrain. Using a specific tool, we are able to calculate each cell’s prevailing terrain type, the maximum altitudes and the average depth. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 14

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 7 -Editing of “Sea Lanes” Before After Blue is land, white is sea, pink lines are sea lanes/networks NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 15

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 8 -Export of boundaries on the DDS in XML format On Arc. Map we were able to easily select the countries of interest and export them as National Boundaries in DDS and as Scenario Map XML for JTLS. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 16

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 9 -Export of all the features on the DDS With the python tools we have exported all the networks (roads, railways, rivers and pipelines), than the previously created Terrain Grid and finally the targets. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 17

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Case Study: Build of Ticia and Vatan 10 -The result in the DDS NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 18

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Conclusion Once we've filled out all the feature classes of the geographic database, the export to the DDS requires a very short time. The export tools from GIS to DDS were easy to use and very intuitive. The same geographic data can be used to create maps (web and printed) for training audience personnel. NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 19

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Extension of GIS-Simulation Interaction GIS Updating the GIS with Simulation Data: SIM • JTLS intercepting NATO Ownsitrep and NATO Ensitrep • SWORD intercepting MSDL file from a specific folder. • Pitch HLA intercepting KML stream produced by Pitch Google Earth Adapter NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 20

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE The CAX Forum is NATO’s premiere international forum on the design, planning and conduct of Computer Assisted Exercises. Military and civilian subject matter experts from around the world share experiences, expertise and lessons learned in plenary, workshops and breakout sessions dedicated to improving NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org

NATO MODELLING & SIMULATION CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE NATO M&S COE Piazza Villoresi, 1 – 00143 Rome (Italy) www. mscoe. org 22