MGT 7-1.indd - KMI Media Group

Geospatial Edge
for the Warfighter
JOINT-GEOSPATIAL ENTERPRISE SERVICES PROGRAM BUILDS A BRIDGE
BETWEEN THE WARFIGHTER, COMMAND CENTER AND NATIONAL LEVEL.
Profound changes in science and technology are better
equipping our soldiers with the tools necessary to accomplish
their missions efficiently and effectively. Yet in the constantly
evolving world of geospatial services, the number of programs,
platforms and formats seems endless.
Deciding which of the many commercial- and governmentoff-the-shelf
GIS solutions best fit the specialized needs of the
warfighter is a daunting task, especially as adversaries adapt to
the Army’s combat tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs).
Today’s solutions may not solve tomorrow’s problems. The soldier
must remain two steps ahead by improving current tactics
and equipment or developing new tools and procedures.
To better enable our warfighters to navigate today’s
complex operational environment, the Army Topographic
Engineering Center (TEC) developed the Joint-Geospatial
Enterprise Services program (J-GES) to build a bridge among
the warfighter, the command center and the national level of
the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. J-GES enables
every soldier to serve as a sensor by providing each with the
ability to evaluate and implement COTS and GOTS technol-
BY JAMAL B. BECK AND DAN VISONE
ogy to collect, update, maintain,
visualize and share their own geospatial
information quickly, easily
and accurately. This approach
improves the soldier’s situational
awareness and probability of mission
success.
“The goal of J-GES is to
migrate geospatial information
and services to a net-centric envi-
Dan Visone ronment, enabling technologies
and standards to support horizontal,
vertical and peer-to-peer interoperability from national to
tactical,” according to Dan Visone, J-GES program manager.
Specific goals of the J-GES program include:
•
•
Facilitating the early transition of emerging technologies
and net-centric C4ISR geospatial services
Partnering with industry to enhance commercial GIS
technology to support complex J-GES needs
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