Know the Earth…Show the Way NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY UNCLASSIFIED Global Area Reference System (GARS) Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT)

Know the Earth…Show the Way

NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

Global Area Reference System(GARS)

Global Area Reference System(GARS)

• Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT)• Office of Military Support (OMS)

- Lt Col Pete Renner -

• Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT)• Office of Military Support (OMS)

- Lt Col Pete Renner -


Know the Earth…Show the WayUNCLASSIFIED

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GARS Overview

• Introduction• History• Stakeholders• Functional requirements• Implementation issues• Examples• Questions



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Purpose

• Propose a response to the Service Chiefs’ request for a “standardized” area reference system

• SECDEF directed NGA to “Take the lead in developing a global reference system that meets the requirements of the combatant commanders and Services”



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GARS History• Common Geographic Reference System (CGRS) developed for CAOC

use in OIF• Dec 2003: ACC receives tasking to provide OPR to coordinate on Summit

tasking form CSAF “Define the requirement and include CGRS in NIMA chart production”

• Mar 2004: CGRS Conference hosted by the Air Land and Sea Application Center

• Aug 2004: AWFC (98 RANW) CGRS Working Group • Sep 2004: HAF/XO tasked ACC/DO for best way to implement CGRS into

daily ops • Nov 2004: Service Chiefs agree to implement existing ALSA model as

training standard - request NGA develop global solution • Dec 2004: The Service Chief letter is signed and at the CJCS • Mar 2005: D/NGA receives tasking from SECDEF• Mar-Aug 2005: Three working groups• Nov-Dec 2005: Coordination of GARS proposal at AO & GO/FO levels via

JS• Jan 2006: D/NGA sends “close-out” memo to SECDEF



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GARS Stakeholders

• Parties involved with local CGRS– ALSA & Air Warfare Center

• Interested parties for global implementation– Service GI+S Staffs – N096, A2/X, Army G2 & USMC– Doctrine developers

• ALSA – MTTP Developers• Joint doctrine developers

– Air Warfare Center– COCOM GI+S officers– NGA OMS, OGM, P, & E?



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Global Area Reference System (GARS) - Functional Requirements -• Scalable down to a minimum 5 x 5 min area• Naming convention needs to be as intuitive as

possible – entering argument either 1 deg or 30 min • Areas coincident with map sheet coverage – 30 x 30

and 15 x 15 min areas• Easy comparison between relative positions• Based on Geographics (Latitude and Longitude) • Must be on hard-copy charts – in some form• No inherent operational security measures



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Global Area Reference System - Functionality -• Based on the expanded ALSA Common Geographic

Reference System (CGRS) model w/a few changes• Origin: 180 E/W & 90S• World sub-divided into 30 min cells

– East / West * 1-720 – North / South * AA-QZ– Read OVER - then UP

• Quadrant Tiling– 30 minute cells divided into 15 minute quadrants

• (numbered (1-4), left to right, top to bottom)– 15 minute quadrants divided into 5 minute keypads

• (numbered (1-9), left to right, top to bottom)

• 6 Digits (EX: 419 LP 2) defines 15 x 15 min area



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GARS Solution – Global Overview30 minute cell identifier

NOTE: 30 minute area divisions too small to show at this scale



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Example: 134LV

30 minute cell identifierGARS Solution – Global Overview



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AA

AB

AC

AD

AE

AF

AG

AH

001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009

006AG39

006AG31 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

3

1 2

4

Origin Point180 E/W & 90S

006AG

Cell to Quadrant to Keypad yields 5 min x 5 min cell; takes advantage of existing 1:100K and 1:50K charts

Current 1:50,000 chart has symbology “+” to denote

5 x 5 keypads

Each Quadrant Can Be Further Sub-divided

Into Nine 5 min X 5 minKeypads

Each Cell Is Sub-Divided Into Four

15 min X 15 min Quadrants1:50,000 charts = 15 min x 15 min

GARS Solution – Global Overview

Each Cell Is 30 min x 30 min1:100,000 charts = 30 min x 30 min



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GARS – Implementation Roadmap

• Implementing GARS will require continued NGA-Service/COCOM interaction – work requirements

• Updates to Joint doctrine & NGA publications– CJCSI 3900.01B: Position Reference Procedures– JP 2-03: JTTP for GI+S Support to Joint Operations– DMA TM 8358.1: Datums, Ellipsoids, Grids, and Grid

Reference Systems• Standards activities

– Inclusion in standard NGA production specifications– International standards – NATO STANAGs, etc

• Implementation on soft-copy/hard-copy products



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GARS - Implementation Roadmap• Plan of Attack:

– Develop implementation plan with Services/COCOMs– Infuse into doctrine/policy – Service printing capabilities meet short-term need with CSAT

producing GIS layer available on NGA Gateway– Effort level can be managed on a priority basis using chart

series and geographic coverage area as discriminators– Will not obsolete any current NGA chart products– Implement as stocks deplete / product editions incremented– Limited chart series – 1:50K / 1:100K / 1:250K? / 1:500K?

• Chart body: graticule lines and text labels• Neat-line: text labels along the chart edge• Margin diagram of cells: depicting all cells for the chart• Explanatory reference guidance diagram

– Phased implementation



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GARS - Implementation Phase 1

• Phase 1– “DEMO” GIS files currently available

• Represents 15 min and 30 min areas• Hidden URL located at:

– http://www.earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/coordsys/gars.html

– Applications:

• Overlay for soft-copy products• Within a GIS or mission planning system

http://www.earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/coordsys/gars.html



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GARS Implementation Phase 1

• Phase 1 (cont)– GUI Lat/Long vs GARS Converter



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GARS Implementation Phase 2

• Full Implementation– TBD via upcoming implementation working

group VTC with Service/COCOM SMEs

– What needs to be added/changed to NGA products?

• ONC - no change• TPC - no change• JOG - ???? • TLM50 - ???? • ICM - ????



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GARS Implementation Roadmap

• Possible Map/Chart Changes

– Part of main map/chart (extra lines)– ID’s listed along neat-line– Reference Guidance Diagram– Margin box showing specific ID’s



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GARS Reference Guidance Diagram

GARS Reference GuidanceWorld divided into 30 min cells and further divisions can be 15 and 5 min Origin of the reference system is 90S and 180E/WLongitude will be 1 – 720 and Latitude will be AA – QZ30 minute cell identifier: 345KW

15 minute cell: Use a quadrant over 30 minute cell Numbered 1-4 Left to right, top to bottom

5 minute cell: Use a keypad over 15 minute cell Numbered 1-9 Left to right, top to bottom

Sample Reference: 345KW37

30 minute identifier: 345KW represents the longitude 30 minute division 345 represent the latitude 30 minute identifier KW represent the quadrant of the 30 minute cell 3 (15 min identifier) represent the keypad of the 15 minute cell 7 (5 min identifier)

1

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

1 2

3 4



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JOG Example

(30 min GARS ID)

153LP 154LP 155LP 156LP

153LN 154LN 155LN 156LN

104° 103° 102°36°

37°

GARS Margin Box with Specific ID’s

415MB4 416MB3

27°18’ 27°36’42°30’

42°45’

TLM Example

(15 min GARS ID)



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GARS Implementation on TPC?

Cell Designators

30’ X 30’ cell

345KY 346KY

345KX 346KX

345KW 346KW

• Designator for 30’x30’ cell

• Margin diagram of cells

• Explanatory diagram similar to WGRS diagram



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• Margin diagram of cells

Cell Designators

30’ X 30’ cell

345KX 346KX

345KW 346KW

153LP 154LP 155LP 156LP

153LN 154LN 155LN 156LN

104° 103° 102°36°

37°

156LN1 156LN2

156LN3 156LN4

156LN

GARS Implementation on JOG?



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THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!!!


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Know the Earth…Show the Way NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY UNCLASSIFIED Global Area Reference System (GARS) Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT)