# Presentation: 696246

## AlaskaMilitary Mapping Issues20 August 2008 

**Robert Beachler**
**GeoBase Administrator**
**611 CES/CEPT**
**Elmendorf AFB**

## Agenda

**Overview of Department of Defense Installations in Alaska**
**Geospatial Data Supports Operations**
**Defense Support to Civil Authorities **
**Coordinating Geospatial Data Requirements**

## AK DoD Installation Overview

**The Department of Defense (DoD) installations are located through out the state of Alaska**
**The Alaska Command**
**Eleventh Air Force**
**Elmendorf AFB**
**Eielson AFB**
**Forward Operating Locations, Alaska Radar System**
**US Army Garrison Alaska**
**Fort Richardson**
**Fort Wainwright**
**The Pacific Alaska Range Complex (PARC)**
**Military Operating Areas**

## Installations, Training Ranges and Military Operating Areas

## Alaska Command (ALCOM)

**A sub-unified command of US Pacific Command (USPACOM) responsible for maximizing theater force readiness for 21,000 Alaskan service members and expediting worldwide contingency force deployments from and through Alaska  **
**Serves as a US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) Joint Task Force (JTF) headquarters to deter, prevent, and defeat homeland security threats to Alaskan critical infrastructure and to coordinate Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) **

## Eleventh Air Force

**Conducts, controls and coordinates air operations in accordance with the tasks assigned by the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, is the force provider for Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, Joint Task Force Alaska and unified commanders worldwide**
**The command operates and maintains a broad network of critical air surveillance, command, control and communications functions throughout Alaska to protect and defend North American air sovereignty**

## US Army Garrison Alaska(USARAK)

**USARAK installations encompass approximately  1.2 million acres **
**Vast training complex is one of the largest in the United States**
**25,000 active duty, civilian personnel and military dependents**
**Adjacent to Alaska’s largest cities**

## Pacific Alaska Range Complex (PARC)

**Training space for full-spectrum joint operations**
**1.5 million acres**
**700K acres of restricted airspace**
**Adjacent to 22 million acres of contiguous Military Operations Areas (MOAs)**
**Host for RED FLAG AK and NORTHERN EDGE exercises**

## Military Operating Areas (MOAs)

**Alaska offers one of the best military aviation training environments in the world**
**Encompassing over 63,000 square miles of airspace**
**Heavily populated with civilian aircraft that transition in and around training areas**

## Geospatial Data Supports Operations

**Geospatial data supports all aspects installation facility management, environmental stewardship and training range operations**
**High resolution data is available within installation boundaries**
**Outside installation boundary publicly available geospatial datasets are used to develop Regional Installation Picture**
**Geospatial data is critical to airspace navigation and visualization**

## Digital Terrain Elevation Data  (DTED) Issues

**Current Elevation data does not meet requirements for:**
**1:50K Installation Special Maps (DTED 2 – 30m)**
**Helicopter Training Activity (DTED 2)**
**UAV Training Activity (DTED 4 – 3m)**
**Range Planning (DTED 4 or better)**
**SRTM DTED 2 data does not cover the majority of Alaska**
**Existing DTED data is based on USGS National Elevation Dataset (1:63K)**

## Imagery

**Military installations purchase high resolution digital orthophotography on a five year refresh cycle for their core cantonment areas**
**Commercial remote sensing products are a cost effective data source to cover large areas including training ranges and open space**
**The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has partnered with the private sector to fund the development of the next generation of high resolution satellite platforms**
**Resulting in significantly lower cost for commercial satellite imagery with broad licensing agreements**

## Imagery (cont)

**Commercial satellite platforms are generating vast amounts of imagery**
**Orthorectification of this imagery is significantly hampered by poor digital elevation data sets**
**Without quality digital elevation data sets, the accuracy of the new high resolution satellite imagery is not as good as it could be**
**Storage and retrieval of imagery is challenging due the large size of seamless raster data**

## Defense Support to Civil Authorities Support Function

**The Alaska Command and Joint Task Force Alaska will provide civil support functions in the event of a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist attack**
**Accurate geospatial data for the state will be critical for timely emergency response, search and rescue, planning, logistics and restoration of operations**
**Identification of critical infrastructure that supports both municipalities and defense installations**
**DoD, federal and state agencies will provide the initial response capability until assistance and support can be mobilized from CONUS**

## Geospatial Data Requirements

**At the state level, DoD agencies and installations have a large foot print and have geospatial requirements that are similar to other federal and state agencies**
**Coordinating joint requirements has been successfully accomplished on three large joint installation digital orthophotography projects covering more than 700K acres of installation facilities and training ranges**
**Stakeholder identification and coordination was key in securing necessary funding at the installation and major command levels**

## Coordinating Requirements

**Recently partnered with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to augment funding for over 200K acres of high resolution digital orthophotography of Elmendorf AFB, Ft Richardson, Municipality of Anchorage and surrounding communities**
**Digital orthophotography will become part of the 133 Cities mapping program to map the nation’s state capitals and major commercial cities**
**Future coordination with federal, state, municipal agencies and others will identify joint requirements that demonstrate to decision makers the benefits of cost sharing**

## Conclusion

**Federal and statewide digital mapping efforts will benefit the Department of Defense and it’s Alaskan installations and training ranges**
**Many of DoD’s geospatial data requirements can be met with more current high resolution, seamless statewide data sets  **
**Continue and expand the partnership with federal, state, municipal agencies and the private sector to identify common requirements and leverage limited funding**
**Maintain momentum**

## Questions

**Robert Beachler**
**611 CES/CEPT**
**6260 Arctic Warrior Dr**
**Elmendorf AFB, AK 99506**
**907-552-1722**
_**[robert.beachler.ctr@elmendorf.af.mil](mailto:robert.beachler.ctr@elmendorf.af.mil)**_** **