Newsgroups: comp.infosystems.gis
Date:         Fri, 4 Sep 1992 16:34:43 EDT
              <GIS-L@UBVM.BITNET>
From:         "Karl A. Nyberg" <karl@GREBYN.COM>
Subject:      What's on the DCW.

This is the file credits/credits.doc contained on each of the 4 CD ROMS in
the DCW set.

-- Karl --

DIGITAL CHART OF THE WORLD

The Digital Chart of the World (DCW) is a comprehensive 1:1,000,000-scale
vector basemap of the world.  It consists of cartographic, attribute, and
textual data stored on CD-ROMs and is provided with software that permits
the database to be accessed, queried, and displayed on PC-class computers.
The primary source for the database is the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency (DMA)
Operational Navigation Chart (ONC) series.  This is the largest-scale
unclassified map series in existence that provides consistent, continuous
global coverage of essential basemap features.  It is expected that future
editions of the DCW will not use the ONC series, but instead will utilize
the geographic information extracted through DMA's Digital Production System
(DPS).

The DCW is designed for a wide range of military, scientific, and educational
applications.  The DCW database is topologically structured and is suitable
either for direct access from the CD-ROM or for offloading and use on
workstations and mainframe computers operating complex analytical and display
software, including systems with full Geographic Information System (GIS)
capabilities.  Most of those who offload the DCW in this manner will need to
translate the format of the data for compatibility with their own systems.

The DCW can be used as a stand-alone product, allowing the display of the data
derived from the ONCs.  It can, as well, interface with other compatible
digital data.  The DCW database may be used as the geographic framework or
basemap for the overlay and display of thematic and topical data for regional,
continental, and global analysis.

The DCW has been developed in consonance with a new GIS data format known as
the Vector Product Format (VPF), which is a U.S. Department of Defense
Military Standard (MIL STD).  DMA will use VPF for future digital vector
products developed at a variety of scales.  The VPF has also been adopted into
an international spatial data standard known as the Digital Geographic
Information Exchange Standard (or DIGEST). In addition, the entire DCW CD-ROM
set has been developed in conformance with ISO-9660, the international logical
format standard for the production of CD-ROMs.

The DCW has been developed by the agencies that produce the ONC map series:
the United States Defense Mapping Agency, the Australian Army Survey
Directorate, the Canadian Directorate of Geographic Operations, and the United
Kingdom Military Survey.  They were supported in the DCW design process by
more than forty participating agencies.

The total size of the DCW is approximately 1600 MB.  Each disc contains
approximately 400 MB. The 4 discs divide the worldwide coverage into 4 regions:
(1)North America, (2)Europe/Northern Asia, (3)South American/Africa/Antarctica,
and (4) Southern Asia/Australia.  The data are organized into 17 thematic
coverages, including, political boundaries and ocean coast lines, cities,
transportation networks, drainage, land cover, and elevation contours.  The DCW
also contains a worldwide index of place names with more than 100,000 entries.

The DCW database is in the public domain and, therefore, can be used by anyone.

DCW DEVELOPMENT AND SOURCES OF DATA

The DCW product was designed through a prototyping process that involved four
prototypes.  More than 75 reviewers participated in the prototyping process,
providing comments on one prototype's data content and software for
incorporation in the next prototype.  The prototypes also served as the
testbed for the standards developed during the project.

The ONCs represent the primary data source.  The data for Antarctica are from
JNCs.  The aeronautical data are from the Digital Aeronautical Flight
Information File (DAFIF) issued May 2, 1990 by DMA.  (However, this product
SHALL NOT BE USED FOR NAVIGATION OR ACCURATE POSITIONING.)  The vegetation
data for North America are derived from NASA's Advanced Very High Resolution
Radar (AVHRR) satellite imagery.  Road and railroad data for urban areas were
compiled from larger-scale sources.

This database contains some British Crown copyright data, which is reproduced
with the permission of the Controller of Her Britannic Majesty's Stationery
Office.  These data, in their DCW form, may be freely reproduced and adapted.

The DCW was developed for DMA by Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
(ESRI) on Contract DMA600-89-C-0023.  DCW subcontractors included Loral
Defense Systems - Akron, Ohio; GEOVISION, Inc. of Norcross, Georgia; Chicago
Aerial Survey of Des Plaines, Illinois; Aerial Information Systems of Redlands,
California; Philips and DuPont Optical/Disk Manufacturing, Inc. of Wilmington,
Delaware; and Geocode of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Three other contractors are working directly for government agencies in systems
engineering review roles for the DCW.  These are SAIC Corp. of McLean, Virginia
(directly supporting DMA); IDON Corp. of Ottawa, Ontario (directly supporting
the DGO of the Canadian DND); and Smith and Associates of the United Kingdom
(directly supporting the United Kingdom Military Survey).

DATA QUALITY

Data quality information is available at three levels of detail.  Aspects of
data quality associated with the production process are described at the
library level.  The Data Quality layer, at the coverage level, provides
information about individual source charts, such as date and absolute
horizontal and vertical accuracy.  Additional data quality information for
some features is carried as attributes of those features.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

The Military Specification - Digital Chart of the World Database (MIL-D-89009)
provides information on the content and organization of the DCW database.  It
provides enough detail to allow a user to determine if the DCW is useful for a
specific application.  The following documents provide additional information:

	-  Military Standard - Vector Product Format (MIL-STD-600006)
	-  Development of the Digital Chart of the World

The Military Specification - Digital Chart of the World Database and Military
Standard - Vector Product Format can be obtained from the Naval Publications
and Forms Center, 5801 Tabor Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19120-5099.

The Development of the Digital Chart of the World, which concerns the
history of the DCW project, can be obtained from the U.S. Department of
Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Rd.,
Springfield, VA  22161.

Information regarding the DCW production process can be obtained from ESRI,
Inc., 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373, Attention: Duane Niemeyer.

Information regarding the CD-ROM production process used in creating the DCW
can be obtained from GEOVISION, Inc., 5680 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross, GA
30092, Attention: Kenneth S. Shain.

Users should refer corrections, additions, and comments for improving this
product to:

			Director, Defense Mapping Agency
			Attn:  PR
			8613 Lee Highway
			Fairfax, VA  22031-2137