S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 0 8

Vol. 6 No. 5

M a r itim e S e rvices 

F o rti f y S e a po rts

G EO I N T S e c u r es th e 

E x pe c te d a n d th e U n usua l

Shielding Our 

Home and Nation
On My Mind

GEOINT: Protecting the Homeland by 

Developing the Operational Picture

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the nation increased its determination to prevent terrorist 

acts aimed against U.S. States citizens and protect our homeland. We mobilized and organized several 

organizations and institutions responsible for homeland security activities into one organization, the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was established 

to ensure information sharing across the Intelligence Community. NGA has been, and continues to be, at 

the forefront of these efforts providing support through our Office of the Americas, our NGA Support Teams 

(NSTs), reachback support and other liaisons with federal agencies. We are in constant coordination supporting efforts for domestic preparedness; border and maritime security; special security event planning; 

and disaster preparation, recovery and relief.

Domestic Preparedness

The Homeland Security Infrastructure Program (HSIP), created in February 2002, provides the Homeland 

Security community with a common operational picture of integrated views of national infrastructure and 

critical asset information. The teamwork evident in the U.S. Geological Survey’s domestic mapping mission and 

NGA’s support of national security objectives, as well as numerous other sources within the United States, has 

resulted in the establishment of a “gold” database of vector, imagery and elevation data. This database helps 

decision makers and operational planners develop a common frame of reference for daily threat assessments, 

critical infrastructure vulnerability analysis and domestic crisis response and consequence management. 

Border and Maritime Security

Additionally, NGA’s support to border and maritime security is making a critical difference. We purchase 

high-resolution, color commercial satellite imagery of the 1,951 miles of the U.S.–Mexico border, the 5,552 

miles of the U.S.–Canada border, and the 12,380 miles of U.S. coastline. Our use of commercial imagery in 

these vital regions highlights our broad capabilities and the importance of working with all of our mission 

partners on unclassified systems.

Special Security Events

Per the Homeland Security Act of 2003, the U.S. Secret Service is the lead federal agency for operational 

planning for all National Special Security Events. Their ability to protect senior leaders and foreign dignitaries 

is based on their ability to prepare for any scenario. NGA is there working hand in hand with the Secret 

Service providing the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) they need. This year we have been an integral part 

in support of events such as the Annapolis Conference, the U.S. visit by Pope Benedict XVI, the Super Bowl, 

the Major League All Star Game, and the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

Disaster Preparation, Relief and Recovery

In addition to providing assistance in battling wildfires in California and flooding in the Midwest, NGA 

partnered with the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) to conduct the Positive Response Command 

Post Exercise. This exercise tested the end-to-end GEOINT synchronization between USNORTHCOM and 

NGA in preparation for the 2008 hurricane season. The intent was to align tasking, collection, production, 

exploitation and dissemination and assess responsiveness to combatant commander requirements to 

ensure we could get the right information to the right people at the right time.

Moving Forward

As a result of our expanding mission set, there has been an increased need for GEOINT data over the 

United States. Stringent intelligence oversight regulations enable NGA to effectively perform its required 

functions while ensuring that the constitutional rights and the privacy of U.S. citizens are protected. The 

recent revisions to Executive Order 12333 maintain the privacy and civil liberties protections that must be 

central to the way the Intelligence Community operates. 

NGA’s GEOINT contribution to protecting the United States has become a prerequisite for all security 

groups involved. NGA will continue to work closely with our federal partners, who in turn collaborate with 

state and local elements, to develop innovative ways to provide the GEOINT they need to protect U.S. 

citizens, both at home and abroad.

Robert B. Murrett

Vice Admiral, USN

Director
13 22

3

Contents

2	 Letter to Our Readers

3	 Guest Column: NGA Provides Vital Support to

Homeland Security

5	 Up Front: President Bush Amends Executive

Order 12333

5	 Up Front: New Public Web Site Debuts GEOINT

Online

›› F E A T U R E S

6	 NGA Augments U.S. Border Security

8	 Agency Products Reinforce Airport Safety

9	 Maritime Services Fortify Seaports

11	 GEOINT Secures the Expected and the Unusual

13	 Mobile Analysis Vehicle Aids Homeland Defense

14	 New PalanterraTM Web Service Increases Event

Support

16	 Support Team Answers Homeland Security

Challenges

17	 NGA Assists FEMA With Midwest Flood Response

18	 U.S. National Grid Simplifies Mapping

›› D E P A R T M E N T S

20	 Partnerships: Afghanistan Aerial Survey Yields

GEOINT in Theater

22	 Our Heritage: The DEW Line—Cold War Defense

at the Top of the World

Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 ›› Vol. 6 No. 5

On the Cover

Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), so often associated with events 

overseas, also plays a proper and necessary role in domestic safety and 

security. Across the country, geospatial professionals from NGA assist 

dedicated domestic mission partners, frequently units of the Department 

of Homeland Security, in securing and defending the United States and 

its people, careful never to infringe on the constitutional rights that U.S. 

citizens enjoy. The number and variety of events supported by NGA, be they 

conventions, crises, or natural disaster recovery, reflect the essential value 

added by GEOINT. From port and border security to the safety of notable 

gatherings, understanding the geospatial realm lends an indispensable 

breadth to the preparations and responses of those entrusted with 

homeland defense. Cover photo illustration by Anika McMillon.

1 Pathfinder » September/October 2008

More to the Story?

The online Classified Pathfinder, which is accessible 

by members of the Intelligence Community, may include additional information and expanded sections 

of some Pathfinder articles. The Classified Pathfinder 

provides a forum for reading and discussing topics 

at the level of “Unclassified//For Official Use Only” 

or higher. For information please contact the editor, 

Heather Cox, at 301-227-2290.
Published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Office of Corporate Communications

4600 Sangamore Road, Mail Stop D-54

Bethesda, MD 20816-5003

Telephone: (301) 227-7388, 

DSN 287-7388

E-mail: pathfinder@nga.mil

Director

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, U.S. Navy

Deputy Director

Lloyd Rowland

Office of Corporate Communications, Director

Paul R. Weise

Internal Communications Branch, Chief

Louis J. Brune

Editor

Jason K. Michas

Managing Editor

Kelly Kemp

Graphic Designer 

Carmella E. Bender

Contributing Authors

Lt. Al Armstrong, U.S. Navy

Greg Barac

Michael Cilladi

Gary W. Fuller

Matt Gamm 

Randall Hamilton

Drew Herrick

Cyril “Joe” Hodapp III

Jay D. Krasnow 

Whitney Margherio 

John Oswald

Andrea Rodenberg

Kurt Schulz

Nate Smith

Jose A. Villanueva

Dr. Gary E. Weir

GETTING PUBLISHED

All members of the geospatial intelligence community are welcome to submit articles of community-wide interest. Articles are 

edited for style, content and length. For details on submitting 

articles, send an e-mail to pathfinder@nga.mil.

The Pathfinder is the medium with which the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency enhances and promotes public 

awareness and understanding of the discipline of geospatial 

intelligence. The Pathfinder is an authorized Department of 

Defense publication for members of the Department of Defense. 

Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official view 

of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, Department of Defense 

or NGA. Articles in the Pathfinder may be reproduced in whole 

or in part without permission, unless stated otherwise. If they 

are reproduced, please credit the author and the “National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Pathfinder magazine.” Any 

reproduction of graphics, photographs and imagery is subject to 

the original copyright.

Letter to Our Readers

Shielding Our Home and Nation

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish 

Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the 

general Welfare, and secure the Blessings 

of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, 

do ordain and establish this Constitution 

for the United States of America.

So the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution sets 

forth clearly our national resolve to defend and 

secure the welfare and liberty of our republic 

and its people.

Every federal officer has raised his or her 

hand and sworn, as I have, a solemn oath to 

support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. 

The intelligence professionals at NGA take seriously this obligation, in full concert with the recently revised Executive Order 12333, which regulates the Intelligence Community. Our guest columnist, John Oswald, articulates this issue’s 

homeland security theme, enumerating many of the topics covered further in 

these pages.

You, the reader, will examine many, though by no means all, of the actions 

and initiatives that this agency and its personnel engage in to uphold the laws, 

liberty, safety and security of the U.S. homeland and its people. NGA performs 

these tasks always at the discretion of the appropriate federal authority—generally the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components—while 

carefully guarding all constitutional protections.

Explore NGA’s role in U.S. border, airport and maritime security in three 

complementary features that reveal a glimpse of the substantial part that the 

agency plays in these critical efforts. Then, investigate the geospatial resources 

underpinning security arrangements at many high-profile special events, 

both recent and past. Discover how the agency’s geospatial support vehicle 

contributes to event security, and learn of new online technology extending the 

geospatial advantage.

Survey the work of NGA’s Support Team at the DHS. Small and agile, the team 

nonetheless provides essential aid. Round out your study with a review of the 

U.S. National Grid—a simplified geographic coordinate system that promises 

enhanced public safety as its use becomes widespread. Finally, remember the 

consequential responsibilities fulfilled by our mission partners as you read about 

alliances that protected North America and surveyed Afghanistan.

The duty to bolster national security includes the need to guard our country 

and the lives of its citizens. These necessities guide every NGA activity. Never 

alone, this agency relies on many partnerships and innovations, as this issue illustrates. Technical advances often gird this collective endeavor. The November/

December Pathfinder will focus on technology, with an emphasis on geospatial 

data and its applications.

Paul R. Weise

Director, Office of Corporate Communications

Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008
As the Midwest faced significant flooding along 

the Mississippi River this past June, NGA stepped in to 

support, offering its geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities to assist the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) in mitigating the disaster. While NGA’s 

work in national crisis situations such as this, the California wildfires, and Hurricane Katrina has been especially 

visible in recent years, the agency also has important 

roles supporting National Special Security Events, as 

federal agencies require it. This can involve events as 

varied as each year’s Super Bowl, national political conventions, the Olympics, or the 400th anniversary of the 

Jamestown settlement in Virginia celebrated last year. 

NGA is ready to provide GEOINT support whenever the 

nation needs it.

A Supporting Role

A key agency role in domestic support is to deliver 

situational awareness through GEOINT products, creating what we call the common operating picture for state 

and local partners, as well as federal partners such as 

the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency’s mission partners use these products for a spectrum 

of operations planning and execution. NGA provides this 

assistance as part of the National Response Plan, which 

guides all federal departments and agencies responsible 

for an important element of any given national security 

incident. The agency has offices that respond to disaster 

situations, enhance border security knowledge, and use 

GEOINT to prepare for major events. The agency is also 

working on a one-stop database for geospatial information to support homeland security.

NGA can support multiple points along a crisis 

timeline. The agency can create products ready to help 

emergency authorities coordinate if a disaster occurs, 

provide up-to-date situational awareness in the midst 

of the crisis, or connect officials on the ground to those 

making decisions. NGA products even help determine 

the best recovery efforts through comprehensive analysis of previous crisis events.

One of the ways NGA has supported the Midwest flood 

recovery has been through its work with the U.S. Coast 

Guard’s (USCG’s) Marine Transportation System Recovery 

Unit Headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. NGA deployed GEOINT 

Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

analysts forward to the crisis and briefed the command 

and staff present on the agency’s current support to 

FEMA. The analysts highlighted various products and services available for the USCG to use in coordinating their 

recovery efforts, such as the Midwest Flooding Intellipedia page and Google Earth overlay files. The USCG battle 

captains found the Midwest Flooding Extent Google Earth 

overlays, along with the real-time National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) river-gauge overlays, 

to be extremely impressive and useful to their mission. 

They found the overlays so helpful that they installed 

GEOINT capabilities on their systems, allowing them 

to use overlay files for their own briefings. NGA also 

provided GEOINT products that highlighted important 

community infrastructure in the flooded areas, such as 

hospitals and schools. FEMA used these products to 

determine how to deliver supplies and gauge damage.

The NGA Earth crisis response portal (nga-earth.org) 

also served as an important tool for sharing information 

during the flood recovery operations. NGA created the 

Guest Column

NGA Provides Vital Support to Homeland Security 

By John Oswald, Director, Analysis & Production Directorate

Photo by Larry Franklin

John Oswald, Director, Analysis & Production Directorate
Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

Web site during Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, and 

it offers updated commercial imagery of the affected 

areas to first responders or anyone with Internet access 

through an easy-to-use viewer tool. The availability of 

commercial imagery has broadened the agency’s ability 

to share information with the general public.

NGA products also play a vital role in border security 

operations, identifying routes, trends and gaps in protection for homeland security mission partners. GEOINT 

supports everything from cross-border tunnel monitoring 

to predictive analysis in the effort to track smuggling 

networks. GEOINT is a valuable part of decision-making 

at DHS, for the Secretary of Homeland Security as well as 

the U.S. Customs and Border Protection guards overlooking the Rio Grande.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, there was a 

critical need to develop a system that would provide a 

common operating picture in an emergency for government partners on all levels—local, state, and federal. 

NGA responded by working to develop an inclusive 

database of geospatial information called the Homeland 

Security Infrastructure Program (HSIP), in collaboration 

with DHS and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which 

provides a common resource authorities can use in 

those situations. NGA is also creating a subset of this 

program that will offer valuable information, such as 

locations of fire stations and hospitals, to state and local 

first responders and administrators. When completed, it 

will provide critical support to preparedness efforts within their area. NGA currently envisions the construction 

of an entire unclassified environment for the storage, 

access, discovery, visualization and dissemination of 

unclassified GEOINT. All of these systems are crucial to 

ensuring that organizations working against a domestic 

threat and needing understanding of an affected area or 

current GEOINT will be able to access it.

DHS even applies GEOINT to high-profile sporting and 

entertainment events. Requests for NGA support and 

GEOINT capabilities are common for major events we’re all 

familiar with—the Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournaments, and even the Grammy Awards. Though these are 

different applications from NGA’s work with disaster recovery, GEOINT analysis can still provide valuable insight 

to those in charge of planning for these events.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Mike Lutz

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bainbridge Island stands watch over the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. NGA supports the U.S. Coast Guard and other 

components of the Department of Homeland Security as requested by federal authorities.
Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

Up Front

New Public Web Site Debuts 

GEOINT Online

By Gary W. Fuller

In August 2008, NGA officially launched its newly 

redesigned public Web site, www.nga.mil, and simultaneously introduced a new geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT) tool, GEOINT Online (GO), as an integral part 

of the agency’s growing Web presence for GEOINT 

content, tradecraft and support.

The new Web site provides much more information 

to users about NGA’s ongoing activities, products, 

services, partners and the incredible wealth of GEOINT that NGA produces or acquires, including links to 

current and past issues of the Pathfinder.

The Web site also features GO, where users can 

discover and access GEOINT using a variety of search 

and browse capabilities. GO provides online data, information and access to unclassified GEOINT content 

and support for homeland security and defense at 

the federal, state and local level, as well as for NGA’s 

global navigation and civil community customers.

This new service makes it easier to download, view, 

understand and use GEOINT products and data. GO is 

intended to be NGA’s “single face to the customer,” 

with an anticipated version release each year, along 

with more frequent updates to content and services.

Merging the NGA Web site redesign and the launch of 

GO afforded a great opportunity to deliver new capability for GEOINT consumers. Agile development requires both new technology and the transformation of 

business processes. NGA is transforming itself from a 

product producer to a services provider. The new Web 

site and the debut of GO are a few of the changes that 

the agency is making to be more agile and responsive 

to customers’ needs. 

Gary W. Fuller

is a Senior System 

Engineer and Strategic 

Planner with an NGA contractor supporting GEOINT 

Online. 

Our First Priority

NGA fulfills its national GEOINT role when its support 

is specifically requested by agencies that are responsible for matters of domestic security. The agency takes 

very seriously the protection of the personal rights and 

freedoms of U.S. persons. It is only in these limited 

cases and under well-defined rules that NGA provides 

any domestic GEOINT. Agency offices always make sure 

that Proper Use Memoranda are examined and approved 

before any domestic imagery is used.

When NGA’s unique support is requested for situations from disasters to some of the nation’s favorite 

events, we will not hesitate to assist NGA’s federal 

partners with GEOINT capabilities. This agency’s responsibility is the safety and freedom of the American people, 

whether they are in the path of a major storm or they are 

enjoying the big game. 

Up Front

President Bush Amends Executive 

Order 12333

On July 30, 2008, President Bush signed an updated 

Executive Order (E.O.) 12333 that governs the Intelligence Community (IC), including its roles and responsibilities in accordance with the U.S. Constitution 

and law. President Reagan originally established this 

important oversight guidance in 1981.

The amended E.O. authorizes the Director of National 

Intelligence to name functional managers and names 

the Director of NGA as the functional manager of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)—affirming NGA’s place 

within the IC and summarizing the agency’s functions 

and authorities.

Nothing in E.O. 12333 alters how NGA collects intelligence, nor NGA’s diligent protection of the privacy 

rights and civil liberties of U.S. persons. The revised 

order better aligns the IC to respond to a changing 

threat environment, while balancing the fundamental 

obligation to protect U.S. citizens and their privacy.

The revised E.O. 12333 enables NGA to more capably 

integrate GEOINT capabilities across the IC by setting 

standards; ensuring coordination; and developing 

and implementing strategic guidance, policies and 

procedures related to GEOINT activities. 
Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

NGA Augments U.S. Border Security 

By Whitney Margherio and Nate Smith

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 

national policymakers and Intelligence Community 

(IC) mission partners all rely on NGA for indispensable 

geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) analysis, reporting and 

products relevant to U.S.–Mexico border security.

These actionable products afford customers a bird’seye view of the southwest border environment. NGA’s 

support and products have even served as a catalyst for 

changes to DHS operations and procedures for protecting the U.S.–Mexico border. DHS has incorporated NGA 

products and reporting 

into their daily 

briefs, mission 

planning and 

enforcement 

strategies. 

NGA’s collaborative environment 

has provided a 

forum for officials 

of the U.S. Customs 

and Border 

Protection 

(CBP), 

an element of DHS, to interact and partner with members 

of the IC to more effectively protect and defend the 

nation’s borders.

In late 2005, NGA’s Office of the Americas formed the 

Border Security branch initially focused on providing 

situational awareness tools and data support to CBP and 

the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), 

another DHS element. However, a DHS request for information to help locate and characterize illicit activity near 

the border with Mexico became the impetus to shift the 

branch’s focus to GEOINT analysis to provide customers 

with a visually rich depiction of the geography, culture 

and criminal networks that operate throughout northern 

Mexico and across the border region. 

As a result of the NGA’s initial success, 

the focus area for smuggling activities was 

expanded to include all of Mexico, and 

the responsibilities were shared among 

several branches and NGA Support 

Teams that work issues relevant to 

the U.S.–Mexico border area. All 

products and reports that detail 

actions affecting U.S. border security are coordinated through these 

units. Additionally, 

analysts continue 

to collaborate 

with mission 

partners throughout 

the IC and the U.S. 

government that focus on 

homeland security. Through frequent 

interaction, NGA analysts have established 

strong relationships with their customers and 

counterparts. The resulting synergy enhances 

the analytical content of NGA products 

as mission partners contribute 

their expertise. These relationships have fostered a unified 

and successful effort to address 

intelligence problems along the 

U.S.–Mexico border.
Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

As partner relationships have developed, NGA’s view 

of the border has expanded from a tactical to a strategic 

one in order to improve the agency’s predictive analysis 

capabilities. In one case, analysts used imagery, vector 

data and intelligence reporting to examine alien smuggling organization (ASO) networks. The resulting report 

provided DHS and other key customers with insight 

into the vitality and sophistication of ASO operations. 

DHS enthusiastically received the strategically focused 

report, which became a pattern to follow as the office 

strengthened its analytical capabilities.

The increased reliance on geographic information 

systems (GISs) for situational information and a deeper 

understanding of GEOINT techniques led the CBP and 

other agencies supporting homeland security along the 

southwest border to incorporate the use of geospatial information and GIS tools into their daily operations. As an 

example, the Border Security branch analyzed pedestrian 

mobility along a 26-mile area of the U.S.–Mexico border. 

The mobility analysis identified possible smuggling routes 

by eliminating areas that were less likely to be used due 

to harsh terrain. The resulting visual model allowed CBP 

Border Patrol agents to focus enforcement efforts on areas 

where smugglers were more likely to cross.

Another result of NGA’s collaboration with DHS, 

the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), enables DHS 

to monitor, mitigate and provide indications and 

warnings for incidents occurring at the borders. 

Analysts used geospatial files (land use, land 

cover, elevation data, road networks, etc.) to build 

a model that would identify areas suitable for sensor deployment. The analysts then conducted a 

visibility study on the suitable sites to determine 

optimal sensor placement. The resulting analysis 

was used by DHS policymakers to justify repositioning of 

some SBI sensors to increase monitoring and detection 

capabilities along the U.S.–Mexico border. 

Additionally, NGA 

published the United States Cross 

Border Tunnel project. This interactive GEOINT 

product depicts the locations and descriptions of all 

known illegal tunnels crossing the U.S. border. Using 

reports provided by Border Patrol agents as a starting 

point, analysts applied geospatial analysis and open 

source research to pinpoint each tunnel’s exact location 

and identify its dimensions and intended purpose. This 

strategic product allows users to see the big picture of 

all tunnels discovered, yet provides detailed information 

about each tunnel. The product was very well received by 

major customers involved in U.S. border security.

Border security remains a high-priority and high-visibility issue, and NGA has significantly increased its 

production of reports on issues affecting the border, 

particularly the southwest region. Many of these have 

received positive feedback from IC seniors and national 

policymakers, including the director of DHS. NGA analysts will continue to observe developments along the 

border and provide a unique geospatial perspective for 

homeland defense. 

Whitney Margherio (Left) and Nate Smith (Right)

Whitney Margherio is a DIA Analyst on 

rotation to NGA’s Office of the Americas, 

where she works on border security issues 

as well as other transnational threats in Latin 

America. 

Nate Smith is a Geospatial Analyst in the 

Office of the Americas, where he works on 

border security issues as well as other 

transnational threats in Latin America.

A National Guard member stands watch on the U.S. border with Mexico.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jim Greenhill

The interactive United 

States Cross Border 

Tunnel project depicts 

all known illegal 

tunnels crossing the 

U.S. border.

Graphics provided by NGA
8Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

Agency Products Reinforce Airport Safety 

By Matt Gamm and Cyril “Joe” Hodapp III

Drawing on their depth of civil and military aeronautical experience, a team of NGA cartographers, 

imagery analysts and geospatial analysts has 

developed several products to help secure 

the nation’s airports. These products are used 

by the Transportation Security Administration 

(TSA) and other federal agencies for situational awareness and emergency planning 

and can be distributed to state and local law 

enforcement offices in the event of a crisis or 

for force protection.

In 2006, the TSA’s primary operational hub, 

the Freedom Center, requested infrastructure 

graphics for approximately 100 major U.S. 

airports and the areas around them. Analysts 

from the NGA Office of Global Navigation and 

Office of the Americas developed large-scale 

graphics showing infrastructure to a distance of three 

to five nautical miles beyond an airport’s perimeter, 

including boundary fences, entry and exit points, runway 

identifications and lengths, vital facilities and surrounding roadways.

The graphics incorporate information from several 

sources, including the Homeland Security Infrastructure 

Program (HSIP), a comprehensive database of imagery 

and geospatial data related to critical domestic infrastructure; the Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File 

(DAFIFTM), which provides aeronautical and flight planning 

information for the Department of Defense; and imageryderived vector data. The graphics use CitySphereTM commercial imagery primarily or U.S. Geological Survey aerial 

imagery when CitySphereTM imagery isn’t available.

Another product offered to TSA uses stereo imagery 

to provide geospatial foundation layers. Analysts 

create shapefiles of aeronautical data they collect on airport runways and taxiways, adjacent 

buildings, vertical obstructions higher than 100 

feet, navigational aids and instrument landing 

systems. Analysts are also working to output the 

data as Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language 

(KML) files, a format for expressing geographic 

features. Customers use the files 

to project the buildings three-dimensionally using ArcGlobe or Google Earth, which 

allows a much greater visual understanding of an airport 

and its facilities.

The analysts are also furnishing TSA and other federal 

agencies with interactive Aeronautical Geospatial Intelligence Datasets (AGIDS) for long-range incident planning. 

The AGIDS provide imagery- and HSIP-derived vector 

data in an interactive format along with large-scale depictions of the major U.S. airports in Portable Document 

Format (PDF).

Each product provided to TSA adds value to the 

nation’s efforts to protect its airports. NGA’s ongoing 

support of TSA’s efforts demonstrates the agency’s commitment to homeland defense. 

Matthew Gamm (Left) and Cyril “Joe” Hodapp III (Right)

Matthew Gamm is an Aeronautical Intelligence Analyst in the Aeronautical Services 

North America Branch of the Office of Global 

Navigation.

Cyril “Joe” Hodapp III is a Geospatial Analyst in 

the Homeland Security Infrastructure Branch of 

the Office of the Americas.
9 Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

Maritime Services Fortify Seaports 

By Lt. Al Armstrong, U.S. Navy

NGA contributes indispensable geospatial 

resources to the nation’s increasing efforts to sustain 

international maritime safety and secure U.S. seaports 

against attack. The agency traces the roots of its 

maritime support to one of the primary missions of 

the Defense Mapping Agency—to provide timely and 

tailored nautical charts and navigational data to military, 

merchant marine and private vessel operators to ensure 

safety of navigation worldwide. Through its Office of 

Global Navigation, Maritime Services, NGA fulfills that 

same objective today, providing products in both hardcopy and digital formats. However, the agency’s functional mission to the maritime community has expanded 

as technology and demand for services have emerged. 

While traditional support focused on overseas charts 

and data, requirements 

for increased services have surfaced from within U.S. 

ports and harbors.

NGA plays a vital and proactive role in port security 

through the Worldwide Navigational Warning Service 

(WWNWS). NGA directs the U.S. portion of the WWNWS 

and also transmits the service’s worldwide navigation 

safety warnings about port closures, exclusion zones 

and waterway conditions to all military and commercial 

vessels before ships arrive at their desired destinations. 

Known as “the Watch,” NGA’s role in the WWNWS is 

unmatched, being the only global maritime warning service of its kind in the world. As part of normal port entry 

procedures, the Watch also broadcasts the requirements 

for all vessels to submit their Port Entry Notification. 

This mandatory notification must be submitted 96 hours 

before any vessel enters port to inform the port of the 

vessel’s identification, port of origin, cargo and offload 

intentions in support of the Maritime Domain Awareness 

initiative, the U.S. effort to enhance port security.

In 2003, NGA introduced an interactive geospatial 

product that has significantly increased the visualization of a port’s spatial environment. HarborViewTM is a 

stand-alone program designed to use the most recent 

commercial satellite imagery available over selected 

Quartermaster 3rd Class Nicholas Rader charts 

a course on a map on the bridge of the Nimitzclass nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS 

Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) while the ship pulls 

into its homeport of San Diego, Calif. 

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 

Seaman Aaron Holt
10Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

ports to help maintain the currency, accuracy and 

geographic integrity of the Digital Nautical Chart (DNC), 

a database of worldwide maritime safety charts. Additionally, HarborViewTM creates an interactive 3-D scene 

visualization of these ports that mariners and mission 

analysts in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and other 

federal government agencies can use for port familiarization and security, mission planning and force protection.

The HarborViewTM interactive scene visualization 

combines recent imagery with the DNC, digital elevation models, bathymetry data, airborne Light Detection 

and Ranging data, and ground and aerial photography. 

These data sets afford port security personnel and mission planners the ability to maneuver both above and 

below the water’s surface and to query navigational aids 

and associated DNC data. A range of analytical tools 

and visualization options are also available, such as 

mensuration, ranging, line-of-sight analysis and GPS 

connectivity. Users can even insert and manipulate 

geographic information systems data, variable fog visibility conditions and night vision features. The result is 

a product that provides tremendous benefit to U.S. port 

security offices and other end users. Over 410 HarborViewTM models from around the world were available as 

of July 2008, including models of 110 U.S. ports. Another 

80 ports are either scheduled for modeling or in various 

stages of completion.

Lt. Al Armstrong

a U.S. Navy Hydrographer, is an NGA Staff 

Officer in the Analysis & 

Production Directorate, 

Office of Global Navigation, 

Maritime Services. 

NGA distributes the HarborViewTM scene 

viewer and the individual port models to 

U.S. federal government personnel, as well 

as state and local agencies involved in 

homeland security port activities. The U.S. 

Coast Guard has been one of the primary 

port security users of HarborViewTM with 

over 100 port models distributed to different 

ships and commands, resulting in substantial positive feedback. To solidify this relationship, and to promote HarborView’sTM 

value for port security, for the last three 

years NGA has provided each U.S. Coast 

Guard Academy graduate who majored in 

geospatial information systems with copies 

of the HarborViewTM scene viewer and port 

models of their first duty station.

A major technological innovation building on HarborViewTM is currently under development. A new program, 

Global Port Infrastructure Data (GPID), will retain the 

legacy capabilities of the HarborViewTM program while 

providing 3-D features as searchable data sets fully 

compatible with the National System for Geospatial 

Intelligence Entity Catalog, a standard collection of 

geospatial feature data from across the Intelligence Community. Additionally, GPID will generate 3-D port models 

in a format that, besides being fully viewable in the 

HarborViewTM scene viewer, will be importable or viewable on a number of other software packages, including 

FalconView, ArcGIS and the NGA version of Google Earth. 

With its cutting-edge features, GPID continues NGA’s 

tradition of providing the finest maritime support.

The work of NGA and its Maritime Services remains essential to the defense of America’s ports and mainland. 

Whether keeping watch or developing new visualization 

tools, the agency upholds its responsibility to advance 

maritime safety and port security. 

U.S Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Walter Pels

The USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) arrives at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, 

Hawaii, June 27, 2008. 
11Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

GEOINT Secures the Expected and the Unusual 

By Randall Hamilton

One of NGA’s vital missions is to provide geospatial 

intelligence (GEOINT) support to the lead federal agencies 

for security operations at National Special Security Events 

(NSSEs), as certified by the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS). Two such events were held this summer: 

the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo., 

Aug. 25–28, and the Republican National Convention in 

Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 1–4. NGA analysts in the Office 

of the Americas, North America and Homeland Security 

Division, supported security efforts at these events with 

situational awareness tools and extensive data covering 

the areas in and surrounding the convention sites and by 

deploying analysts to provide updated GEOINT onsite.

Analysts prepared for several months before these national conventions to compile many types of information 

about each site. These data were then brought together 

and depicted on various graphics with such diverse 

themes as the following:

» Locations of and information about local fire stations, police stations, emergency management 

services and hospitals

» Local critical infrastructure including power stations, transmission lines, electrical substations and 

pipelines

» Transportation networks including roads and highways, rail lines, ferries and airports

» Locations of schools, universities, museums, shopping areas and tourist attractions

» Information regarding specific venues and events 

occurring in and around the geographic areas of the 

conventions 

» Depictions of areas potentially affected by protests 

or other events

» Any other specific data deemed essential for securing the two locations, for example, various hotels at 

which delegates stayed or temporary flight restrictions that may have needed to be established over 

the areas

Some of these graphics were vector-based, using 

computer-generated maps and symbols to depict 

needed features—but most were image-based, using 

georeferenced aerial imagery overlaid with symbols of 

features that fell within the represented areas. Analysts 

assembled the graphics into event books for use by the 

FBI, the lead intelligence and law enforcement agency 

for each convention. In addition, analysts who deployed 

to the conventions had at their disposal the resources of 

the Domestic Mobile Integrated Geospatial-Intelligence 

System (DMIGS—a self-contained, mobile GEOINT office 

with workstations, a conference center, which enables 

communication and data transfer between itself and NGA 

locations to help them gain access to and manipulate any 

additional data they needed in order to keep the security 

operations running smoothly and efficiently.

Events like the national political conventions are typical of NSSEs supported by NGA. In the last five years, 

for example, NGA has given geospatial support for such 

events as the inauguration ceremony of President George 

W. Bush in 2005, the State of the Union Addresses in 

2006 and 2007, and each U.N. General Assembly since 

2003. Whether they occur annually or every few years, 

these recurring events are the type most commonly supported by NGA, and they afford analysts greater lead time 

to prepare and assemble the data required to implement 

security operations. 

Also typical are events involving visiting foreign 

dignitaries. With or without much advance notice, NGA 

provides geospatial information in support of security operations for these events, too. Events supported by NGA 

have included the 30th G8 Summit, held in Sea Island, 

Ga., in 2004; the Annapolis Conference in Annapolis, Md., 

U.S. Air Force photos by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price
12Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

in 2007; and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Washington, 

D.C., and New York City in April 2008. Analysts even 

provided geospatial support for security at the funerals of 

Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

NGA delivers geospatial support for security at other 

events, too. However, superficially, these events may not 

seem typical. That the agency provides support at some 

of these venues may seem somewhat unusual at first 

glance, but because these events draw so many people 

to a single location at one time, they are treated with the 

same security-conscious zeal as an event of national or 

international political importance. The least surprising 

of these, because of their multinational nature, are the 

Olympic Games. Terrorists have targeted the Olympics 

before: during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, terrorists held and killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic 

team; in 1996, a domestic terrorist bombed the Centennial Olympic Park during the games in Atlanta; and in 

April of this year, Chinese officials announced that they 

had uncovered a terrorist plot to disrupt the Summer 

Olympics in Beijing with suicide bombings and the abduction of tourists.

Other major sporting events not only attract large numbers of people but also have become iconic in American 

culture. They are so much a part of American tradition and 

psyche that they warrant special security consideration. 

One of these is the Super Bowl. Because of its immense 

popularity and its status as a symbol of American society, 

Super Bowl XXXVI, in 2002, was the first NSSE to be 

Randall Hamilton

is a Geospatial Analyst 

in the Homeland Security 

Infrastructure Branch of the 

Office of the Americas. 

designated after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and 

the Pentagon—before DHS was established. In 2003, NGA 

decided to support security operations at every Super 

Bowl game from then on. Knowing that, it isn’t too much 

of a stretch to guess that NGA also supports security operations at an annual event involving America’s national 

pastime: the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. And 

there are still other sporting events that might seem 

somewhat unusual to consider, but which the agency 

supports. For example, analysts supported security 

operations for the Daytona 500 at Daytona Beach, Fla., 

in 2006, and the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball 

Championships in 2007.

NGA has played—and will continue to play—an important role in providing geospatial support for the security 

of a variety of events. Whether the event is one of national 

political importance, involves the protection of foreign 

dignitaries, or is focused upon a symbol of American 

tradition, NGA continues to supply accurate, up-to-date 

geospatial information to help ensure the security and 

safety of everyone concerned. 

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Craig Clapper

President George W. Bush greets Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., April 15, 2008.

Department of Homeland Security photo

NGA supports the security of major events when requested by federal authorities.
13Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

Mobile Analysis Vehicle Aids Homeland Defense 

By Andrea Rodenberg

A vehicle designed to enhance NGA’s contribution 

to the domestic geospatial mission is proving its value 

around the country. Deploying only when requested by a 

lead domestic federal agency, the Domestic Mobile Integrated Geospatial-Intelligence System (DMIGS) plays an 

integral part in disaster recovery and homeland defense. 

The DMIGS vehicle allows analysts to operate with full 

connectivity to NGA. It contains a large plotter for printing 

maps and imagery and a separate conference space with 

teleconference and video-teleconference capability. 

In 2005, the DMIGS concept arose from discussions at 

NGA. The agency conceptualized DMIGS as a modified 

version of the vehicle used by the military, the Mobile 

Integrated Geospatial-Intelligence System (MIGS), and 

formed plans to turn DMIGS into a reality.

Following Hurricane Katrina, NGA formalized its domestic mission using lessons learned about the high-profile 

impact of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in national 

disaster recovery. Katrina also provided the catalyst to 

move the first DMIGS vehicle from concept to a fully funded program. NGA analysts in the DMIGS program train on 

the usage of the vehicle, the capabilities of the systems 

and software available on the DMIGS, and the processes 

for supporting domestic deployment operations.

NGA commissioned the DMIGS in 2006, just in 

time to answer a request from the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA), which operates under the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FEMA asked 

NGA to prepare and deploy response teams for Hurricane 

Ernesto, the first hurricane of that season. Since then, 

the DMIGS has provided a home base for domestic 

deployers supporting a myriad of activities and security 

events on U.S. soil.

This year alone, DMIGS has deployed or will deploy to 

support a number of National Special Security Events, 

which are so designated by DHS. These events range from 

Super Bowl XLII to the U.S. visit of Pope Benedict XVI to 

the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. 

The DMIGS will also stand ready during the 2008 hurricane season to support relief measures in the event of a 

disaster. Lending its deployment expertise, NGA’s Office 

of Global Support (OGS) serves as the mission manager 

for the DMIGS and the agency’s lead for domestic deployment logistics and operations.

The DMIGS is the major component of NGA’s domestic 

deployment equipment, but OGS also supplies large 

tents for domestic deployment operations, which provide analysts with air-conditioned spaces for working 

and sleeping. Annually, an NGA contractor sets up the 

full complement of domestic deployment equipment to 

perform system testing and familiarization readiness 

for NGA domestic deployers. The main purpose of these 

setups is to ensure that everything is in working order. 

However, the NGA Support Teams to DHS and the FBI, 

along with analysts from NGA’s Office of the Americas, 

have visited the setup site for demonstrations of the 

space and equipment.

NGA’s domestic requirements have expanded as the 

power of GEOINT has gained visibility and added value 

to the agency’s support of mission partners at domestic 

events. DHS and its components with which NGA frequently works domestic events (including FEMA, the U.S. 

Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security 

Administration) are taking notice, as are the FBI and other 

government agencies.

The DMIGS mission promises to expand further in the 

future as the vehicle and the analysts that deploy with it 

continue to add tangible value to domestic events. As the 

DMIGS success illustrates, NGA’s domestic mission is just 

another way that the agency collaborates with its mission 

partners to harness the full capabilities of GEOINT for the 

defense, intelligence and civilian communities. 

Andrea Rodenberg

is a contractor at NGA, 

serving as the Communications Officer for the Office 

of Global Support. 

The NGA DMIGS plays an integral role in disaster recovery and homeland defense.

Photo by Larry Franklin
14Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

New PalanterraTM Web Service Increases Event 

Support 

By Drew Herrick

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, NGA has supported 

special events of national significance as a fully integrated mission partner focusing on homeland security. 

Embedded analysts enable NGA mission partners to 

consume geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) at the point of 

decision. A new NGA Web service gives mission partners 

the ability to quickly and easily access information 

on their own, reducing their dependency on deployed 

analysts and freeing analysts to perform more complex 

analytic tasks.

Many readers of this publication may be familiar with 

NGA’s PalanterraTM, a family of spatially and analytically 

enabled Web-based interfaces that leverage geospatial 

data to describe, assess and depict physical features 

and geographically referenced activity. In simpler terms, 

it puts the power of GEOINT on the customers’ desktop. 

While NGA initially developed PalanterraTM to provide 

GEOINT support to special events considered to be of 

national significance, the product’s functionality and 

customer base have continued to grow. Nevertheless, 

the same spirit and ingenuity that inspired its original 

purpose continue to this day.

Some mission partners have been intimidated by the 

original PalanterraTM interface. However, most partners 

are very comfortable using Google Earth, inspiring 

an initiative to make near-real time data available for 

viewing in that application. The 

2008 Super Bowl 

witnessed the 
15Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

implementation of the PalanterraTM Event KML, a new 

Web service. KML, or Keyhole Markup Language, refers 

to a file format developed for expressing geographic 

features in Google Earth.

The PalanterraTM Event KML is designed to increase 

the situational awareness of analysts and mission partners. The service delivers geospatial and temporal visualization of planned activities and reported incidents 

related to the public safety and security of National 

Special Security Events (NSSEs), as determined by the 

Department of Homeland Security.

A key benefit of this new service for deployed NGA 

analysts is that it requires less time. Analysts supporting 

a special event enter the planned event and reported 

incident data into the PalanterraTM database via the 

same operations interface that PalanterraTM has 

always used. However, analysts spend less 

time retrieving the data. The PalanterraTM 

Event KML delivers the data as network 

links, which allow for data publishing 

and retrieval from a Web or network 

server in a manner similar to a 

Web browser. For example, an 

NGA analyst places a network 

link on a relevant topic page in 

Intellipedia, the Intelligence 

Community’s wiki environment. A customer then selects 

the link, which opens Google 

Earth and adds the link as a 

data layer. Customers can even 

receive information as a Web feed 

if desired.

At preset intervals, the link reaches 

into the PalanterraTM database for information and refreshes itself to display the 

data in near-real time. NGA analysts populate 

and maintain the database working under the 

auspices of, and in coordination with, the lead federal agencies for a given event, typically the U.S. Secret 

Service and the FBI. Data is accessible on proprietary 

Drew Herrick

is the Deputy Technical 

Executive in the Office 

of the Americas, where 

he works to implement 

new technologies and 

processes. 

domains used by federal, state and local officials charged 

with the public safety and security of the event. All users 

viewing the information are responsible for handling it 

according to appropriately indicated controls.

The PalanterraTM Event KML has already received 

praise with its initial rollout. One user remarked with 

typical enthusiasm, “I’ve always thought PalanterraTM 

was a neat capability, but I’m even more impressed with 

the ability to pump that information right into [Google 

Earth] and be able to incorporate other data as well.” 

Enhancements to the service continue on a periodic 

basis as customer feedback is received. One particular 

improvement, anticipated for the 2008 Democratic and 

Republican National Conventions, will enhance the data 

displayed in the balloons that appear when the user 

holds the mouse over selected items.

The development of the PalanterraTM Event KML was 

a team effort. Representatives from NGA’s Office of the 

Americas, North America and Homeland Security Division (PMH); the NGA Support Team (NST) to the FBI; the 

PalanterraTM Team and the eGEOINT Management Office 

held concept and technical exchange meetings. PMH 

and NST analysts articulated the requirement, while the 

PalanterraTM and eGEOINT teams worked the development aspect. All team members worked very closely prior 

to the initial rollout to ensure the service was working 

as planned. The team continues to meet regularly to 

enhance the service.

The development of the PalanterraTM Event KML creates a win-win situation for NGA and its mission partners. 

Mission partners receive time-sensitive information delivered to their desktop, and NGA analysts are able to focus 

their efforts on areas requiring their specialized skills. 
16Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

Support Team Answers Homeland Security Challenges 

By Greg Barac

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a 

challenging job, so it’s no surprise that the NGA Support 

Team (NST) assigned to DHS finds its services in high 

demand. The scope of homeland security ranges from 

protecting the president of the United States and the 

American people to managing federal response and recovery efforts for national crises; protecting the country’s 

environment and transportation systems; securing the 

nation’s economic interests in its ports, waterways, coasts 

and international waters; and safeguarding U.S. borders 

to keep out terrorists and their weapons. With over 7,000 

miles of land borders to monitor, and over 95,000 miles of 

shoreline and navigable waters, DHS oversees more than 

360 ports and processes over 8,000 foreign vessels, 9 million cargo containers and 200 million passenger vessels 

annually, and all without interrupting commercial trade.

Considering the scope of its support functions, the 

NST at DHS is lean, with limited staff allocated across 

eight of DHS’s components—the U.S. Secret Service, the 

U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, the 

Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the National Protection and Programs Directorate, the U.S. Customs and 

Border Protection, and the National Operations Center. 

However, the team combines its resources with the 

robust reachback capabilities of NGA’s Office of Americas 

and Office of Global Support, also joining forces with 

the NSTs assigned to the FBI and the U.S. Northern Command, to very effectively support DHS.

In March 2003, 22 organizations merged to create DHS, 

consolidating nearly 200,000 employees. Taking the age, 

size and scope of DHS into account, the NST has been 

working to cultivate the growth of “organic,” or in-house, 

geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities across the 

relatively young DHS components. To facilitate the development of DHS GEOINT capabilities, the NST’s Technical 

Executive spearheaded a monumental effort with DHS 

to develop its Geospatial Architecture Program plan with 

three primary objectives. First, the plan allows DHS to 

customize existing technologies developed within NGA to 

be operated and maintained by DHS for its specific geospatial information requirements. Second, it takes advantage of existing NGA partnerships for data collection to 

support DHS operations. Third, it defines the Geospatial 

Information Infrastructure (GII), a structured architecture 

and methods for collecting and sharing geospatial data 

and services in an interoperable environment supporting 

federal, state and local homeland security authorities.

The NST’s efforts reinforce the DHS strategy of developing an integrated GII system to connect the activities and 

resources of all levels of government. To implement this 

strategy, DHS developed the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) as a single conduit for sharing and 

disseminating information on domestic terrorist threats 

and incident management. The HSIN is the primary national information sharing and collaboration tool used in 

responding to all DHS component operations at all government levels. HSIN enables a DHS common operating 

picture by incorporating the Integrated Common Analytical 

Viewer (iCAV) tool. The NST led the development of iCAV, 

a Web-based visualization application built upon PalanterraTM, NGA’s secure online geospatial data viewer. The 

iCAV tool allows DHS mission partners to access multiple 

data sets to provide geospatial situational awareness by 

overlaying imagery with dynamic mission-specific information such as threats, weather and situation reports.

Using iCAV, the NST and other users can quickly produce substantial numbers of GEOINT products to support 

DHS in a crisis. For example, during the Virginia Tech 

shooting in April 2007, the NST employed iCAV to locate 

and notify the nearest emergency authorities. The iCAV 

tool is accessible online anytime, anywhere, and to any 

DHS mission partner having a Web-enabled computer 

and a HSIN account. The tool unites homeland security 

mission partners at the federal, state and local levels.

Through an agile team and collaborative GEOINT 

technologies, NGA continues to add invaluable support 

to homeland security. NGA can be proud of its part in 

ensuring a safe and secure nation.

Greg Barac

is the Director of the 

NGA Support Team at the 

Department of Homeland 

Security. Previously, he 

served as the Deputy Director of NGA’s Office of Global 

Support. 
17Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

When devastating floods hit the Midwest in June 

2008, NGA analysts from the North America and Homeland Security Division geared their geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT) expertise towards the Department of Homeland 

Security’s (DHS’s) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As losses in people and property mounted, 

FEMA reached out to NGA, requesting GEOINT support that 

NGA has often provided to FEMA and other federal agencies during numerous disasters. The NGA Support Team 

(NST) to DHS facilitated an ongoing, working relationship 

with FEMA while NGA analysts exploited near-real-time 

imagery to evaluate the flooding and create damage assessment graphics.

The marrying of disaster response to GEOINT support 

is nothing new. Following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, this 

relationship seemed a natural one to pursue. Under the 

1988 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which provides the authority for most federal 

disaster response activities, FEMA and the National 

Photographic Interpretation Center, an NGA predecessor, 

began coordinating GEOINT support in an essential relationship that continues more than fifteen years later.

During floods or other crises, one day’s priorities are 

often overcome by the next day’s events. The NST at DHS 

ensured that NGA’s support remained relevant during the 

Midwest floods by constantly retasking and interacting 

with FEMA leadership daily. Under FEMA’s guidance, 

NGA established commercial collection and exploitation 

priorities throughout the affected areas. Analysts created 

readiness graphics, custom maps, Google Earth files, and 

shapefiles showing the extent of the flooding for responders. NGA analysts also rapidly produced assessment 

reports to facilitate situational awareness for senior level 

policymakers and other federal authorities.

NGA analysts worked hard to provide FEMA with the 

critical GEOINT needed to save lives and property, but 

NGA’s relationship with FEMA reaches beyond flooding. 

As requested, NGA supports FEMA with critical GEOINT 

for all federally declared disasters, including hurricanes, 

which have become a critical mission for NGA analysts 

working homeland security issues—one that fully engages 

the FEMA–NGA relationship.

No matter the disaster, NGA’s customer-centric responses to FEMA’s requirements highlight the importance 

of effective GEOINT and interagency collaboration. By 

tapping NGA’s capabilities as a force multiplier, FEMA 

responds more effectively to save lives and property.

NGA Assists FEMA With Midwest Flood Response 

By Michael Cilladi

Michael Cilladi

is an Analyst in the Office of the 

Americas, North America and Homeland Security Division. 

NGA assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency with products 

and support.
18Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

U.S. National Grid Simplifies Mapping 

By Kurt Schulz

In this era of GPS, homeland security and geospatial 

support to disaster relief operations, the civilian sector 

is beginning to realize what the military has known since 

World War I: for land navigation, the geographic coordinate system using latitude and longitude is not well-suited 

for referencing locations. The geospatial community, including NGA, has established and is working to implement 

a simple rectangular X, Y coordinate system for domestic 

location referencing, the U.S. National Grid (USNG).

The geographic coordinate system is essential for 

referencing large areas of the Earth, but for small areas, 

it has serious drawbacks—it uses angular units (degrees, 

minutes and seconds), which are cumbersome when 

expressing distance or converting coordinate values 

between map scales, and the spacing of latitude and 

longitude varies across the Earth, resulting in complicated calculations. USNG avoids these problems.

For example, rather than express distance in degrees, 

minutes and seconds, a gardener of a small backyard 

plot would more likely construct a simple X, Y grid, using 

linear units such as feet or meters. That way, the azalea 

hedge could be expressed as “60 feet long” instead of 

“0.6 seconds of latitude from end to end.”

The same principle applies to land navigation, as 

the Allies realized during World War I. They abandoned 

geographic coordinates in favor of X, Y coordinates for 

guiding artillery fire and reporting positions, placing coordinates derived from rectangular grids on maps covering Allied areas of operation. This method was continued 

throughout World War II, but the global nature of that 

war made apparent the need for a uniform, worldwide 

system. In 1947, efforts by the U.S. Army Map Service 

and other Allied mapping organizations resulted in the 

development and adoption of the Universal Transverse 

Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, which uses a rectangular grid, and its associated location reporting method, 

the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS).

Half a century later, the civilian sector began to 

grapple with the issue of map grids for location reporting. With the rapid growth of GPS technology in the 

1990s, anyone could use a handheld GPS receiver to 

quickly determine precise geographic positions. GPS 

soon became essential for emergency response, disaster 

relief, and search-and-rescue operations.

Unfortunately, this advance remained hampered by 

the geographic coordinate system and other inadequate 

position referencing systems. Street addresses offered 

only limited accuracy and range, and locally produced 

map grids each followed their own standards and definitions. The need for a standardized rectangular grid reference system for civilian use became obvious.

Recognizing this need, leading members of the U.S. 

mapping sciences community formed the Public XY Mapping Project in 1997. Representatives of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, which would become NGA, 

soon became involved in the project. After considering 

several possibilities, the project committee concluded 

that a UTM-based, slightly modified version of MGRS 

would be the best choice for a standardized, national 

map grid for civilian use. In 2001, the U.S. National Grid 

became a standard for the interagency Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), which was established 

in 1990 to coordinate geospatial data nationally. USNG is 

the preferred grid for applications of the National Spatial 

Data Infrastructure, the FGDC’s data publishing effort.

The USNG is functionally equivalent to MGRS. In this 

system, the U.S. is divided into 6°x 8° grid zones, each 

with a three-character designator. These zones are further divided into 100-kilometer grid squares, each with 

a two-letter identifier. A location within a 100-kilometer 

grid square is referenced with an alphanumeric value 

composed of the grid zone designator, the grid square 

identifier, and X, Y coordinates measured, in meters, 

from the southwest corner of the grid square.

Currently, first responders and public safety officials 

have little training or experience with grid systems for location referencing, and many geographic information system 

(GIS) managers at the state and local level are unfamiliar 

with the USNG. For many, the response to Hurricane 

Katrina dramatically revealed the need to adopt a national 

standard. Trapped residents reported their addresses, but 

many street signs and house numbers were submerged 

or destroyed. Specialists converted addresses to coordinates, but many responders lacked the training and 

technology to relate coordinate values to actual locations.
19Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

Civilian agencies, local governments and private companies need to be educated, persuaded and encouraged 

in the use of the USNG to recognize its importance and 

initiate implementation under a spirit of cooperation, 

which is beginning to occur. Florida and North Carolina have recently adopted the USNG as their official 

standard for search-and-rescue and other emergency operations. GIS advisory councils in other 

states are also considering implementation.

Crucial to implementation is the placement 

of the USNG on geospatial products and 

technology. The challenge of establishing 

the USNG in the civilian sector presents 

a unique opportunity for NGA. With its 

years of experience administering 

MGRS and UTM and its leadership role 

in the geospatial community, the 

agency can pass along its expertise 

and knowledge of grid systems to 

mappers in the public safety field.

NGA’s Office of the Americas, 

North America and Homeland Security Division, now includes the USNG on domestic geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) graphics, and 

the NGA Support Team serving the Department of Homeland Security portrays the USNG on the Ground Search 

Maps produced for the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency’s (FEMA’s) Urban Search and Rescue. The NGA 

Office of GEOINT Sciences, Coordinate Systems Analysis 

Branch has provided useful guidance to these efforts.

The wider geospatial community is also making 

progress toward implementing the USNG. The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Map, its online interactive map 

service, includes the USNG, as does the Department 

of Transportation map of Washington, D.C. In addition, 

several state and local GIS managers have caught the 

vision, portraying the USNG on GIS-generated maps and 

providing USNG coordinates for land parcels.

The geospatial community, including NGA and other 

federal agencies, professional organizations and academic institutions, can all assist by adopting and promoting 

USNG. As the public becomes more familiar with the USNG 

and grid referencing, implementation will become easier.

Kurt Schulz

is a Geospatial Analyst 

in the Office of GEOINT 

Sciences, where he develops policy and guidance 

for the implementation of 

coordinate systems. 

As inclusion of the USNG on map products increases, 

so will acceptance of the USNG by the civilian community. NGA is poised to help all its customers take 

part in this important initiative. The work of NGA and 

the geospatial community to implement the USNG will 

continue to improve public safety and homeland security 

operations for a safer and more secure nation. 

Implementing the U.S. National Grid, as depicted on this map of St. Louis, Mo., will enable emergency 

responders to operate more effectively.

Sample map provided by Kurt Schulz
Partnerships

Afghanistan Aerial Survey Yields GEOINT in Theater 

By Jay D. Krasnow and Jose A. Villanueva

Although NGA is known for taking the lead in 

creating immediate geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

solutions for world crises, the agency is equally known 

for participating in long-term international cooperative 

projects that span several years. In the summer of 2006, 

NGA joined the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) when 

it led a comprehensive aerial survey of Afghanistan 

called Operation Rampant Lion 1 (RL 1). The government 

of Afghanistan, the U.S. Geological Survey and the 

Canadian Forces (CF) also participated. Essentially a 

nation-building operation, RL 1 collected an integrated 

set of aerogeophysical data to support reconstruction, 

economic development, and infrastructure and natural 

resources assessment efforts. NGA used the acquired 

data to derive GEOINT products for combat and counternarcotics operations. 

Two years later, Rampant Lion 2 (RL 2) proceeded as 

a smoothly executed second phase of this multiyear 

project because of the solid partnerships developed 

during RL 1. In March 2008, the CF deployed an integrated GEOINT Support Team (GIST) advance party to an 

in-country Airfield to support air and ground operations. 

This advance party included a geodetic survey capability 

to establish ground controls as well as a small liaison 

team to coordinate operational requirements and logistical support. In early April, NRL scientific staff, the full 

CF GIST, and the U.S. Navy air and ground crews that 

operate the P-3 airborne collection aircraft arrived at the 

airfield. The NRL staff went airborne within days of its arrival. Shortly after, the NGA Support Team to RL 2 arrived. 

NGA’s Remote Replication System (RRS) personnel and 

hardware also played a critical role by ensuring effective 

and timely dissemination of data.

RL 2 mission deliverables will include individual images and orthomosaics captured from the electro-optical 

Applanix Digital Sensor System (a commercial camera 

system for digital mapping), as well as Light Detection 

and Ranging, unprocessed hyperspectral, processed 

gravity, processed aeromagnetic and thermal infrared 

sensor data.

NGA worked with domestic and international partners 

to bring RL 2 imagery and derived GEOINT products 

to deployed U.S. and allied forces and analysts in the 

field on relatively short timelines. From their facility in 

Afghanistan, the CF GIST and NRL scientists processed 

electro-optical imagery as it came off the aircraft. Once 

the images were processed, NGA’s RRS crew replicated 

the images for NGA Geospatial Support Teams and other 

customers and shipped them on hard drives to operational sites across Afghanistan to support warfighters. 

Meanwhile, a British and Canadian delegation worked 

alongside NGA personnel to process hyperspectral data.

The work has already paid off. For example, on April 

30, the RRS crew provided the 24th Marine Expeditionary 

Unit with a 34-image mosaic over part of the Helmand 

River Valley, the world’s largest opium-producing region. 

This mosaic was so valuable that the users immediately 

requested a larger mosaic (115 images) covering their 

area of operations.

Though RL I data processing and delivery took up to 

two years, RL 2 data and derived GEOINT products have 

been pushed to planners and warfighters in Afghanistan 

since shortly after the first sortie. As NRL processes the 

data at its headquarters in Washington, copies are forwarded to scientists in NGA’s Innovision Directorate and 

to analysts in NGA’s Analysis and Production and Source 

Directorates, who create multisensor, fused GEOINT 

products for agency customers. NRL plans to deliver the 

final data sets to NGA in the fall of 2009.

RL 2’s success was a product of effective collaboration 

across a broad coalition of organizations within NGA and 

the National System for Geospatial Intelligence and from 

among Commonwealth partners. Each organization applied its skills, capabilities and unyielding commitment 

to ensure the attainment of the mission goal of providing 

timely and accurate GEOINT to the warfighter. The following list highlights the main mission participants: 

» NGA, including deployed personnel and those 

serving within the continental United States from 

throughout the agency

20Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 
21Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

» The Department of Defense’s Office of Counternarcotics, Counterproliferation and Global Threats.

» The U.S. Central Command

» The NRL 

» The P-3 air and ground crews, Naval Air Station 

Patuxent River, Md.

» The Canadian Department of National Defence, 

including the Directorate of Geospatial Intelligence, 

the Mapping and Charting Establishment, the CF 

Joint Imagery Centre, and Defence Research and 

Development Canada

» The British Defence Science and Technology Lab 

and the British Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence 

Center

The dedicated professionals who put their minds and 

muscle into RL 2 have effectively addressed a number 

of GEOINT operational gaps identified by warfighters, 

Jay D. Krasnow (Left) and Jose A. Villanueva (Right)

are Staff Officers in the Joint 

Planning and Assessments 

Staff, where they work on issues 

spanning the Analysis & Production and Source Operations & 

Management Directorates.

such as the need for wide-area coverage, high-resolution 

electro-optical imagery at the lowest classification and 

releasability level for maximum sharing among partners. 

RL 2 data will continue to be a valuable resource in meeting NGA’s commitments to customers and partners in a 

highly critical theater of operation. 

U.S. Navy crews operated a P-3 Orion aircraft during Rampant Lion 2.

Photo by PH1 Larry A. Franklin
Our Heritage

The DEW Line—Cold War Defense at the Top of the World 

By Dr. Gary E. Weir

At first glance, the image on this page seems 

to confirm the existence of the monolith in Stanley 

Kubrick’s film “2001, A Space Odyssey.” That mysterious 

structure established a fictional link between human 

evolution and a higher intelligence in distant space. This 

monolith, looking out over an imposing arctic landscape, 

should also remind us of special links and fruitful 

relationships critical to geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), 

only forged closer to home, during NGA’s Cold War past. 

This black structure, an ultra-high frequency directional antenna, and many others like it, formed part of 

the Distant Early Warning, or DEW, Line designed in 1954 

at President Dwight Eisenhower’s direction. He wanted 

a means of detecting the possibility of Soviet bombers 

armed with nuclear weapons coming 

in over the North Pole. The construction of a series 

of stations 

starting in Alaska and stretching across all of northern 

Canada and then on to Greenland began shortly after 

both the president’s authorization and the decision of 

our Commonwealth partner, Canada, to collaborate. 

With U.S. funding support, Canada accomplished all of 

the surveys, many in their largely uncharted and inhospitable northern territories. The Canadians also built the 

stations with contract assistance from the Federal 

Electric Corporation, then a division of 

IT&T, and manned the 

22Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008 

Photo courtesy of Charles Carney

Ultra-high frequency directional antennae formed part of the Distant Early 

Warning Line.
23Pathfinder ›› September/October 2008

Dr. Gary E. Weir

is the NGA Historian. 

facilities on their soil with personnel from both the Royal 

Canadian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force. The U.S. subsidiary of AT&T, Western Electric, took responsibility for 

the electronic systems used by the allied personnel, with 

Bell Laboratories designing the equipment and conducting the final acceptance tests. Raytheon designed and 

built the long-range radar systems, and Collins Radio, 

the U.S. company that supplied Rear Adm. Richard Byrd 

with the communication devices he took to the South 

Pole in 1933, supplied scatter radio systems attuned to 

the arctic environment.

Arctic atmospheric and climate conditions made it 

difficult to use high-frequency radio waves effectively as 

the basic means of detection and transmission. Instead 

a combination of systems using high-powered transmitters, ultra-high frequencies, and multiple highly directional antennas worked together in a new way called 

scatter communications. This innovation made the DEW 

Line effective. The lowest layer of the atmosphere, called 

the troposphere, permitted refraction of radio signals 

due to moisture, sending refracted or “scattered” signals 

in predictable directions. Those angles determined the 

positioning of directional antennae clusters formed by 

two or three of the black monoliths. In addition, 

long-range radar provided the 

primary detection capability, 

and shorter-range radars, 

mounted on 300-foot 

towers, guarded against any Soviet attempt to fly under 

the coverage.

The creation of the DEW Line brought Canada and the 

United States together to defend the North American 

continent against the Soviet threat, leading to the 

creation of the North American Air Defense Command, 

NORAD, in 1958. By the time the Line went active, it 

consisted of 21 stations established along a transcontinental procession extending for 3,693 statute miles. It 

took as many as 25,000 people and all sorts of technical 

and construction skills to fashion the finished product. 

In one way the DEW Line had a very short useful life, 

and in another it still lives and operates in a way we find 

essential. The effective life of the Line ended with the 

introduction of intercontinental ballistic missiles. This 

technology literally took off during 1957 and 1958 with 

the Soviet R-7, of Sputnik fame, and the American Atlas 

A. In 1960, the U.S. Navy also perfected the Polaris submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 

nautical miles. These missiles could fly far above the 

DEW Line warning net radars and travel at a rate no aircraft could attain. However, the determination displayed 

in coming together to survey, design, and build, in a very 

difficult environment, a defensive barrier against early 

Soviet nuclear capability demonstrated the vitality and 

flexibility of the Canadian–U.S. relationship. In this case 

the homeland became North America, and the threat 

served to bring us together as it did in World War II, as it 

would in later conflicts, and as it does now in formulating GEOINT to support the war on terrorism. 

Distant Early Warning Line stations stretched from Alaska across 

northern Canada to Greenland. 

Image courtesy of the Canadian National Mapping and Charting Establishment

www.nga.mil