Geospatial Intelligence in Support of the Australian Approach to Warfare

Geospatial Intelligence
in Support of the Australian Approach to Warfare1
R.J.Williams
Command and Control Division, DSTO, Edinburgh, 5111, Australia
Tel: 08 82597008, Fax: 08 8259 5619, email: bob.Williams@dsto.defence.gov.au
ABSTRACT
This paper introduces the term geospatial intelligence to the lexicon of Australia’s national security.
The paper describes a framework of concepts as they apply to imagery, imagery intelligence, and
geographic, infrastructure and environmental information, referred to collectively as Geospatial
Intelligence. The paper also describes the means of acquiring, processing and disseminating the range
of products and services to the Defence community, referred to as Geospatial Information
Infrastructure.
INTRODUCTION
This paper presents a high-level concept and fundamental principles that are generally applicable to
practitioners throughout the Defence community.
This concept paper describes our highest enduring principles, providing the conceptual link between
our national strategy and the plans, procedures, and methods that geospatial professionals develop and
apply in their work every day. It responds to the direction set in the Government’s Defence White
Paper, Defence 2000: Our Future Defence Force, Australia’s National Security: A Defence Update
2003, and the doctrinal publications Force 2020 and The Australian Approach to Warfare.
A PROUD HERITAGE
The belief that a sound knowledge of the natural
and man-made features of a battlefield constitutes
one of the most important factors of military
appreciation has long been recognised. A detailed
knowledge of the environment and its
infrastructure is fundamental to the effective
control of military operations.
The Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) has
a proud heritage of surveying and mapping our
areas of geo-strategic interest and a proud heritage
of embracing new technologies and new
paradigms to achieve its task of providing
geospatial information for the planning and
conduct of operations.
The ADO has already acknowledged that maps
and charts are the issue of the past and has
acknowledged that the real issue is in creating a
geospatial information infrastructure that not only
supports the needs of the intelligence community,
but supports the needs for modelling and
simulation, rehearsal and operations.
General William Bridges and his staff watching
manoeuvres of the 1st
Australian Division in the desert
in Egypt, March 1915
Australian War Memorial
1
This paper was written by Dr Williams for the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation
(DIGO). DIGO was fully consulted in the preparation of this paper.
GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SUPPORT OF THE AUSTRALIAN APPROACH TO WARFARE 1

GEO-STRATEGIC INFLUENCES – CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE
In The Australian Approach to Warfare the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) describes Australia’s
Geo-Strategic Influences. “Australia is a secure country. It obtains much of its security from its
geographic environment. Australia has a large land mass, no land border with another country, a
substantial natural resource base and vast ocean surrounds that include extensive areas of very shallow
water. Australia’s people, industries and infrastructure are largely concentrated on the coast, in our
eastern, south-eastern, and south-western fringes. These physical characteristics contribute to our
defence against armed attack using conventional means.
However, while Australia is difficult to attack, there is also a great deal to defend. We are a large
country, and have a small population. Conducting military operations in or from the northern parts of
Australia would be a challenging task in terms of logistic support, transport, demands on civil
infrastructure and, at times, the adverse effects of harsh climatic conditions on the performance of
people and equipment. These factors highlight some of the challenges associated with the defence of
Australia.
Bali bombing Image Sunday, October 13, 2002
In addition to potential security threats
involving conventional military attack,
Australia’s security is also affected by
emerging dangers posed by proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction (nuclear,
chemical and biological weapons, and their
chief means of delivery – ballistic
missiles), terrorism and attacks on
information systems. Other, non-military
threats to national security include natural
disasters, pandemic disease, illegal
immigration, illegal fishing, people
smuggling, environmental degradation,
narcotics and transnational crime”.
Combined, these influences and emerging threats establish very real catalysts for change in the way
Defence will acquire, process, manage and disseminate geospatial information for use by the broad
spectrum of users from senior decision makers to troops on the ground. In short, Defence’s response to
these challenges is to adopt the concept of providing Geospatial Intelligence and managing the
processes through a Geospatial Information Infrastructure.
GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE
Geospatial Intelligence is primarily about obtaining knowledge of the physical and cultural aspects of
the global security environment and the capabilities and intentions of potential adversaries.
The imperatives of information age warfare combined with the demands of contemporary threats to
security have turned the model of national intelligence upside down. Previously, intelligence reports
written by tactical units were sifted and analysed by national agencies for the benefits of national
decision makers. In today’s more distributed model, the national collection systems and subject matter
expertise once dedicated to supporting a select group of national decision makers now support a vastly
expanded base of theatre and tactical users as well. Interoperability has become essential in a
distributed worldwide network of intelligence producers and consumers, where finished intelligence
often ends up in the guidance system of a tactical weapon.
The growing demand for tactical support has been a key factor in the emergence of geospatial
intelligence as a new discipline. The rapid pace of the targeting cycle and the increased number of
targets has placed stress on the intelligence production processes. Emerging network-centric concepts
of operations, which rely on the ability of friendly forces to detect, process, and respond to changes in
the battle-space more quickly than adversary forces, require us to further reduce cycle times. The
timeliness required for rapid, precision engagement demands closer integration of tools and processes

of imagery specialists who detect and characterise targets and the geospatial specialists who describe
and measure the battle space.
Geospatial intelligence aims to reduce uncertainty, providing a knowledge advantage in time for a
decision to be made or an action to be taken to advance or protect national interests.
“On the modern day battlefield everything is spatially related
and if you don’t understand the spatial relationships you will never win the war!”
The discipline of Geospatial Intelligence
Unifying the strengths of imagery analysis and mapping, charting and geodesy, geospatial intelligence
has emerged as a new discipline, separate and distinct from its predecessors. As a discipline, geospatial
intelligence is defined primarily by three qualities: its character as an intelligence discipline, its unique
analytical and geometrical aspects, and its fundamental spatial and temporal nature.
Geospatial intelligence is an intelligence function. It primarily aims to understand the physical and
cultural aspects of the global security environment.
Geospatial intelligence is an analytical discipline and, as such, embodies a number of applied sciences,
disciplines and technologies. The sciences include geography, cartography and mapping, geodesy and
surveying, geomatics, several earth sciences, and computer science. Disciplines include
photogrammetry and remote sensing, spatial analysis and geographic information systems, and so on.
Technologies include GPS and location-based technologies, GIS, information technology, and so on.
Geospatial intelligence is characterised by its fundamental spatial and temporal nature. Geospatial
intelligence includes the description of geographical features, infrastructure and environmental aspects
of our world. These features include political and administrative entities; population, demography and
urban areas; the road, rail, air, sea infrastructure; facilities, communications and resources;
physiographic, hydrographic, oceanographic, and meteorological features and state; and the natural and
cultivated landscape. The description then involves the modelling, representation and location of these
features to place them in a reference system.

These spatial and temporal aspects make geospatial intelligence a powerful, visual medium.
Information from many sources can be integrated in a spatial framework to reveal spatial relationships
not immediately evident. Through visualisation, geospatial intelligence permits both rapid, intuitive
understanding of the physical environment and evaluation of potential courses of action in three spatial
dimensions and through time.
Geospatial Intelligence specialists represent and communicate the phenomena of our world.
Applications of Geospatial Intelligence
Geospatial intelligence provides unique knowledge not available by other means.
Geospatial intelligence provides knowledge national decision leaders need to make informed decisions
on matters of national security and foreign affairs. It plays a central role in identifying strategic threats,
providing warnings of war, predicting humanitarian crises, and verifying international treaty
compliance.
Geospatial intelligence supports the development of national policy, the planning and execution of
military operations, the protection of homeland security and other civil operations.
Geospatial intelligence provides the vital knowledge foundation for modern joint warfare, serving as
the basis for decision superiority, manoeuvre, engagement and interoperability.
Geospatial intelligence offers the visual picture of the battle-space and the situational understanding
that is essential for operational decision-making throughout the spectrum of conflict and at all levels of
warfare. It is the major source of content for the common operational picture and the primary means of
visualising it. Geospatial intelligence modelling capabilities are powerful tools for Intelligence
Preparation of the Battle-space, giving Commanders unparalleled decision superiority.
Geospatial intelligence gives war-fighters a critical understanding of an adversary’s strategic
infrastructure and vulnerabilities, permitting precision strikes against strategic and tactical targets in all
weather conditions.
In addition, geospatial intelligence provides products on selected urban areas of interest, land and
maritime entry and exit points, identification and assessment of foreign threats, and extent and scope of
natural and man-made damage. In cases of terrorist attack or natural disaster, geospatial intelligence
can rapidly give federal agencies and emergency services a comprehensive and detailed view of the
scene, helping them to make the best possible decisions in preparation, response, and recovery actions.
Geospatial intelligence also plays a role in a wide range of other applications including drug
interdiction, illegal immigration, illegal fishing, and humanitarian relief.
With its common spatial and temporal frame of reference, geospatial intelligence is essential for
interoperability in joint and combined warfare.

EMERGING CAPABILITIES
The discipline of geospatial intelligence unites a broad range of
evolving and emerging capabilities and technologies. By bringing
together the technical capabilities traditionally associated with imagery
intelligence with those more typically used for acquiring, processing,
and disseminating geodetic, topographic, hydrographic, geographic and
aeronautical data, we are developing an expanded tool set for solving
intelligence problems, as well as enhancing the capabilities of
command support systems and operational combat support systems.
Command support systems
Rapidly advancing digital processing capabilities are revolutionising
our ability to respond to the needs of our customers in the emerging
network-centric environment, while the incorporation of an expanded
range of data sources is enabling us to provide new dimensions of
knowledge to national security decision-makers, and decision support
systems, navigation systems, and a plethora of applications.
Onboard navigation systems
Mission planning Precision targeting Tactical operations Integrated CSS
A GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
“Imagery and geospatial information provide information about our world. When
combined, as we have done with this new organisation, they enable Defence to extract
knowledge for specific strategic and planning purposes. Key uses for this kind of
information include situational awareness, decision-making and operational planning.
The change announced today will provide the Australian Defence Organisation and the
Government with intelligence and geospatial information needed to effectively operate
in an increasingly complex environment.
A modern and versatile defence force needs reliable information, ranging from accurate
maps to digital data for electronic equipment, to three-dimensional computer models
for planning operations. Advanced weapons systems in particular require ‘smarter’
geospatial information to support them and Australia must be able to produce this
information.
The formation of DIGO is a significant step in developing this capability.”
Media Release MIN 332/00 - 08 Nov 2000

Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO) is the lead agency within the Australian
Defence Organisation in the production and dissemination of geospatial intelligence. Whilst being the
lead agency, DIGO is not the only agency involved in the capability. There is a range of agencies and
organisations performing functions which, in total, make up the geospatial intelligence capability.
These agencies include other Defence units, Commonwealth and State Government agencies, industry
groups, and international agencies and bodies.
As such, these capabilities need to be brought together to form a Geospatial Information
Infrastructure (GII). A GII is an enabling infrastructure that meets the needs of the community for
geospatial information. The infrastructure is the collection of people, doctrine, policies, architecture,
standards, and technologies necessary to create, maintain, and utilise a shared geospatial framework.
The GII:
Establishes a framework for acquiring, producing, managing, and disseminating geospatial
information;
Provides the supporting services needed to ensure information content meets user needs, is
easily accessible, and can readily be applied to support operational information requirements;
and
Ensures the supporting infrastructure components (including policy, doctrine, training, and
force structure) are in place to optimise the use of the geographic information, products, and
services (i.e. geospatial intelligence) provided.
In order to implement the GII, DIGO provides the lead role in the ADO with respect to the geospatial
intelligence capability and DIGO collaborates both nationally and internationally in order to fulfil its
functional mandate.
In the near future DIGO plans to host the service centre of Defence’s GII and, via its portal, link key
ADO command support systems and other geospatial information providers such as the Navy’s
Hydrographic Service and Air Force’s Aeronautical Information Service. DIGO is investigating the
means to access and serve the National Spatial Data Infrastructure via arrangements with its civilian
counterpart, Geoscience Australia. DIGO will continue to collaborate in the international arena with
our traditional partners (the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand), the broader international forum (via
the Digital Geospatial Information Working Group and other organisations) and with nations in South-
East Asia and the South-West Pacific via a range of agreements and understandings.

DIGO will continue to develop its own intellectual property by working through both formal processes
and informal cooperative ventures with research laboratories and industry. DIGO sponsors tasking with
Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), collaborates with the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), sponsors students at universities and
institutes around the nation, has exchange staff at various places around the world, and will participate
in the new Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information.
In summary, the Geospatial Information Infrastructure provides the means of acquiring, processing
and disseminating the range of products and services to the Defence community; products and services
that are primarily about obtaining and providing knowledge of the physical and cultural aspects of the
global security environment and the capabilities and intentions of potential adversaries, that is
Geospatial Intelligence.
THE FUTURE OF GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE
As we move forward and beyond this time of dramatic change, geospatial intelligence will continue to
face new challenges and new opportunities.
Future State: Geospatial Intelligence Online
DIGO is investigating initiatives to address just some of the challenges and opportunities. These
include:
The integration of its imagery and geospatial capabilities;
The consultative process with the Defence user community and the Defence capability
development community;
The enhancement of its international relations;
The participation in multi-national collaborative production of geospatial information;
The engagement of academia and industry;
and others.
DIGO is examining the migration of its processes, systems and tools to an all-digital, data-centric
environment, beginning with significant improvements to its infrastructure (such as embracing the
concept of a Geospatial Information Infrastructure).
DIGO is embracing comprehensive information system networking practices to ensure the most timely,
relevant, and accurate online content possible. DIGO will endeavour to provide customers what they
need, when they need it, through anticipating their future information needs.
DIGO is proactive in examining its capability to provide the
ubiquitous knowledge map, the foundation of the Commonly
Informed Operating Picture (CIOP), on which other forms of
information can be overlaid. This comprehensive,
geospatially referenced database links DIGO’s base of
intelligence knowledge to a precise, digital model of the
Earth, enabling the CIOP to serve as a powerful, intuitive
medium through which we can collaborate with our partners
and our customers can better visualise the mission space.
And beyond … …
The need to have a detailed knowledge of our geo-strategic environment is enduring, as is the need to
continually develop and evolve our surveying and mapping capabilities.
Contemporary issues and concerns such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism,
illegal immigration, and so on combined with society’s desire to be better informed will be the drivers
to cause DIGO to continue to embrace change. These contemporary issues will demand a review on the
very way we describe and model our environment. Our schemas and analytical tools will have to be far

richer than ever before; our products and services will need to be reliable and credible to meet the
mission critical and safety critical needs of future needs and applications. The ways we visualise and
portray our world will be need to be compatible and appropriate to the plethora of platforms, systems
and devices that will need the geospatial intelligence to meet their various needs; systems and devices
that range from complex command centres down to the ubiquitous mobile phone.
DIGO has acknowledged that its tasks are going to become ever more complex, and has acknowledged
that the important step of merging imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial components is a vital
step in the evolution of our geospatial intelligence capability.
CONCLUSION
Geospatial Intelligence in the Support of the Australian Approach to
Warfare
The convergence of our nation’s imagery and geospatial capabilities is an imperative of the current era,
made necessary by the challenges of the changing national security environment and the emerging
concepts of warfare, and made possible by the revolution in information technology. The demands of
the current global environment require a robust ability to provide a growing set of intelligence and
operational consumers a fully integrated visual picture of the strategic, operational and tactical
situation.
Imagery and geographic information provide information about our world. When combined, as we
have done with this new organisation, they enable Defence to extract knowledge for specific strategic
and planning purposes. Key uses for this kind of information include situational awareness, decision-
making and operational planning.
In this draft concept publication, Defence is introducing the term geospatial intelligence to the lexicon
of Australia’s national security. The publication described a framework of concepts as they apply to
imagery, imagery intelligence, and geographic, infrastructure and environmental information, referred
to collectively as geospatial intelligence. The publication also described the means of acquiring,
processing and disseminating the range of products and services to the Defence community, referred to
as Geospatial Information Infrastructure.

REFERENCES
White Paper, Defence 2000: Our Future Defence Force, Department of Defence, Australia, 2000
http://203.6.115.8/whitepaper/
Australia’s National Security: A Defence Update, Department of Defence, Australia, 2003
http://203.6.115.8/ans2003/
The Australian Approach to Warfare, Department of Defence, 2002
http://203.6.115.8/publications/taatw.pdf
Force 2020, Department of Defence, 2002
http://203.6.115.8/publications/f2020.pdf

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