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United States Air Force Customer Success Story Autodesk Government Solutions Autodesk Map® 3D Autodesk® Crisis Command Autodesk MapGuide® Autodesk Consulting Oracle Spatial
“Because we have just one database for all our spatial data, we no longer waste time maintaining duplicate engineering and GIS information for each asset. We can now support the engineering precision we need directly within our database.” Michael Gilley, Geo Integration Officer, 45th Space Wing, United States Air Force
Mission Possible GIS and CAD data integration furthers Space Wing’s mission Project Summary Headquartered at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, the 45th Space Wing has personnel stationed across three additional bases, including Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. From these four bases, the 45th Space Wing carries out its mission to enhance national strength through assured access to space. The Space Wing depends on the right combination of expertise, equipment, and experience for success. Effective installation and asset management also make crucial contributions. To manage its bases and drive effective location-based decision-making, the Space Wing uses a combination of Autodesk geospatial solutions and Oracle Spatial to create, manage, and share integrated CAD and geospatial data. Using Autodesk and Oracle technology, the 45th Space Wing is able to: • Share CAD and geospatial data in a multivendor software environment • Integrate precise CAD and GIS data directly into Oracle Spatial • Refresh location-based emergency information across the base network every ten seconds • Eliminate 75% of all in-person map requests
The Challenge Covering 30 Million Acres With over 600,000 facilities and 30 million acres of land, the Department of Defense is, perhaps, the world’s largest manager of property and assets. Every one of its installations must be able to contribute to its intended mission 24/7/365, and so each installation needs to be managed efficiently—both on a routine basis and in the event of a crisis. Many of the Department’s installations have geographic information systems (GIS) to manage the location-based data—such as asset positions, infrastructure details, and maintenance information—base leaders use to drive effective decision making. Patrick AFB, home to the 45th Space Wing, is one such installation. Accuracy Essential Prior to Patrick AFB’s current geospatial data management and distribution solution, the GIS data management team was forced to overcome a number of daunting hurdles in their effort to get accurate, timely maps and other locationbased information to personnel. Most crucially, their GIS software did not support the degree of precision personnel needed to locate assets. Additionally, the team spent a great deal of time
“Our personnel can build maps that show them exactly where they need to go on base to locate assets inside and outside buildings. It saves a tremendous amount of time.” Master Sergeant Chip Griffin, Facilities Inspection Team Chief, Patrick Air Force Base, United States Air Force
fielding in-person requests for maps and fulfilling them individually. And because they lacked an integrated system that could store and support both CAD and GIS data, GIS team members were forced to manage duplicate sets of engineering and attribute data for individual facilities. “Some GIS software is designed to primarily support smaller-scale mapping, but to be effective, our installation maps have to provide highly precise detail,” says Chuck Justice, GIS Coordinator with the 45th Space Wing. “Maps that are accurate to within 100 or 200 feet are not very helpful if you are trying to determine the buffer zone around a chemical spill or find a fire hydrant. Time and resources are of the essence. Whether they are responding to an emergency or making a routine repair, our personnel need to know what to do and where to go.” Custom Maps Slow Response Times From facilities management personnel to security forces and strategic planners to commanders, the people of the 45th Space Wing wanted more than just accurate maps: they wanted fast access to maps. It took valuable time to visit the GIS office and request a custom map for use in base support functions, military planning, and exercises. And custom maps required advance planning—a luxury that was not available during emergencies. Without ready access to detailed maps, even seasoned facilities maintenance personnel wasted valuable time looking for specific assets among the 578 buildings and 2,200 acres that make up Patrick AFB. “As the Battle Staff Director, I am responsible for providing the wing commander and his senior staff with timely, accurate, and actionable information,” explains Lt. Colonel George Frazier of the 45th Space Wing. “We must be able to access and analyze information about our facilities, the area around them, and situations affecting them as quickly as possible. To do that, we need maps we can depend on.”
The Solution An Integrated System for Installation and Real Property Management In 2003, the 45th Space Wing decided to move to a fully integrated CAD/GIS system for Patrick AFB built around a database that could handle both types of spatial data seamlessly. After evaluating the options on the market, IT decision makers chose to store and manage their data using Oracle Spatial because it provided an open data management solution that did not confine Patrick AFB to a single CAD/GIS software platform, thereby providing users the flexibility to select and work with the most appropriate end-user application for the task at hand. Autodesk Map 3D serves as the GIS team’s data creation and editing tool, and the team uses Autodesk Map 3D to load data into Oracle Spatial. To share data across the base, the 45th Space Wing implemented Autodesk MapGuide, a web-based geospatial data sharing solution that builds real-time maps online. Taken as a whole, the solution is designed to enhance situational awareness, provide a common installation picture, and enable better decision making. “Because we have just one database for all our spatial data, we no longer waste time maintaining duplicate engineering and GIS information for each asset,” explains Michael Gilley, Geo Integration Officer for the 45th Space Wing. “We can now support the engineering precision we need directly within our database. Once in our spatial database, the information is available to authorized personnel 24/7 over the web.” The unified system was so successful at Patrick AFB that the Space Wing decided to incorporate its other bases, including the base at Cape Canaveral, Antigua Air Station, and Ascension Auxiliary Airfield, into the system. According to Gilley, “We have a unified view of our assets. This allows us to manage our bases and events affecting them more proactively. And because we can provide real-time web access to the geospatial data maintained in our database, our common installation picture is always up-to-date.”
“The wing commander and his battle staff now have greater situational awareness during incidents. Knowing where incidents are taking place and what assets might be impacted allows us to make better decisions. As a result, our mission effectiveness is enhanced.” Lt. Colonel George Frazier, Battle Staff Director, 45th Space Wing, United States Air Force
Maximizing the Value of Oracle Spatial To implement its integrated CAD/GIS solution, the Space Wing turned to Autodesk Consulting for assistance. Autodesk Consulting helped to configure Autodesk Map 3D and Autodesk MapGuide to suit the Space Wing’s needs and to work seamlessly with Oracle Spatial. In helping to configure the solution optimally, Autodesk Consulting enabled the Space Wing get more value out of its investment more quickly. “We were able to deploy the solution and optimize our database configuration very effectively,” says Cartama Ramos-Crafton, a GIS technician for the 45th Space Wing. “When we had questions, we were able get answers quickly.” Streamlined Data Management Today, the 45th Space Wing’s data creation and management processes work like this: Outside engineering and design consultants design new infrastructure using Autodesk software. When complete, the consultants submit their designs to the GIS office. The GIS team then uses Autodesk Map 3D to incorporate the new information into the Oracle Spatial repository. The team has incorporated the Air Force’s spatial data standards into the software, greatly accelerating the data maintenance process. When events impact an asset, they can edit its corresponding data within
Oracle Spatial directly using Autodesk Map 3D. “Antigua is 1,400 miles away and Ascension is 3,500 miles away, so we can’t exactly walk over and check the accuracy of as-builts,” says Justice. “Being able to incorporate CAD and geospatial data directly is enormously useful because it maintains the integrity of the data. We can essentially paste data right into the correct facilities layer in our database and associate the data with the necessary attributes.” Responding Effectively Built on Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Crisis Command gives authorized users access to a common installation picture whenever they need it. The tool blends installation information with analysis capabilities and the North American Emergency Response Guidebook, providing situational and spatial awareness to leadership during incidents, such as bomb, weather, and hazardous material threats. For instance, in the event of a bomb threat, leaders can visualize evacuation routes and direct security responses using easy-to-read digital maps—that automatically update across the base network every ten seconds. Blast analysis features allow leaders to calculate bomb impacts based on weight and delivery vehicles. They can also
United States Air Force Customer Success Story
quickly find optimal locations for command posts during incidents using the directional cordon tool. “Before, we were forced to rely on audio contact during incidents,” says Lt. Colonel Frazier. “Now, the wing commander and his staff have a common, real-time view into incidents. It helps us to make informed decisions faster. For instance, during a recent operational readiness inspection, we were able to maintain control of the situation, support on-scene responders, and react quickly and appropriately to a simulated chemical attack.”
“We have eliminated 75 percent of all custom map requests, which gives our staff more time to keep data current. This represents a real breakthrough in our ability to use spatial data to further our mission and manage our assets more cost-effectively.” Michael Gilley, Geo Integration Officer, 45th Space Wing, United States Air Force
More Efficient Day-to-day Facility Management The 45th Space Wing does not confine its use of geospatial data to managing incidents. Their Base Visualization Tool web application, also built on Autodesk MapGuide, puts timely, accurate, locationbased information into the hands of the personnel who keep the Space Wing’s bases mission-ready. With only a web browser, authorized users can build maps that incorporate everything from aerial photographs to alphanumeric property data. Plus, over 6,500 CAD and 5,000 as-built drawings are instantly available through the easy-to-use interface. Personnel no longer waste valuable time visiting the GIS office to request maps or CAD drawings. They simply go online and sign in using a password, which meets Air Force password policies and includes 128-bit encryption. Once logged-in, users can build custom maps by selecting and deselecting layers. They can also zoom in and out of the maps. Just as importantly, personnel can create reports and analyze features. For instance, they can generate maps that identify buildings that lie within an anticipated hurricane flood zone.
Master Sergeant Chip Griffin, instant access to maps furthers his team’s mission. He says, “Our personnel can build maps that show them exactly where they need to go on base to locate assets inside and outside buildings. It saves a tremendous amount of time. Having precise location and CAD information at our fingertips saves us about an hour on a typical inspection.” The Result Enhanced Mission Effectiveness Since turning to Autodesk geospatial solutions and Oracle Spatial, the 45th Space Wing has been able to get more value out of its investment in spatial data. “The wing commander and his battle staff now have greater situational awareness during incidents,” reports Lt. Colonel Frazier. “Knowing where incidents are taking place and what assets might be impacted allows us to make better decisions. As a result, our mission effectiveness is enhanced.” Looking at the cost and time savings Autodesk and Oracle technology are enabling, Gilley adds, “Personnel have instant 24/7 access to the maps and other location-based information they need. That saves them the time they would have spent requesting and waiting for a custom map. We have eliminated 75 percent of all custom map requests, which gives our staff more time to keep data current. This represents a real breakthrough in our ability to use spatial data to further our mission and manage our assets more cost-effectively.” To Learn More Find out how Autodesk geospatial solutions are helping organizations to create, manage, and share spatial data; visit us on the web at www.autodesk.com/government
In-person map requests have declined dramatically— from 1,200 to 300 annually. According to the Facilities Inspection Team Chief at Patrick AFB,
Autodesk, Autodesk Map 3D, Autodesk Crisis Command, and Autodesk MapGuide are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. 000000000000116673 © 2006 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved
