1. Global Area Reference System (GARS)
Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT)
Office of Military Support (OMS)
- Lt Col Pete Renner -

2. GARS Overview Introduction History Stakeholders
Functional requirements
Implementation issues
Examples
Questions

3. Purpose
Propose a response to the Service Chiefs’ request for a “standardized” area reference system
SECDEF directed NGA to “Take the lead in developing a global reference system that meets the requirements of the combatant commanders and Services”

4. GARS History
Common Geographic Reference System (CGRS) developed for CAOC use in OIF
Dec 2003: ACC receives tasking to provide OPR to coordinate on Summit tasking form CSAF “Define the requirement and include CGRS in NIMA chart production”
Mar 2004: CGRS Conference hosted by the Air Land and Sea Application Center
Aug 2004: AWFC (98 RANW) CGRS Working Group
Sep 2004: HAF/XO tasked ACC/DO for best way to implement CGRS into daily ops
Nov 2004: Service Chiefs agree to implement existing ALSA model as training standard - request NGA develop global solution
Dec 2004: The Service Chief letter is signed and at the CJCS
Mar 2005: D/NGA receives tasking from SECDEF
Mar-Aug 2005: Three working groups
Nov-Dec 2005: Coordination of GARS proposal at AO & GO/FO levels via JS
Jan 2006: D/NGA sends “close-out” memo to SECDEF

5. GARS Stakeholders Parties involved with local CGRS
ALSA & Air Warfare Center
Interested parties for global implementation
Service GI+S Staffs – N096, A2/X, Army G2 & USMC
Doctrine developers
ALSA – MTTP Developers
Joint doctrine developers
Air Warfare Center
COCOM GI+S officers
NGA OMS, OGM, P, & E?

6. Global Area Reference System (GARS) - Functional Requirements -
Scalable down to a minimum 5 x 5 min area
Naming convention needs to be as intuitive as possible – entering argument either 1 deg or 30 min
Areas coincident with map sheet coverage – 30 x 30 and 15 x 15 min areas
Easy comparison between relative positions
Based on Geographics (Latitude and Longitude)
Must be on hard-copy charts – in some form
No inherent operational security measures

7. Global Area Reference System - Functionality -
Based on the expanded ALSA Common Geographic Reference System (CGRS) model w/a few changes
Origin: 180 E/W & 90S
World sub-divided into 30 min cells
East / West *
North / South * AA-QZ
Read OVER - then UP
Quadrant Tiling
30 minute cells divided into 15 minute quadrants
(numbered (1-4), left to right, top to bottom)
15 minute quadrants divided into 5 minute keypads
(numbered (1-9), left to right, top to bottom)
6 Digits (EX: 419 LP 2) defines 15 x 15 min area

8. GARS Solution – Global Overview
30 minute cell identifier
NOTE: 30 minute area divisions too small to show at this scale

9. GARS Solution – Global Overview
30 minute cell identifier
Example: 134LV

10. GARS Solution – Global Overview
Cell to Quadrant to Keypad yields 5 min x 5 min cell;
takes advantage of existing 1:100K and 1:50K charts
Each Cell Is 30 min x 30 min
1:100,000 charts = 30 min x 30 min
Each Cell Is
Sub-Divided Into Four
15 min X 15 min Quadrants
1:50,000 charts = 15 min x 15 min AH
006 AG AG AF 3 1 2 4 AE AD
006AG3
Each Quadrant Can Be
Further Sub-divided Into Nine 5 min X 5 min
Keypads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
This slide depicts perhaps the best global solution
It uses a standard over-up cell address convention which brings you to a 30’x30’ cell
That current number-character naming convention is already in use at the operational level at both CENTCOM and PACOM and has been in use for some time (hence the ALSA model)
Each quadrant (15’x15’) subdivision is depicted in its entirety on a single 1:50,000 chart
Easy to see keypad (5’x5’) sub-divisions because they already exist on 1:50,000 chart
Using 5’x5’ as the smallest level of granularity makes it easy to use the 5’x5’ keypad as a building block for larger area definitions AC AB
006AG39 AA
Current 1:50,000 chart has symbology “+” to denote
5 x 5 keypads
001
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
Origin Point
180 E/W & 90S

11. GARS – Implementation Roadmap
Implementing GARS will require continued NGA-Service/COCOM interaction – work requirements
Updates to Joint doctrine & NGA publications
CJCSI B: Position Reference Procedures
JP 2-03: JTTP for GI+S Support to Joint Operations
DMA TM : Datums, Ellipsoids, Grids, and Grid Reference Systems
Standards activities
Inclusion in standard NGA production specifications
International standards – NATO STANAGs, etc
Implementation on soft-copy/hard-copy products

12. GARS - Implementation Roadmap
Plan of Attack:
Develop implementation plan with Services/COCOMs
Infuse into doctrine/policy
Service printing capabilities meet short-term need with CSAT producing GIS layer available on NGA Gateway
Effort level can be managed on a priority basis using chart series and geographic coverage area as discriminators
Will not obsolete any current NGA chart products
Implement as stocks deplete / product editions incremented
Limited chart series – 1:50K / 1:100K / 1:250K? / 1:500K?
Chart body: graticule lines and text labels
Neat-line: text labels along the chart edge
Margin diagram of cells: depicting all cells for the chart
Explanatory reference guidance diagram
Phased implementation

13. GARS - Implementation Phase 1
“DEMO” GIS files currently available
Represents 15 min and 30 min areas
Hidden URL located at:
Applications:
Overlay for soft-copy products
Within a GIS or mission planning system

14. GARS Implementation Phase 1
Phase 1 (cont)
GUI Lat/Long vs GARS Converter

15. GARS Implementation Phase 2
Full Implementation
TBD via upcoming implementation working group VTC with Service/COCOM SMEs
What needs to be added/changed to NGA products?
ONC - no change
TPC - no change
JOG - ????
TLM50 - ????
ICM - ????

16. GARS Implementation Roadmap
Possible Map/Chart Changes
Part of main map/chart (extra lines)
ID’s listed along neat-line
Reference Guidance Diagram
Margin box showing specific ID’s

17. GARS Reference Guidance Diagram
World divided into 30 min cells and further divisions can be 15 and 5 min
Origin of the reference system is 90S and 180E/W
Longitude will be 1 – 720 and Latitude will be AA – QZ
30 minute cell identifier: 345KW
15 minute cell: Use a quadrant over 30 minute cell
Numbered 1-4 Left to right, top to bottom
5 minute cell: Use a keypad over 15 minute cell
Numbered 1-9 Left to right, top to bottom
Sample Reference: 345KW37
30 minute identifier: 345KW
represents the longitude 30 minute division 345
represent the latitude 30 minute identifier KW
represent the quadrant of the 30 minute cell 3 (15 min identifier)
represent the keypad of the 15 minute cell 7 (5 min identifier) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1

18. GARS Margin Box with Specific ID’s
37°
153LP
154LP
155LP
156LP
153LN
154LN
155LN
156LN
JOG Example
(30 min GARS ID)
36°
104°
103°
102°
42°45’
TLM Example
(15 min GARS ID)
415MB4
416MB3
42°30’
27°18’
27°36’

19. GARS Implementation on TPC?
Designator for 30’x30’ cell
Margin diagram of cells
Explanatory diagram similar to WGRS diagram
Cell Designators
30’ X 30’ cell
345KY
346KY
345KX
346KX
345KW
346KW

20. GARS Implementation on JOG?
30’ X 30’ cell
Designator for 15’x15’ cell
Designator for 30’x30’ cell
Margin diagram of cells
156LN1
Cell Designators
156LN2
345KX
156LN
346KX
37°
153LP
154LP
155LP
156LP
153LN
154LN
155LN
156LN
156LN3
156LN4
345KW
346KW
36°
104°
103°
102°

21. QUESTIONS???????? THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!!!
NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!!!
Know the Earth…Show the Way