The following definitions are intended to provide the reader with a clearer understanding of some of the terminology specific to the "As-Is" and/or "To-Be" versions of the USIGS Operational Architecture Description.

Most definitions are taken directly from attributed sources, although they may appear here in abbreviated, combined, or edited form, in order to emphasize those aspects of the established definition that pertain to this study. A number of the terms listed below are specific to the USIGS Operational Architecture and are not currently defined in other documentation. The source of these definitions is listed as "Operational Architecture Products (OAP)," and their meaning is intended to clarify the term's usage within this document.

3D Image Modeling: Tools for creating a physical or electronic representation of a target or object, based primarily on imagery, that can depict natural and/or man-made elements in addition to relief and/or elevation data. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Access/Dissemination Function: Any one or combination of processes involved in access to or dissemination of information. When used to denote a sender or recipient of information in an information exchange, refers to personnel or systems performing the function. Information Access and Delivery is a core NIMA business, and includes the brokering by NIMA of information produced elsewhere, for NIMA customers. (Source: NIMA Business Plan 1997; OAP)

Acquire Function: Any one or combination of processes involved in the acquisition of information or services, for internal use or external customers. When used to denote a sender or recipient of information in an information exchange, refers to personnel or systems performing the function. Information and Services Acquisition is a core NIMA business. (Source: NIMA Business Plan 1997; OAP)

Account Information: Information regarding the provision of access to NIMA information, which is a function of access/dissemination, and is constrained only by classification and releasability considerations. (Source: OAP)

Acquisition Plan: Plan for acquisition of goods, services, or technologies that meet validated internal or external needs. (Source: OAP)

Advocacy for USIGS Activities: Promotion and support of USIGS functions, programs, policies, and interests, within the IGC, and before oversight organizations and legislative entities. Advocacy activities vary and range from providing information and reports to Congress to providing material support to USIGS programs. (Source: OAP)

Application/Tool: Applications and tools used for the extraction of information from imagery and for the production of imagery intelligence and geospatial information. This includes, but is not limited to, the following applications, tools, functions, and capabilities: manipulation of imagery, geospatial display services, feature compression, geospatial information retrieval, feature general services, geospatial coordinate transformation services, geospatial catalogue services, image synthesis, statistical analysis tools, geospatial information extraction, geospatial analysis services, video exploitation, mensuration services, image understanding services and imagery keys, image map generation services, image annotation services, image geometry model services, geospatial symbol management, large area search services, negotiation services, 3D and image perspective transformation capabilities, graphical reporting tools, data fusion tools, annotation services, desktop publishing tools, office automation tools, message handling tools, multi-media reporting tools, special product tools, database entry tools, video product creation tools, and drawing tools. (Source: OAP)

Archived Imagery: As pertains to the "As-Is" portion of this study, archived imagery is any imagery stored in NIMA holdings. References to archived imagery in the "To-Be" portion of this study are based on the USIGS Glossary definition, which is: a collection of imagery, normally used to hold imagery that has been superseded or is rarely accessed. (Source: USIGS Glossary; OAP)

Archived Information: As pertains to the "As-Is" portion of this study, archived information is any information within NIMA information holdings (imagery and non-imagery). In the "To-Be" portion of this study, archived information refers to: a collection of data, normally used to hold data that has been superseded or is rarely accessed. (Source: OAP; USIGS Glossary)

Archive Operations: As pertains to this study, Archive operations are the process of placing information (imagery and non-imagery) into NIMA's support data or archive holdings. (Source: USIGS Glossary; OAP)

Collaboration: Coordination between personnel throughout the Community to ensure and enhance customer satisfaction with information and services. (Source: OAP)

Collection Requirements: Collection requirements necessary to satisfy validated intelligence and geospatial information needs of IGC components and their customers, usually with desired collection parameters. Community requirements for imagery to satisfy intelligence information needs are developed through community reviews with the participation of all concerned components. (Source: OAP)

Collection Simulation: Modeling of collection system capabilities and requirements deck to assess collection opportunities. (Source: OAP)

Commercial Imagery: Imagery which has been acquired from a private vendor. (Source: OAP)

Community (Imagery) Collection Requirements: Collection requirements necessary to satisfy validated intelligence and geospatial information needs of IGC components and their customers, usually with desired collection parameters. Community requirements for imagery to satisfy intelligence information needs are developed through community reviews with the participation of all concerned components. (Source: OAP)

Contractor: Individual or organization that provides services including the development of products, equipment, or technology. (Source: OAP)

Converted Data: Data which has been converted into media or format other than that in which it was originally created. (Source: OAP)

Core Analysis Process: The methodology used by the imagery analyst to interpret imagery-derived information. (Source: OAP)

Data Fusion Tools: Data fusion simplifies and expedites the search and exploitation of open and classified sources of information, and uses data visualization techniques to simplify use of the increased volume and diversity of imagery and non-imagery data. (Source: Imagery Exploitation Environment User's Concept of Operations).

Enhanced Training Programs: Programs which have utilized CRADA (corporate research and development agreements), grants, fellowships, and academic links to support development and implementation of the training program. (Source: OAP)

Exercise Schedule: Schedule of planned military, civil, and other training exercises. (Source: OAP)

Exploitation Request: Request for extraction of specific information from imagery, within specified parameters, which may or may not require new imagery collection. (Source: OAP)

Exploitation/Extraction Results: The final intelligence or geospatial information or product, which is stored in an organized manner, usually in a database, for later retrieval and reference, or use in future information or product generation. Finished exploitation/ extraction results are stored in source/products holdings, and local storage. At the same time, metadata and management support data are stored in support data holdings. Unfinished work is stored in in-work holdings for later retrieval and completion. (Source: OAP)

Exploitation Tasks: Assignment for production of imagery analysis or an imagery intelligence product, derived from a request for extraction of specific information from imagery. (Source: OAP)

Feature Compression Services: Services that provide for conversion of vector and gridded portions of a Feature Collection to and from compressed form. (Source: USIGS Technical Architecture (UTA))

Feature General Services (Feature Generalization Services): Services that modify the characteristics of a Feature Collection to increase the effectiveness of communication by counteracting the undesirable effects of data reduction. (Source: UTA)

Feature Manipulation Services: Services that support creation, quality control methods, analysis, display, and generalization of Feature Collections of interest to an end user. (Source: UTA)

FMGC: Currently called FMG: Functional Manager's Guidance. Provides high-level guidance to the IGC regarding USIGS programs, initiatives, and activities, enabling IGC members to anticipate both operational and budgetary impacts to their working environment. (Source: Draft FMG for FY 2000-2005)

Future Needs: Future external information and service needs, and the internal and external resources required to meet those needs, estimated for planning purposes. (Source: OAP)

Geospatial Analysis Services: Services that exploit information available in a feature or Feature Collection to derive application-oriented quantitative results that are not available from the raw data itself. (Source: UTA)

Geospatial Annotation Services: Services for addition of ancillary information to an image or feature in a Feature Collection, that augments or provides a more complete description. (Source: UTA)

Geospatial Catalog Services: A set of common software services to support both local and global geospatial information discovery, property (metadata) retrieval, geospatial information browsing, and geospatial information cataloging and indexing. (Source: UTA)

Geospatial Coordinate Transformation Services: Capabilities for converting geospatial coordinates from one reference system to another. (Source: UTA)

Geospatial Display Services: Services that prepare and render one or more Feature Collections or Coverages to an output device, which may be a (temporary) electronic display or (permanent) hardcopy printer. (Source: UTA)

Geospatial Information: Any information that has associated with it some geographical and temporal reference (includes what is referred to as Mapping, Charting, Geodesy, Imagery and Intelligence). Within NIMA, geospatial information includes features, attributes, elevation, names and boundaries information, and information on the producer and source of the information. (Source: USIGS Glossary; OAP)

Geospatial Information Extraction Services: Category of services that support the extraction of feature and terrain information from remotely sensed and scanned images. (Source: UTA)

Geospatial Symbol Management Services: Services required for the management of symbol libraries. (Source: UTA)

Graphic Reporting Tools (Automated Graphical Reporting) : Automated support to graphical reporting consists of the placement of icons, military symbology, or annotations, as opposed to text, on imagery overlays to assist in evaluation or reporting. Several locations interested in the same base imagery can transmit graphical overlays tied to a geographical location rather than repeatedly transmitting the image file, allowing rapid data transmission to distant locations to support coordinated monitoring of activity. As updates or changes are made, the analyst creates a graphical overlay and transmits the overlay, vice the image, to customers. (Source: Imagery Exploitation Environment User's Concept of Operations)

Host Database: An information system that supports the exploitation process and maintains stores of imagery-derived reporting, requirements data, and other imagery assessment data. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Image Annotation Services: These services provide for standard interfaces to software tools that enable symbols, graphics, text, and other media types to be overlaid upon, or attached to, images to highlight significant content. (Source: UTA)

Image Exploitation Services: Services required to support photogrammetric analysis of remotely sensed and scanned imagery, and the generation of reports and other products with respect to the results of the analysis. (Source: UTA)

Image Geometry Model Services: Services that support using mathematical models of image geometries. The geometries relate image positions to corresponding real-world (e.g., ground) positions. (Source: UTA)

Image Map Generation Services: Tools that allow manipulation and combination of images for use as image maps, or other uses. (Source: UTA)

Image Synthesis Services: Services for creating or transforming images using computer-based spatial models, perspective transformations, and manipulations of image characteristics to improve visibility, sharpen resolution, and/or reduce the effects of cloud cover or haze. (Source: UTA)

Image Understanding Services: Category of services which includes automated change detection, registered image differencing, significance-of-difference analysis and display, and area-based and model-based differencing. (Source: UTA)

Imagery: Collectively, the representations of objects, obtained through the sensing of visual or any other segment of the electromagnetic spectrum by sensors, such as thermal infrared, or high resolution radar, and reproduced electronically or by optical means on film, electronic display devices, or other media. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Imagery Keys: Any diagram, chart, table, list, or set of examples, etc., used to aid imagery interpreters in the identification of objects visible on imagery. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Imagery Manipulation Services: Services to provide imagery enhancements that increase the analyst's ability to distinguish between similar appearing areas of a scene; perform geometric operations that change the digital image geometry in a controlled way; and provide the ability to pan, zoom, rotate, and display image histogram characteristics, local pixel properties, and display lookup tables. (Source: UTA)

Imagery Perspective Transformation Services: Services for the production of video and hardcopy formats showing several views of a scene with other than the original image geometry, used to simulate movement around a scene at ground or flight level. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Information Applications and Systems Service: NIMA service for developing and deploying tools¾ software applications and integrated computer and network solutions. Information Applications and Systems is a core NIMA business. (Source: NIMA Business Plan 1997)

Information Holdings: All NIMA data holdings that support production of imagery intelligence and geospatial information and services are production data holdings. Source/Product holdings include NTM and Non-NTM imagery, texts/publications, periodicals, map catalogue information, digital catalogue information, bathymetric data, aeronautical data, intelligence data, film, and geospatial data. (Source: OAP)

Integrated Requirements: The single, coordinated set of prioritized customer requirements, resulting from Customer Support Team acquisition of customer information and service needs, and coordination of those needs among all Customer Support Teams. Integration of requirements eliminates duplication of production and effort. (Source: OAP)

In-work Holdings: Information, products, or support materials which are incomplete (in work), and source materials which are unevaluated. Most unevaluated or in-work products or information are not available to customers until they are complete or evaluated and only then placed in the customer-accessible source/product holdings. (Source: OAP)

Large Area Search Tools: Tools that facilitate softcopy search of broad areas. (Source: OAP)

Library Operations: As pertains to this study, library operations are the process of retrieving information (imagery and non-imagery) from NIMA information holdings or external sources for the purpose of satisfying a request for information. (Source: OAP)

Management Data: Those categories of data required to manage and evaluate production of imagery intelligence and geospatial information or services. Production Management information is stored in support data holdings. (Source: OAP)

Management Function: The Management Function includes responsibility for supervision and performance evaluation, technical infusion/integration, planning, approval of deliverables, decisions involving issues that span more than a single workgroup, and other high-level activities. When used to denote a sender or recipient of information in an information exchange, refers to personnel performing the function. (Source: OAP)

Mensuration Services: Services for deriving object measurement from an image. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Message Handling Tools: Tools able to move a file with information of destination between two adjacent message stores in connection through a data network while the message is transferred. As pertains to this study, message handling tools include automatic data processing tools that provide access to databases containing several years of intelligence reports and to current message traffic, which can be selected according to a user's profile. (Source: USIGS Glossary; OAP)

Metadata: Information about the meaning of other information. Graphical or textual data about the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Needs/Shortfalls: Information describing gaps in current or future resources or operational capabilities to meet current or future requirements, and the specific resources or technologies required to fill defined gaps. (Source: OAP)

Negation Tools: Tools that facilitate determination of the time or date of the beginning or end of activity.

(Source: OAP)

Non-imagery Source: Materials/information, other than imagery, obtained from internal or external sources for use in the production of imagery intelligence or geospatial information or services. Examples include books, magazines, open source articles, and classified cables and reports. (Source: OAP)

Office Automation Tools: Functional capabilities that include, but are not limited to, word processing, email, presentation graphics, spreadsheet, drawing, and illustration. (Source: UTA)

Performance Data: Information related to the performance of one or more components, collected for evaluation purposes. (Source: OAP)

Problem Report System: System through which operational anomalies, shortfalls, or apparent discrepancies that impact system functions are reported, tracked, and resolved. (Source: OAP)

Production Function: Any one or combination of processes involved in the production of imagery, imagery intelligence, or geospatial information. When used to denote a sender or recipient of information in an information exchange, refers to personnel performing the function. Information Production is a core NIMA business. (Source: NIMA Business Plan 1997)

Production Management Information: Those categories of data required to manage and evaluate production of imagery intelligence and geospatial information or services. Production Management information is stored in support data holdings. (Source: OAP)

Production Standards Data: Information which describes the quantitative or qualitative references against which imagery intelligence or geospatial information, products, or services are evaluated. Production standards data is an element of management data and is stored in support data holdings. (Source: OAP)

Program and Budget Guidance: Program and budget guidance includes review of Program Objective Memorandum (POM) submissions, publication of the Functional Manager's Guidance for the Imagery and Geospatial Community (FMG), and issuance of other guidance as appropriate. (Source: OAP)

Program Definition: The method or system by which program performance is measured. (Source: OAP)

Quality Control: The process of taking steps to ensure the quality of data or operations in keeping with the standards set for the system. (Source: USIGS Glossary)

Readiness Plan: Operations management strategy to support military or civil operations. (Source: OAP)

Reference Materials: Materials/information, other than imagery, obtained from internal or external sources. Examples include books, PI keys, open source articles, classified cables and reports. (Source: OAP)

Reports: Reports are issued to convey guidance, results, recommendations, status information, evaluations, conclusions, or other information, from an individual or business unit to an individual, business unit, or broader audience. In this documentation, examples of reports include, but are not limited to, the FMG, architecture documentation, progress reports, and program and budget guidance. (Source: OAP)

Revised Exercise Requirements: Customer exercise requirements which have been reviewed and changed by the customer. They must be used to update NIMA's Readiness Plan in order for NIMA to maintain the currency of it's exercise support plans. (Source: OAP)

Shortfall Analysis Report: Results of identifying resources or operational capabilities that are unable to meet existing or future requirements. The Shortfall Analysis Report identifies those aspects of the current operational architecture that should be targeted for improvement in follow-on versions of the operational architecture. (Source: OAP)

Shortfall Process: The process of assessing "breakages," or shortfalls, in the ability of current or future resources or operational capabilities to meet current or future requirements. (Source: OAP)

Shortfall Plan: Strategy for addressing shortfalls in resources or capabilities, developed by management and provided to those elements responsible for developing or addressing shortfalls. (Source: OAP)

Source/Product Holdings: All NIMA data holdings that support production of imagery intelligence and geospatial information and services are production data holdings. Source/Product holdings include imagery (national, commercial, airborne, and other), texts/publications, periodicals, map catalogue information, digital catalogue information, bathymetric data, aeronautical data, intelligence data, film, and geospatial data. (Source: OAP)

Source Package: Imagery and non-imagery source compiled for use in the production of geospatial information or products. (Source: OAP)

Statement of Need: Justification of the need to integrate new technologies or resources into existing processes or to incorporate whole new processes. (Source: OAP)

Statistical Analysis Tools: Tools that facilitate the collection or interpretation of statistical information, for the purpose of analyzing the meaning of information extracted from imagery or other sources. (Source: OAP)

Strategic Plan: The established program for accomplishing high-level validated expectations, priorities, and other goals and objectives, such as those outlined in a corporate vision. (Source: OAP)

Support Data Holdings: Support data holdings include data holdings which support all management activities. Examples are production management data, production standards data, performance metric data, and administrative support data. Support data holdings also include data and metadata that is used to support acquisition, information production, infrastructure, and other functions. (Source: OAP)

Supporting Materials: NIMA provides supporting materials for IGC training, education, and orientation programs.

Task/Work Assignments: As pertains to this study, tasks and work assignments are specific jobs derived from validated customer requirements, which result in the production of information, products or services. (Source: OAP)

Task/Work Assignment History: Documentation of the production of information or products, which is archived upon completion of production. (Source: OAP)

Technical Infusion/Integration: The process of adoption of new technologies and/or tools (hardware and software) and their integration into existing functions. (Source: OAP)

Training, Education and Orientation Options: Training, education, or orientation opportunities that have been identified as acceptable substitutes for in-house programs or other previously planned activities. (Source: OAP)

Training, Education, and Orientation Programs: Programs that provide appropriate job-related skills, advanced knowledge, or familiarization instruction for NIMA or IGC personnel. (Source: OAP)

Updated Training Programs: Training programs which have incorporated emerging technological capabilities or techniques. (Source: OAP)

Value-added Data: Data or information, which has been added to existing data, information or products, and which thereby enhances, or adds value, to it. (Source: OAP)

Vendor: Individual or organization that sells products or equipment. (Source: OAP)

Video Exploitation Tools: Tools for viewing and analysis of video products, to aid in the exploitation of other imagery. (Source: OAP)

Video Product Generation Tools: Tools for the conversion of information to video media for dissemination, or production of information in a video media. (Source: OAP)

Work Assignment: Documentation of the production of information or products, which is archived upon completion of production. (Source: OAP)