Given the urgency of the wars we are in, the daunting global security environment we will inhabit for decades to come, and our country's economic problems, we simply cannot afford to move ahead with business as usual.

—Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Defense Installation Spatial Data Infrastructure (DISDI)

Integrating Geospatial Capabilities to Benefit Business Transformation

The Defense Installation Spatial Data Infrastructure (DISDI) is the geospatial oversight program responsible for leveraging spatial information across I&E's business mission areas to better manage global installations and bases.

Using the Global Information Grid (GIG), DISDI develops standards and policy to enable the sharing and interoperability of high-quality geospatial data at all levels of installation management. DISDI—comprised of people, policies, and practices—ensures that I&E's geospatial information infrastructure is aligned with DoD's net-centric data sharing strategies and business transformation goals.

DISDI Net-Centric Mission

DISDI focuses on implementing net-centric, geospatial information sharing by integrating geospatial efforts across the Department. The goal is to reduce redundant IT investments and increase the availability of quality geospatial data to any DoD mission in the basing or battle space. DISDI fosters fact-based decision-making by centralizing and improving access to strategic visualization capabilities.

Geo-Enabling I&E Mission Areas

Implementation of DISDI's enterprise goals will guarantee the integration of geospatial information within the business decision-making process. A mission has been "geo-enabled" when it leverages geospatial capabilities to help visualize and enhance data, transforming it into actionable information.

One example is the pilot project to digitally map authoritative parcel boundaries at 70 installations, demonstrating application of geospatial technology to transform real property business processes. The Spring issue of The Military Engineer features an article about this pilot and how it relates to the Real Property Inventory Requirements.

DISDI Initiatives

DISDI develops geospatial integration tools, helps develop federal standards, and fosters DoD compliance with those standards:

• Geoenabling the Real Property Inventory - In April 2009, the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment) released guidance regarding installation geospatial information and services (IGI&S). A key goal stated in this guidance is to establish a baseline authoritative geospatial feature dataset supporting real property accountability. To achieve this goal, the DISDI Program, through coordination with DoD Components, developed the Defense Site Locations (DSL) dataset. This dataset contains authoritative geospatial point location and boundary data for global DoD installations and bases, which correspond to the sites reported in the Base Structure Report (BSR). The DISDI Portal 2.0 contains the complete DSL dataset.
• DISDI Portal 2.0 - The DISDI Portal 2.0 offers high-level geospatial data, providing strategic maps of installations, along with national contextual data layers to support I&E missions. The DISDI Portal is accessible to DoD staff with a common access card (CAC).
• Army Geospatial Center (AGC) Imagery Office (AIO) - Designated by the DISDI program as a best acquisition practice for the I&E community, AIO acquires commercial satellite imagery to support DISDI's objectives. Searching across classified and unclassified defense and federal networks, AIO reduces redundant acquisitions by ensuring no defense or federal agency has already acquired imagery requested for I&E needs.
• Federal Geospatial Compliance - DISDI represents the DoD business community as a voting member of the Federal Geographic Data Committee Coordination Group, several of its sub-committees, and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) - a federally mandated program seeking to integrate spatial data from multiple sources including federal, state, local, and tribal governments; academia; and the private sector. DISDI also collaborates with NGA to ensure that DoD's business community is compliant with the same standards as the warfighter and intelligence communities.
• Defense Geospatial Compliance - DISDI collaborates with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which is the Department's geospatial functional manager. Specific goals include harmonization of data standards and information architecture in order to foster seamless information sharing across the GIG.
• I&E Geospatial Enterprise Integration - Overseeing the implementation of Spatial Data Standards for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment (see factsheet link below), DISDI collaborates with I&E managers on real property transformation initiatives requiring geospatial data. DISDI is also currently working to more efficiently reconcile DoD's environmental liabilities.

Guidance

• Memorandum from the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations & Environment), Installation Geospatial Information and Services Guidance, April 14, 2009 (PDF, 273KB)
• SDSFIE 3.0 Change Management Process Version 1.0, June 9, 2011 (PDF, 520KB)
• DoD Guidance for the Adaptation of SDSFIE 3.0 Version 1.0, May 11, 2011 (PDF, 251KB)

DISDI Initiative Fact Sheets

• The DISDI Program (PDF, 289KB)
• The DISDI Portal 2.0 (PDF, 2MB)
• Spatial Data Standards for Facilities, Infrastructure and Environment (SDSFIE) 3.0 (PDF, 295KB)
• DISDI Geospatial Metadata Profile (DGMP) (PDF, 337KB)

Public Presentations

Recent presentations by members of the DISDI Program

January 2011

• The DISDI Program: Emerging Priorities and Direction 2011
• Enhancing Strategic Vision: Data Requirement Developments Within Defense IGI&S Communities
• The New SDSFIE: What is Compliance?

July 2011

• New Beginnings, New Interoperability: The DISDI Program 2011
• The DISDI Geospatial Metadata Profile
• DISDI Imagery/Elevation Data Sharing
• SDSFIE 3.0 Data Migration
• DISDI Portfolio Management Initiatives
• DISDI Portal: Current and Future Technical Issues

For additional documents or presentations by members of the DISDI Program, please visit the DISDI Community of Interest site on Geoint Online.

Publications

• Installation Mapping Enables Many Missions Lachman et.al, A study by the RAND Corporation about the benefits of geospatial data sharing.
• Geospatial Champion: Applying Geospatial Technologies to Solve Installation Priorities Donnelly, H., Military Geospatial Technology (Vol. 6, Issue 4). Interview with John C. Williams, former Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations.
• Imagery Acquisition Ally Military Geospatial Technology (Vol. 8, Issue 1).
• Getting Back to Basics and Our Roots Kalinski, A. GPS World. 26 June 2009. Article about the 2009 Defense IGI&S conference in Dallas, TX.
• Mapping Real Property. LaBranche, D. and Schrader, M. The Military Engineer 652. March/April 2008.

Related Links

• DISDI Community of Interest (via GEOINT Online; access-controlled)
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  • Geoint Online
  • Palanterra (access-controlled)
• US Army IGI&S Program (access-controlled)
  • Army Mapper Web Map Viewer 2.5.1 (access-controlled)
  • Army Range Mapper (access-controlled)
  • Army Sustainable Range Program (access-controlled)
  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • CorpsMap (access-controlled)
  • National Levee Database (NLD) (access-controlled)
  • National Inventory of Dams (NID) (access-controlled)
  • Army Geospatial Center Imagery Office (AIO)
  • Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Viewer
• USAF GeoBase Program (via Air Force Portal; access-controlled)
  • USAFGeoBase Viewer (access-controlled)
• USMC GeoFidelis Program
• USN NAVFAC/RSIMS-Georeadiness Program (access-controlled; SSO and RSIMS accounts needed)
• National Guard Bureau
  • Army National Guard
  • Air National Guard
• Washington Headquarters Services (WHS)
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Homeland Infrastructure Foundation Level Data (HIFLD) (access-controlled)

DISDI Community Tools

• DISDI Portal 2.0 (access-controlled)
• DISDI GeoCatalog (access-controlled)
• DISDI Metadata Translation Tool (access-controlled)

Geospatial Information

• Geospatial Information for U.S. Military Installations, Ranges, and Training Areas Updated (2011)

The first annual update of geographic information for major installations, ranges and training areas in the United States and its territories is now available. From this link below, authoritative locations of the most commonly known DoD sites, installations, ranges, and training areas in the United States and territories can be downloaded. This information is the first to integrate site information about DoD installations, training ranges, and land assets in a format which can be immediately put to work in commercial geospatial information systems.

Homeland Security/Homeland Defense, law enforcement, and readiness planners will benefit from immediate access to DoD site location data during emergencies. Land use planning and renewable energy planning will also benefit from use of this data.

NOTE: The point and boundary location datasets are intended for planning purposes only, and do not represent the legal or surveyed land parcel boundaries.

Please examine the release notes to determine if this dataset is suitable for your needs.

Downolad Geospatial Information for U.S. Military Installations, Ranges, and Training Areas (downloadable zipped shapefile 6.5 MB)

• Geodata.Gov (Geospatial One-Stop (GOS))
• Data.Gov
• Map of U.S. Military Installations, Ranges, and Training Areas (JPG 52.3MB) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency maintains a national scale map of the continental United States depicting installations, ranges, and training areas.

Standards

• DGMP (PDF, 337KB)
• SDSFIE
• Geospatial Intelligence Standards Working Group (GWG)
• FGDC