Tools for Simulating Terrain Data

This research develops an innovative tool that can simulate terrain data to 1) support evaluations of the impact of terrain data fidelity on military system performance, and 2) evaluate data quality requirements for terrain data used in military applications. The research develops probabilistic models of the relationships between geographic features, and models for terrain data quality attributes and metrics, to include positional accuracy, resolution, feature accuracy, feature attribute accuracy, completeness, consistency and currency. Algorithms are implemented that use the statistical models to generate simulated terrain data sets with known errors and uncertainties, and to simulate sets of consistent high resolution terrain features to populate simulated terrain datasets to match specified geographic attributes. The terrain product simulator software module that implements the algorithms will work with ERDAS, a commercial Geographic Information System. Use of the terrain product simulator will enable developers to scientifically evaluate the tradeoffs between 1) terrain data quality and 2) performance of tactical decision aids, decision support software, and command and control software that depend on terrain data.