Videographic GIS database documentation project for Ft. Knox, Kentucky: Planning and process

Abstract

The Geographic Resource Analysis Support System (GRASS), a geographic information system (GIS), has been fielded at approximately 50 US Army training installations as a land-management decision-making tool. Use of the GRASS GIS requires the compilation of numerous digital maps of environmental parameters, including elevation, soils, and hydrography. One of the uses of the GRASS GIS is to create digital graphic images that portray geographic data. A recently emerging technology called computer videographics can be used to graphically enhance GRASS-generated images, thereby creating new ways to visualize GRASS analysis results. Furthermore, videographic tools can be used to convert GRASS images into standard graphic file formats that can be displayed on low-cost personal computers, using inexpensive application software to view the images. The pilot project described in this report demonstrated the capability of videographic tools to enhance GRASS imagery through improved graphic visualization (including three-dimensional visualization) and enhanced labeling. The project also developed self-running demonstrations of GRASS imagery from Ft. Knox, Kentucky, on DOS- and Macintosh-compatible diskettes, using low-cost slide-show software to display the images.