Environmental Data Coding Specification Overview:

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Environmental Data Coding Specification Overview

• Classifications and Features,Attributes and
  Values, and States
• http//www.sedris.org/edcs.htm
• also
• 99S-SIW-011 SEDRIS Data Coding Standard (SDCS)

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All Environmental Domains
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An Environmental Data Coding Specification ...

• Unifies characterizations of environmental
  things
• Regardless of how represented --
• Feature or Geometry or Data Table or Model or ...
  
• Whether individual primitives or structured
  collections of primitives
• Furniture vs. Room vs. Building vs. Facility vs.
  Region
• Separates enumerations from Data Representation
  Models
• Evolve at different rates for different reasons
• Allows better leverage of (and coordination with)
  external standards
• Its a big world to capture (think of the DIS EBV
  document )
• Answers three types of questions
• 1. What is it?
• ? EDCS Classification Code (ECC)
• 2. What are its additional clarifying
  characteristics?
• ? EDCS Attribute Code (EAC)
• 3. How does it deviate from normality?
• ? EDCS State Code (ESC)

Characteristic Measures ? EDCS Unit Codes
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ECC Classifications (and Features)
1. What is it? building, river/stream, air
warning light, ocean floor
Animal?
Vegetable?
Water?
Mineral?
Weather?
Vehicle?
Structure?
Celestial?
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EAC Attributes (and Values)
1. What is it? building, river/stream, air
warning light, ocean floor
2. Additional clarifying characteristics? lighth
ouse, 1.5m, red, coral
Vegetation Type?
Overhead Clearance?
Building Function?
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ESC States
1. What is it? building, river/stream, air
warning light, ocean floor
2. Additional clarifying characteristics? lighth
ouse, 1.5m, red, coral
3. How does it deviate from normality? 30
damage, 5.5m, switched off, dead coral
Open? Locked?
Lit?
Damaged?
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The EDCS Pieces

• Classification / Feature Codes (ECC)
• What is it? (building, river/stream, )
• Attribute Codes (EAC)
• What are its additional clarifying
  characteristics? (lighthouse, depth, )
• State Codes (ESC)
• How does it deviate from normality? (damaged,
  flooding, )
• Units
• A precisely specified quantity in terms of which
  the magnitudes of other quantities of the same
  kind can be stated. (meters, pascals, )
• Used to specify the values of attributes and
  states
• Default representations
• Datatype (32 bit unsigned integer, 64 bit
  floating point, ...)
• Range (minimum and maximum values) (0, 100, )
• Significance and Tolerance (3 digits, 0.1, )
• Number of Characters (if string) (8, )

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Classification Codes (ECC)

• Shallow Hierarchy 5 character encoding (2 alpha,
  3 numeric)
• Category (e.g., Culture, Hydrography,
  Physiography, Vegetation, )
• EDCS currently adds three additional (M Mobile,
  O Ocean, W Weather)
• Subcategory
• E.g., Ocean - Acoustic, Biologic, Floor, Surface,
  Volume, Abstract
• Items
• E.g., Building, Tree, HMMWV, UV Wind, Ocean
  Profile
• Coding style consistent with DIGEST approach
• AQ041 Engineering Bridge
• A temporary structure spanning and providing
  passage over a body of water, depression, or
  other obstacles.
• MC000 Mobile Military Land Feature
• An unspecified mixture of mobile military land
  features requiring elaboration or separation into
  individual features due to status/type grouping
  that is currently indeterminable. A mobile
  military land feature operates only on land.
• OS010 Ocean Surface Area
• An area of the ocean surface.

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Example ECC Vegetation
EA010 Cropland EA020 Hedgerow EA030 Nursery EA031
Botanical Garden EA040 Orchard/Plantation EA050 Vi
neyards EA055 Hops EB010 Grassland EB015 Grass/Sc
rub/Brush EB020 Scrub/Brush/Bush EB030 Land
Use/Land Cover (Vegetation)
EC010 Bamboo/Cane EC015 Forest EC020 Oasis EC030 T
rees EC040 Cleared Way/Cut Line/Firebreak EE000 M
iscellaneous Vegetation EE010 Logging
Area EE020 Land Devoid of Vegetation EE100 Vegetat
ion
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Example ECC Mobile
Work in Progress
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Attribute Codes (EAC)

• Departed from DIGEST approach
• Larger name-space (four characters instead of
  three)
• Addition of shallow organization (e.g., grouped
  by type - wind)
• Leverages/extends DIGEST lexicographic ordering
• Explicit separation of semantics from
  representation
• Units (e.g., SI), Datatype, Range, Increment,
  Number of Characters
• Non-hierarchical 4 character encoding (2-3
  alpha, 1-2 numeric)
• Codes generally based on mnemonic abbreviations,
  e.g.
• BFC_ Building Function Category
• Type or purpose of the building.
• HGT_ Height Above Surface Level
• Distance measured from the lowest point of the
  base at ground or waterlevel (downhill
  side/downstream side) to the tallest point of the
  feature.
• STGJ Surface Trafficability Group (JSIMS Mobility
  Model)
• The index used ... to describe the
  trafficability of a terrain unit with respectto
  ground forces.

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Example EAC Sediment
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Example EAC River/Stream Banks
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Example EAC Waves
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Example EAC Wind
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Example EAC Radiation
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Example EAC Ionospheric Scintillation
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State Codes (ESC)

• Handled as an explicit subset of the Attribute
  Codes
• Allows for states to be used just like any
  other attribute
• Delimits EAC subset allowed for use in
  State-Related organizations
• Examples
• DMAN Damage, Maneuver
• The extent of physical injury/damage to the
  capability to maneuver (e.g. mobility,
  propulsion), in terms of percent degradation from
  a fully capable state.
• LIFR Lights, Formation/Running
• The percent of maximum intensity of external
  lighting used to maintain spatial relationships
  with/by vehicles also known as tail lights.
• PAPR Position, Antenna - Primary
• The position of the primary antenna in terms of
  percent deployment from a fully stowed/retracted
  state.
• PDSE Position, Door - Secondary
• The position of the secondary door in terms of
  percent opening from a fully closed state, where
  100 represents, e.g., a 90 degree rotation from
  the initial position.

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Example ESC Lights
ESC
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Example ESC Position / Posture
ESC
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Units

• Observed problem in related specifications (e.g.,
  DIGEST)
• Unit specification gets bound into attribute
  code
• Leads to alternative codes for the same thing
• LEN_ Length/Diameter 32 bit integer
• YLN_ Length of Greater Precision 32 bit floating
  point
• EDCS adopts the International System of Units
  (SI)
• Ref http//physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/index.html
  
• Defines
• Seven SI base units
• SI derived units
• SI supplemental units (radian and steradian)
• SI scaled units based on standard prefixes
• SI associated units outside the SI, but are
  important and widely used
• Temporary units outside the SI but currently
  accepted for use with the SI by NIST. Their
  continued use is not encouraged.
• EDCS is currently migrating to full SI compliance
  in this area
• Will allow only units of the correct category
  to apply to each EAC

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The Mapping Problem
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Mappings for Government Products

• DIGEST FACC Edition 2.0a (2-99)
• EDCS is currently an exact superset therefore
  mapping is 11
• Covers all NIMA VPF-based vector products
• DNC, VITD, VMAP-series, FFD, MSDS, ...
• Covers all DIGEST-compliant VRF-based products
• DFAD (Digital Feature Analysis Data)
• Covers all DFAD features and attribution
• Maps FIDs to ECC plus zero or more SACs with
  values
• Based on NIMA original mapping designed for
  future DFAD-replacement product to be coded using
  FACC
• EDCS allows additional data coding flexibility
• SEDRIS Project goal of loss-less exchange
  requires fixing dropouts
• Starting point for in-house coding standards
  for most IG-oriented database developers (and
  commercial products)
• DTED (Digital Terrain Elevation Data)
• Covers all NIMA DTED Levels

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Mappings for a Commercial Product

• Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT)
• Originally used unique extensions of SIF known as
  SIF
• Incorporated ad hoc FACS and attribute codes as
  supported by SIF
• Some codes had to be re-mapped by consuming
  applications into usable values (by using
  ancillary, private files)
• Goal was to migrate to SEDRIS and adopt full use
  of EDCS
• No private mappings or definitions
• Maximize semantics visible in the SEDRIS
  transmittal
• Required access to both SIF and ancillary files
• Developed explicit mapping for vendor features
  including some ECC extensions
• Maps vendor ID to ECC plus one or more EACs with
  values
• Developed replacement for vendor MCT attribute
  -- mapped to
• SMC_, MCC_, MCS_, CCC_, SWC_, STP_, VEG_, DW1_
• STGC (mobility index)
• STV_, STVM (thermal values)

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Mappings for a Public Standard

• IEEE 1278.1 (DIS Standard)
• Has associated enumerations document (separately
  maintained)
• Enumeration and Bit Encoded Values for Use with
  Protocols for Distributed Interactive Simulation
  Applications IST-CF-99-04
• Standard scheme in wide use to identify 3D Models
  of entities
• Basis for equivalent HLA RPR-FOM scheme
• Unambiguous runtime use incomplete for
  pre-simulation use
• 3D Model exchange currently heavily based on
  free text naming without community standard
• Doesnt adequately cover non-mobile entities or
  structures
• Goal is to map EBV to SEDRIS and adopt full use
  of EDCS
• Maximize semantics visible in the SEDRIS
  transmittal
• Generalize binary and simple bit-values to
  continuous valued
• Generalize across classes of vehicles (ground,
  air, water)
• Include components/subcomponents (tank gun,
  turret, hull)
• Will provide broad-scope naming scheme for 3D
  Modelers

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Mapping the Bit-Values (1 of 2)
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Mapping the Bit-Values (2 of 2)
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EDCS - Practical Matters

• Managed as an integrated multi-table Access 97
  database
• Relationally linked to tables incorporating
  external standards
• DIGEST FACC Edition 2.0a
• JMCDM (as of 8-11-98)
• IEEE 1278.1-associated enumerations (EBV
  document)
• Enforced constraint checking, version control
• 7 MB in size (exclusive of external standards
  tables)
• Automated support for derivative
  documentation/files
• Direct generation of code files to support SEDRIS
  ANSI C API
• On-line documentation of standard code
  constants
• Improves readability, reduces software coding
  errors
• Easily modified to support other target languages
  (e.g. Java, Ada95)
• Size compared to DIGEST FACC Edition 2.0a
• ECC 750 items (50 larger)
• EAC 1400 items (300 larger) - includes 18,000
  enumerations
• ESC 45 items (no equivalent in DIGEST)

Sizes represent estimates for next EDCS
release