Estimating Geometric Intervisibility to the Aerial Layer with Military Applications
Abstract
Terrain affects air maneuver and defense by creating covered and concealed routes based on the geometry of an area. Tactical flight and air defense planning both depend on understanding terrain and the associated effects of altitude, airspeed, and potential countermeasures. This research developed methods to characterize the level of exposure throughout the aerial layer in a given terrain and derived two exposure metrics from geometric intervisibility calculations conducted at scale. We compare the information provided by each metric along with the computational costs for a given terrain size. This research developed a methodology to characterize the level of exposure in a given terrain and demonstrates proof of principle application of the developed data to inform routing and site selection problems encountered by military planners. Methods exist to characterize the exposure to ground visibility along a user-defined route at a single altitude, but methods to characterize the level of exposure for an entire terrain box are not readily available.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 19, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1075106
Entities
People
- James Jablonski
- Jonathan Alt