Introduction: One of the most interesting presentations was about how the U.S. government embraced SVG back in 2000 for use in military applications.  The speaker, Norm Froman from Geotechnologies, Inc., announced that the U.S. government currently is using SVG for all of their Homeland security mapping services around the world.  Primarily they rely on IE 6.x and the latest version of the SVG Viewer from Adobe to view their data as dynamic SVG images.

The Norm Froman's presentation included a number of very interesting demos and screenshots which are not yet available to the public.  When asked about potential security issues the presenter noted that they do not have to worry about security of data on client systems because they are just using a secure worldwide intranet.  None of the databases or websites are made available to the public.  This allows for secure SVG mapping data to be sent to handheld devices in the field around the globe.  The presenter also noted with pride that using SVG mapping technology he can potentially display real-time events that are occurring inside of any building in the world in just four clicks of his mouse.

Here is an excerpt from Mr. Froman's presentation:

SVG in HOMELAND SECURITY and MILITARY APPLICATIONS
The world is increasingly a dangerous place with threats coming from many different groups and from different regions. In order to combat these threats, groups and agencies involved must be able to plan preventative action on a worldwide scale. This requires systems that can integrate many types of data and present it in a logical, easy to use form. In the case of an attack, these agencies must be able to respond quickly and have all the groups involved able to communicate using data from many different sources.

Approximately 2 1/2 years ago, we became aware of a new graphics format that had a good potential of becoming a W3C standard. We started building systems in this new graphics format (SVG) long before it became an official standard. We have been working with a variety of groups to include this technology into the Homeland Security and Military. It is well suited for these types of operations. We have created GIS tools within SVG that could be the future direction of GIS.

Scalable Vector Graphics is well suited to answer these tasks and many others. The system that has be put together by Geotechnologies can input data from AutoCAD, MicroStation, ESRI products, MapInfo and Smallworld, as well as, many others. The system can ingest Space Imaging, DigitalGlobe, and aerial photos and have the analyst working in an AOI within seconds. The XML capabilities allow the access and display of data in virtually any storage format.

When you combine the capabilities listed above with the worldwide set of detailed SVG country maps created by Geotechnologies, it becomes a powerful system to assist in combating the threat of terrorism, throughout the world. The user can be operating on maps or imagery in any country of the world within about 3-4 mouse clicks. The user can make use of a powerful set of analysis tools that have been created for many different functions. In addition to the world map set, Geotechnologies has created over 30 very accurate map layers over the complete US. Various point data sets can be used at any level, from the world level to the county level and below.

Considering all the advanced capabilities, SVG provides an excellent vehicle for the war on terrorism and any military action that would be required.

About the Author
Jon Frost is a contributing columnist to Directions Magazine. Mr. Frost  has authored a new book on SVG technology entitled " Learn Svg: The Web Graphics Standard"; more information about the book can be found here.