G Models are a method for representing the elevation of the earth's surface that provide significant advantages over the conventional matrix form used in Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED). Avionic systems as well as many other applications make extensive use of DTED. Tests performed in Phase I showed that G Models used less storage space and required less computation time for intervisibility plots and position fixing than did DTED. The Phase I suggests that operations that require searching through the data, such as terrain avoidance and finding asmooth landing area, may benefit even more. This is due to two factors -- G Models involve less data and the data is in a form that represents the structure of the terrain. The goal of Phase II is to move G Model technology from its current state of demonstrated feasibility to actual utilization by the Air Force. The specific objectives of Phase II include obtaining performance improvement data for terrain avoidance, and evaluation of the operational aspects of the use of G Models and the development of software tools to facilitate the use of G model data in applications.
Keywords: AVIONICS DTED ELEVATION DATA COMPRESSION STRUCTURE COMPUTATION G MODEL SPEED
