Emerging Impact of Integrated Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) on US Department of Defense Installations

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an application that has been around for decades. Still, its power and applicability to various industries continue to expand as the software becomes more powerful and influential.

GIS leverages mapping capabilities to manage and convey complex information using overlaying data layers that can be added or removed depending on the type of analysis attempted to be displayed – so it is highly flexible and customizable. Markon employees frequently encounter the technology as a planning tool within the Department of Defense market.

Common Use Cases

Military installations can leverage GIS to digitally record all tangible property assets, including buildings, utilities, fence lines, roads, etc.

For facilities managers, it is used to store and maintain attribute data, including size, use type, condition, and other helpful information.

What started as a good business practice of keeping digitized, mapped records of installation physical assets – heaven forbid a historic blueprint of a building gets torn or damaged and there is no longer a record – has now been mandated by federal policy and guidance following a strict set of standards on the type of assets and data that is required to be captured for accurate records keeping.

Benefits and Importance of GIS for the DoD

One of the many benefits of GIS is the ability to create living master plans. The military spends Millions of dollars each year to develop fresh master plans for their installations. The rule of thumb is to generate a new or updated master plan every five years.

Traditionally, these master planning efforts are contracted out for large sums. After a while, that can run anywhere from several months to a couple of years, and the installation receives a hardcopy deliverable in the form of a massive binder. That massive binder often gets shelved and collects dust rarely pulled out for reference.

Using GIS's power, master plans can be generated digitally and amended on the fly, allowing facilities managers to update as necessary and eliminating the need to “reinvent the wheel” with a new plan every five years.

The importance of good military installation management cannot be overstated. Installations are the vehicle from which the military can project its power. If we look at operating forces as the arrow to deliver defensive strategy, the installations are the bow that launches the arrow. GIS plays a critical role in ensuring installations are achieving the necessary capabilities.

Looking Ahead

GIS can be applied to many of Markon’s contracts and would be added value and a strong core competency that could benefit future opportunities. Its applications are endless to analyze, manage, and develop projects and associated data. As we grow as a company, GIS will inevitably become a skillset, whether internally or through partners, that we want to leverage to maximize our potential.