Mapping the Human Terrain

Written by Erin Flynn Jay

GEOSPATIAL AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES HELP THE MILITARY BETTER UNDERSTAND THE
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTS IN WHICH IT OPERATES.

Geospatial and related intelligence technologies are playing a vital role in efforts by the U.S. military
to better understand and integrate social, cultural and other factors in planning and operations.

Among the best known of these are human terrain team (HTT) deployments, which satisfy a
CENTCOM need for an increased cultural awareness capability to help understand the dynamics of
local populations. Embedded human terrain system (HTS) teams provide tactical units a geospatial
understanding of the local population and culture. The teams, which consist of soldiers, social
scientists with advanced academic training and regional experts, are supported by a round-the-
clock Reachback Research Center performing in a tactical-overwatch capacity.

The Army’s highly acclaimed HTS is a new proof-of-concept program—spearheaded by Training

and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)—that serves the joint expeditionary community. According to
published Army strategy, the near-term focus of the HTS program is to improve the military’s
ability to understand the highly complex local sociocultural environment in the areas where they
are deployed. In the long-term, HTS is aimed at helping the military and other agencies gain a better
understanding of foreign countries and regions prior to an engagement within that region.

HTS was developed in response to identified gaps in commanders’ and staffs’ understanding of the
local population and culture, and its impact on operational decisions, as well as poor transfer of
specific socio-cultural knowledge to follow-on units. The HTS approach is to place the expertise and
experience of social scientists and regional experts, coupled with reach-back, open-source research,
directly in support of deployed units engaging in full-spectrum operations.
HTS informs decision-making at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. The HTS program is
the first time that social science research and advising has been done systematically, on a large
scale, and at the brigade level.

All HTS-related data, such as reports, notes, surveys and briefings, and data collected by HTS
organizations from other sources during the course of their research, is voluminous and held in
multiple repositories across open source, NIPRNet and SIPRNet information security domains, said
Colonel Daniel Wolfe, HTS technology director.

“Geospatial referencing of data has been inconsistent due to the limited capability of the software
tools in use,” said Wolfe. “Subsequently, the HTS PMO has made significant steps to improve the
geospatial and temporal aspects of human terrain data as well as the ease of dissemination to all
stakeholders.”

NEW ANALYTIC TOOL

Today, the majority of HTS-produced data resides in SharePoint sites in the open source, NIPRNet
and SIPRNet domains, Wolfe said. SharePoint sites provide a good interim solution for human
terrain system products, but they are numerous, and many are managed by the supported
operational units at the brigade combat team (BCT), division and corps levels. To complement the
SharePoint repositories, human terrain teams are now using a tool called Tactical Ground
Reporting (TIGR) for collection and will soon have a new analytic tool derived from the Distributed
Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) called Mapping the Human Terrain (MAP-HT).

“HTS, through integration with the Joint Training C-IED Operations Center (JTCOIC), is rapidly
moving forward in dramatically improving knowledge management. Improvements include data
collection, defining standard products, improved analytic tools, and establishing a data
management framework with optimized work/data flow for all security domains,” Wolfe said.
“Specifically, DCGS-A Multi-Function WorkStation (MFWS), through the MAP-HT Joint Capability
Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program, is being tailored for HTS analytic use, and the DCGS-A
database is being modified for socialcultural data fields.”

Additionally, the TIGR system has been adopted and modified for data collection and lowest
echelon dissemination of HTS products. A central social-network analysis relational database for
HTS social-cultural data, interoperable with DCGS-A, is also being centrally established at the
JTCOIC Knowledge Center located with TRADOC at the new Oyster Point facility, Newport News, Va.

The JTCOIC Knowledge Center will serve as the focal point for HTS knowledge management,
leveraging the robust operations center as well as co-located information systems such as DCGS-A
and the TIGR Training Network Operations Center. “All SharePoint repositories will collapse on this
site and thus provide consolidated central data management, capability improvements, and system
maintenance. Lastly, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is leading an SME Network
consortium leveraging several national cultural academic institutions as well as recognized experts
in cultural terrain,” Wolfe said. “GTRI is implementing a new, robust open system Website, in the
dot-edu domain, for this vital program element. This venue is expected to stand up in mid-summer.”

MAP-HT is being enhanced, through spiral development, under the JCTD to provide robust analytic
tools and automated DCGS-A interoperability for HTS and civil affairs teams in the NIPRNet domain.
The MAP-HT will be evaluated this summer and then will be provisioned to an HTS team in
Afghanistan for further operational use and assessment. Rapid fielding to all teams will occur in
FY10.

One of MAP-HT’s strongest features, according to Wolfe, is use of the DCGS-A data model known as
TED. This data model is being improved to include civil considerations and social-cultural data
fields using FM-3 Counter-Insurgency Operations doctrine as a guide. DCGS-A implementation is
targeted for version 3.1 to be released in FY09.

TIGR provides HTS a state-of-the-art collection management system for the human terrain teams
that is currently SIPRNet-based via a distributed, low bandwidth client-server architecture with
disconnected operations capability. A complementary system for the NIPRNet domain is also being
provided. As a collection, field reporting and dissemination system, HTS products are instantly
geospatialand time-referenced as well as shared with the lowest echelon BCT customers down to
the company level.

Mirroring system use with the company intelligence support teams in every maneuver company,
the HTS teams will be able to collaborate with lowest echelon tactical soldiers and thus leverage the
concept of “every soldier a sensor.” Interim interoperability with DCGS-A and Combined
Information Data Network Exchange (CIDNE) to support vertical dissemination is already provided.

A substantial amount of HTS data has been developed, Wolfe said, “including over 590 documents
available on our open source site, over 1,600 documents on our NIPRNet site, and over 6,076
documents on our SIPRNet sites.” Significant improvements for geospatial and temporal
referencing of all data are reaching the field now. State-of-the-art analytic tools with automated
interoperability with other critical information management systems such as DCGS are soon to be
fielded. “HTS PMO is committed to rapidly implementing a centrally managed knowledge
management system across all domains that provides product-driven processes, exponentially
improves product dissemination, and ultimately ‘maps the human terrain,’” Wolfe concluded.

OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS

Overwatch Systems Tactical Operations recently became engaged in the development of essential
software capabilities for HTS.

“Army reports point to the stark realization of asymmetric and fourth-generation warfare dynamics
and complexities as the event that spawned HTS into existence,” said William “Lance” Swift, senior
business development manager, intelligence and information systems. “Counterinsurgency
strategists conceived and developed HTS in response to identified gaps in commanders’ and staffs’
understanding of the local population and culture, and their impact on operational decisions across
the battlespace.”

The first HTT was commissioned and deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom in February 2007.
This was followed by HTT deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August 2007.
According to Army reports, as of January 2009, there are 27 HTS teams deployed with brigade
combat teams, regimental combat teams, divisions and corps maneuver elements. Currently, 21
teams are in Iraq, and six teams in Afghanistan. “These deployments satisfy a CENTCOM joint
urgent operational needs statement for an increased cultural-awareness capability to help
understand the dynamics of local populations,” Swift said. “Published reports speak directly to the
HTS-enabled assessments by commanders and staffs and the positive impact the HTS brings to
their decision-making process.”

Embedded HTS teams provide tactical units a unique geospatial understanding of the local
population and culture at the neighborhood and village level.

“Currently, HTTs are working at the BCT level while human terrain analysis teams work at the
division level, and both are routine contributors to the battlefield effects cells,” said Swift. “They
diligently present insightful human terrain observations for analysis and planning considerations.”

Overwatch Systems Tactical Operations was awarded the contract for developing state-of-the-art
software and automation for the purposes of collecting critical socio-cultural data, aggregating that
data, and assisting multifunctional teams in subsequently analyzing the data. The initial capability
will be a MAP-HT toolkit, which is designed to populate and share the human terrain knowledge-
base across the battlespace enterprise. The system will be built in concert with and on the DCGS-A
software baseline.

A combined government team consisting of CENTCOM and the Army Intelligence and Information
Warfare Directorate (I2WD) will provide operational and technical management of the Overwatch
Systems Tactical Operations’ effort. CENTCOM is currently overseeing deployments to both OIF and
OEF.

“Consequently, they are in a unique position to articulate the current operational and technical
requirements for human terrain capabilities. I2WD, on the other hand, is located in New Jersey and
is the home of the project manager for DCGS-A,” Swift said. “This unique blend of technical and
operational management will team with industry to provide a base set of software capabilities to
handle the extremely diverse human terrain environment.”
SOCIO-CULTURAL INFORMATION

Key features of the geospatially focused DCGS-A MAP-HT capability being provided by Overwatch
will include such items as an ESRI-basedw geospatial information system that is standardized
across the Army enterprise. The capability will provide a database augmented with specific
sociocultural objects and an entity extraction capability for tagging narrative and freetext
documents for ingestion into the local database.

“Analytic visualization tools such as temporal analysis, pattern analysis, and link analysis tools will
round out the initial and base deliverable. In subsequent deliveries, or spirals, engineers will target
additional tools for inclusion such as social network analysis, statistical analysis, language
translation and video broadcast translation, to name a few,” Swift said.

The first delivery of MAP-HT capabilities to the field are expected this spring. Once delivered,
officials plan to conduct a limited user assessment (LUA) of the provided capability under real-
world, operational conditions. Lessons learned from this LUA will be gathered and fed to industry
for inclusion in future spirals of the MAP-HT effort. Currently, the goal of the MAP-HT effort is to
transition to DCGS-A as a program of record.

The HTS program is controversial in the anthropology field, because some people feel it is bending
academic study to serve the needs of the military. Some anthropology experts have critically
analyzed HTS and discussed political, ethical and military problems with the system.

BAE Systems is the prime contractor supporting HTS under the auspices of TRADOC. BAE Systems
employees and HTS subcontractors provide commanders in the field with relevant sociocultural
understanding to help meet operational requirements.

Employees in Iraq and Afghanistan advise Army units on critical factors such as local political
systems and tribal structures—understandings that can identify potential flashpoints, help to
reduce violence, and promote peaceful economic and social development, said Scott Fazekas,
director of communications at BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services. The program utilizes
experts from the social science disciplines (including anthropology, sociology and political science)
as well as linguistics, language and regional studies.

“BAE Systems routinely works with the customer to update and implement program goals and
objectives,” said Fazekas. “Moving forward, BAE Systems is committed to supporting our customers
wherever they are. If the men and women of the Armed Forces need our support, we will provide it.
The final end date for the current HTS contract is 2016.” ♦