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Geographical information

Presentation

    Since a strong long time, the knowledge of the natural environment and artificial of a battle field constitutes one of the most important factors in the process of decision-making aid.

    So geographical information has a decisive influence on the organization, the equipment, the drive and the logistic requirements of the various forces.

    Consequently, it contributes to the planning of military operations, the choices of the tactics to be used and the feasibility of the various military strategies.

Geographical information and its role in modern military operations

    Nowadays, geographical information is defined initially as a science, in the broad sense, relation between the medium and the man in order to provide a comprehensive view of the mission of the soldier. Geographical information proves essential to control all the factors of action on the ground in operations become inter-forces and multinational, employing new systems of weapons.

    Geographical information is not solely used to make the war. It is essential, through the knowledge of the ground, for example the culture and involved populations, within the framework of maintenance missions of peace and application of the international agreements. The design of the geography is not limited to a theoretical analysis. It is also used for an immediate and pragmatic use. Its relationship with the operational tactics and the strategy is indissociable any art of warfare is conceived in a space dimension.

    Geographical information constitutes the base of the thought and of the military action it gives a support for the information which it proposes, a decision-making aid and a support with the forces in operation.

Geographical information within the National Popular Army

    The development of the activities of geographical information within the National Popular Army led to creation, in 1994, of the Geographical Service and Remote-sensing of the National Popular Army, by Order in Council n°94-96. This action aimed to ensure the assumption of responsibility of the needs for the National Popular Army cartography general manner to support the body of battle in geographical information and géospatiales, qualified personnel, formation, specific work, regulation of the use of the geographical data and finally for the development and the integration of new technologies in the production process of information and the information geographical necessary to the use of the forces.

Missions of the Geographical Service and Remote-sensing of the National Popular Army

  • To meet the needs for the National Popular Army in cartographic documents and geographical information ;
  • On the basis of orientation of the High command, prepares the general plans of development, equipment and formation in the fields of geographical information and the remote-sensing ;
  • Coordinate and directs the activities of the various geographical bodies of the National Popular Army and ensures the cooperation with the national bodies in the spheres of activities which have an interest for national defense ;
  • Establishment of the standards of realization and conservation of the cartographic documents of military use. It delivers moreover, the authorizations of work concerning all the cartographic documents relating to the national territory realized by the military or civil organizations ;
  • Control the surveys geodetic, topographic, hydrographic, the air photographic covers and all other shapes of collections of relative data to the physical environment of the national territory and its territorial water carried out by or with foreign organizations;
  • As regards remote-sensing, in addition to the military needs, controls the civil activities on the national territory and delivers all authorizations necessary to it related ;
  • The introduction and the evaluation of new technologies in the fields of the geography and remote-sensing soldiers ;
  • In connection with the structures concerned, takes part in the development of the training programs in the geographical information sciences exempted by the establishments of formation of the National popular army, the application follows and takes care from there of their actualization ;
  • Follows the training of the military personnel specialized in the geographical information sciences and day before to their adequate employment and their improvement ;
  • Development of the relative files to the land borders and maritime of the national territory and its territories waters.

    •     For the execution of the know-evoked missions and in addition to its central components, the Geographical Service and Remote-sensing of the National Popular Army is pressed on the two following decentralized bodies:

    1-The National Institute of Cartographic and Remote-sensing

        It's a public corporation with character industrial and Commercial concerning economic sector of the Ministry for National Defense.

        It was created in 1967 and it has as main missions the production, the collection, the research and the development, the conservation and geographical information circulation.

        It brings its contest to the various administrations, communities and public agencies and private.

        In addition, the National Institute of Cartography and Remote-sensing acted in the capacity as expert in work of demarcation of the national borders.

        The National Institute of Cartography and Remote-sensing has three Regional Establishments of Cartography and Remote-sensing located at Oran, Constantine and Ouargla enabling him to consolidate its presence on the whole of the national territory and consequently to ensure a proximity near the users.

    2- The Remote Sensing Satellites Exploitation National Center

        It was created in 2008, it is an establishment of geographical production military and information of satellite origin image of interest of Defense.

        For the execution of its missions, the Center is articulated around a control station, control and reception of the satellite imagery established in Ouargla and production structures established in Algiers.

        It is also conferred on this Center, within the framework of the National Space program, an important role in its capacity as infrastructure ground for the ordering and reception, assumption of responsibility and control, of the Algerian satellite constellation of remote-sensing.

        It should be noted that the Geographical Service and Remote-sensing of the National Popular Army coordinates and directs the activities of the geographical information of the geographical services of the various bodies of the National Popular Army following the example Hydrographic Service of the Naval Forces and the Cartographic Cell of the Command of the Air Forces.

        The implementation of the development policy of Géospatiale Information within the National Popular Army resulted in a whole of activities aiming at the control of this information, its promotion and the improvement of the techniques corresponding to its use. These activities are covered, for their majority, of a national dimension, even international, and require a treatment within a multisector framework.

        In this context, the National Popular Army, through the Geographical Service and Remote sensing of the National Popular Army, takes an active part and in close cooperation with the Algerian Space Agency in the design and the implementation of the national policy of promotion and development of the space activity on the plans technological, scientific and application which met the national needs for global development and durable, with the requirement of reduction of the expenditure and mobilization of the whole of the national potentialities as well as an appropriation of the knowledge to make which allows us a stamping partial of the foreign dependence.





    3-National Council of Geographical Information

        Because of the important place that the services of the National Popular Army in the field of geographical information in Algeria occupy, the Ministry for National Defense strongly supported the national political will to print a dynamics in the knowledge and the diffusion of the means of geographical data processing. This will was translated by creation, in 1996, of the National Council of Geographical Information.

        The National Council of Geographical Information is a consultative body of studies, orientation, coordination, proposal and information placed near the Minister for National Defense. He is the instrument of council of the Algerian government as regards national policy of geographical information.