Tactical graphics description language

Abstract

Military tactical graphics are used to visualize and plan various command and control features on a tactical map. MIL-STD-2525 and APP-6 series standards make definition of tactical graphics. Since hundreds of complex tactical graphics are defined in standards, a sophisticated design approach is needed in order to achieve a successful software library implementation. A domain specific language named TGDL (Tactical Graphic Description Language) is proposed in this work and implemented on a desktop and web map software to define tactical graphics. This paper introduces TGDL and design approach to implement tactical graphics as a software library. TGDL effectiveness is also analyzed by using tools and metrics.