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6. INFORMATION HIGHWAY 
There is a need to provide a wide range of information services to meet the emerging 
more sophisticated user and intelligent real time broadband networks. This ranges 
from a single workstation to netted servers and distributed processing. Ever 
increasing band widths and massively parallel computing will push geospatial data 
producers to react quickly to this important infrastructure initiative. Geospatial 
architectures should be open and easily accessible. Some of the pioneering work in 
this area has been done by the Open GIS Foundation with the Open GIS Concept. 
7. USER ACCESSIBLE DATABASES 
Today we organize geospatial data into products, but this may not meet or solve a 
users systems decisions effectively. For example, any standard dataset consisting of 
predefined features and attributes organized in structured thematic layers may not be 
what a user needs to make an informed decision. This is a similar situation to more 
traditional paper maps and charts where content and presentation were 
predetermined. A partial solution to this dilemma is used in NATO by following a 
layered data base approach where a mix and match philosophy creates various data 
sets for particular applications, such as transportation and logistics or terrain analysis. 
Geospatial data bases of the future must be more user accessible. Several significant 
research and development projects are underway to ensure that users needs are 
addressed. These projects include extensions to DIGEST to address expanded 
requirement for raster products both facsimiles of existing maps and charts, but also 
multispectral and grey scale geocoded satellite images. As the size of geospatial data 
bases grow with logarithmic rates, so must the means to load and retrieve them 
efficiently. Work is underway to extend the relational DBMS using HH coding and the 
new ISO SQL extensions. Both of these efforts will be incorporated as part of a major 
new release of DIGEST by 1996. The other crucial area of development is in the area 
of standard open system tool boxes which will provide users and integrators with the 
tools they need. Research is also ongoing in multiscale - multiproduct data bases 
which will then allow users the full flexibility they need to carry out their mission. It 
is envisioned that we will produce in the next several years a variety of DIGEST 
products such as Vector Smart Map (VMap), Digital Nautical Chart (DNC), and Arc 
Digital Raster Graphics (ADRG) of various resolutions over the same geospatial extent 
on the same standard media. 
8. CONCLUSION 
Without a doubt we are in exciting times where the pace of change is revolutionary, 
not evolutionary. The challenge remains to cope with today, envision the future, and 
plan for an orderly and responsive transition. 
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