Enhanced Softcopy Mapping Software (ESMS) is a high speed toolkit for use by those with time critical data. ESMS is the third generation of the SMS product line that includes both SMS and SMS+. ESMS was a complete overhaul of SMS+ to allow for 24-bit color at 8-bit color speeds.

ESMS is the third generation of the SMS product line which includes SMS and SMS+. In the case of SMS, the original IR&D product was developed as a discriminator for the competitive award of the Air Force U-2 Directorate Ground Control Processing System procurement in the early 1980's. That product evolved into a true COTS product by the mid 1990's. SMS, which started as a government-tailored product for GCP applications, has now become the COTS ESMS commercial product. To accomplish this true technology insertion, there was a period where separate software baselines for commercial use and government use were maintained. As the commercial product grew, it incorporated both commercial requirements and government requirements. The resulting SMS COTS product satisfied or exceeded both sets of requirements. Today, ESMS is streching the product line to perform at SMS super high speeds while enhancing to use 24-bit color instead of 8-bit color.

Softcopy Mapping System (SMS)

Developed initially in 1981, the Softcopy Mapping System (SMS), an ESMS predecessor, was targeted to become a premier mapping element for support of Command and Control, Intelligence and Weather Systems. SMS was originally developed as and IR&D product by Lockheed Missiles & Space Company in Sunnyvale, CA. (LMSC). In early 1982, LMSC transferred Command, Control & Information (C3I) Operations to the newly formed Lockheed Austin Division (LAD). Included in this relocation was the active Air Force U-2 Directorate's contract for ELINT Ground Processing. Since the newly developed SMS Application and Toolkit was an integral part of the Lockheed C3I product base, responsibility for SMS products was transferred to LAD. During the ensuing 12 years, the SMS product was enhanced and maintained as the core geospatial mapping product for C3I Government Agency programs and products. The primary U.S. Government customer was and still is the Intelligence Community.

Commercial SMS & SMS+

In early 1991, Lockheed initiated a Commercial Products Group with the intent of developing commercial products that had their foundation in proven Government Systems. The first Commercial products targeted were Weather and Environmental Systems because these met the requirements of non-traditional DoD customers. The geospatial toolkit used in these products was the SMS. In the years that followed several million dollars of additional IR&D investments continued commercialization of the product and it became SMS+. In 1996 the Commercial SMS baseline had been developed and was fully integrated into all existing U.S. Government systems using the original SMS package. This was the achievement of a milestone established in early 1990 to eventually provide a complete COTS geospatial mapping toolkit for all applications.

In 1996 LMSC, now Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Co. (LMMS), transferred its C3I Operations to Littleton, CO under their newly formed Data Development & Dissemination (D3) Organization. Included in the move was the Commercial Business Unit (CBU) which included the entire suite of the LAD developed COTS products that were supporting both Government and Commercial customers. During the same period, additional IR&D funding was allocated to the CBU to continue to convert products to COTS applications.

IPSM Acquires SMS/SMS+

In 1996 Lockheed Martin made a business decision to divest the CBU along with the Intellectual Property that had been developed by Lockheed over the previous twenty years. Recognizing the value of the millions of dollars of prior development, Information Processing Systems of California (IPSC), purchased the products being divested. IPSC was and still is a privately owned small company that manufactures hardware rack systems, satellite ground stations and other sensor related support products. In order for IPSC to segregate the previous LM products from the California operations, IPS MeteoStar (IPSM) was formed. MeteoStar™ was the registered trademark of the Lockheed suite of products transferred to the new company. At the time of sale, IPSC understood a key element for IPSM future success was the workforce that developed, maintained and produced the MeteoStar™ suite of products, and these people were hired to run IPSM.

Dr. Jim Hatch, IPSM's former president, and his staff had the vision to fully exploit the potential of the MeteoStar line of products. Dr. Hatch negotiated an agreement with IPS that would allow IPSM to pursue the original vision for the products without the burden of the Lockheed Martin infrastructure. At the time of start-up in 1997, IPSM inherited over $2,000,000 in existing active contract effort. Since that time Dr. Hatch and IPSM have not looked back and the company has continued to grow and prosper, doubling in size each year. IPSM now has four core business elements: Meteorological Systems, Geospatial Mapping Software, Environmental Monitoring Systems, and the development and distribution of complex web-based weather products. All of the IPSM products are software intensive and thus IPSM proved it understood how to build and maintain quality software that meets customer needs. IPSM also understands how meet complex software deadlines, since we do this on a daily basis.

The SMS product has undergone significant evolution since coming to IPSM. Recognizing in early 1999 that existing mapping applications and toolkits could be improved to better meet users' needs for speed, flexibility, and reliability, IPSM began to infuse additional IR&D funding to meet user requests.

ESMS

In early 2000 the Navy selected the Lockheed Martin Ground Control Processing System (GCP) as the airborne solution for the EP-3 JMOD program. Raytheon Indianapolis was selected as the Prime Contractor, with Lockheed Martin as the subcontractor responsible for the conversion of the Air Force GCP System to an Airborne EP-3 platform. During the Navy evaluation phase of the GCP product conversion, the Navy recognized the need to modify and enhance the SMS element for EP-3 application. As a result, IPSM received a contract from the Navy to enhance SMS commercial product capability. A key requirement levied on IPSM was that existing SMS API's not change. Enhanced SMS (ESMS) Beta versions were subsequently released to Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for testing and verification of API's.

As a result of IPSM IR&D efforts, and the Navy contract for improved capability, the Enhanced Softcopy Mapping System (ESMS) was introduced in Spring 2001. ESMS was a complete rewrite of the SMS+ internal processing to allow for processing 24-bit color at SMS+ 8-bit color speed. The rewrite of ESMS has made the code ANSI compliant and has made the software dramatically more maintainable. During testing it was determined that ESMS could create, manage and display objects many times faster that SMS+.

ESMS was also enhanced over SMS+ to allow better handling and display of imagery data. ESMS continues to maintain the freedom of reading map data on the fly in any part of the world based on resolution settings. With ESMS version 3.3 the imagery in ESMS is not only stored and used based on location and resolution but also based on time. ESMS, therefore, can allow the operator to continue to use the latest imagery but can also retain imagery from 10 minutes ago, an hour ago, yesterday or last year.