Enhanced Softcopy Mapping Software (ESMS)
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.
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.