13 Jun 2025

Enhanced Route Reconnaissance—Generation 1

Abstract: The movement of soldiers and materiel across battlespace is critical to a successful military operation. Knowledge of the road network condition ensures safe and successful vehicle maneuver. This research focused on remote assessment of poor-quality paved road networks for vehicle maneuver using data products derived from three-dimensional point clouds. Point clouds were generated from lidar sensors deployed from ground and airborne platforms to enable engineering analysis of the pavement surface. A series of algorithms developed to extract roughness, grade, radius of curvature, and width along the road network ensured storage of information for graphical display. A vehicle speed lookup table was calculated by conducting computer simulations using the NATO Reference Mobility Model over a range of road parameters. The lookup table enabled determination of the maximum allowable speed for a given vehicle type associated with the extracted road parameters. A graphical interface, developed for displaying the percentage speed reduction as either red, amber, or green squares along the road network, provided visual assessments of road condition. This report summarizes developing a software suite to calculate and visualize speed reduction over a road network as a function of route geometry, condition, and vehicle type. The interface developed can aid in critical logistical decisions that influence the success of military maneuver operations.

28 Nov 2022

Cross Country Mobility (CCM) Modeling Using Triangulated Irregular Networks (TIN)

Abstract: Cross country mobility (CCM) models terrain that has insufficient or unavailable infrastructure for crossing. This historically has been done with either hand-drawn and estimated maps or with raster-based terrain analysis, both of which have their own strengths and weaknesses. In this report the authors explore the possibility of using triangulated irregular networks (TINs) as a means of representing terrain characteristics used in CCM and discuss the possibilities of using such networks for routing capabilities in lieu of a traditional road-based network. The factors used to calculate CCM are modified from previous methods to capture a more accurate measurement of terrain characteristics. Using a TIN to store and represent CCM information achieves comparable results to raster cost analysis with the additional benefits of an integrated network useful for visualization and routing and a reduction in the number of related files. Additionally, TINs can in some cases more accurately show the contours of the landscape and reveal feature details or impediments that may be lost within a raster, thus improving the quality of CCM overlays.