News 

September 12, 2007

Northrop Grumman Corporation will host an unclassified session of the 2007 RainStorm Users Conference on November 7, 2007 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Destin, Florida. A classified session will be held the following day at the Northrop Grumman facility in Niceville, Florida.

Download the Information Package for directions, hotel information, clearance information and registration form.

The conference is designed to bring together targeteers from around the globe to share targeteering tips and experiences, as well as new ideas relating to RainStorm capabilities. Many new features and enhancements for RainStorm v1.5, released August 2007, will be showcased at this event. RainStorm staff will be available to answer technical questions and provide more information about future RainStorm releases. In addition to the RainStorm staff, Industry Speakers will also be present to discuss precise positioning and the underlying architecture supporting time sensitive requirements of network centric warfare.

The conference agenda has not yet been finalized. If you are interested in speaking at the conference in November, please contact us at:

RainStorm Sales & Support

rainstorm@ngc.com

888-724-6376

Release of RainStorm^® v1.5

RainStorm v1.5, which contains many exciting new features, has been released and forwarded to the RainStorm customer base. A summary of new features and enhancements is listed below.

The 2007 RainStorm Users Conference will be held in Destin, Florida on November 7-8, 2007. A formal announcement with more details will follow.

New Features & Enhancements

·         DEM Generation
DTED® files (up to Level 4) can be generated from stereo imagery.

·         FAST-CD Integration
DMPIs can now be sent to FAST-CD for collateral damage assessment.

·         JADOCS Integration
Using RainStorm's Cursor on Target (CoT) interface, targets can be sent to the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS). Targets appear in the "TST - Dynamic Target List" Manager within JADOCS.

·         Range Ring when creating DMPI
When creating a DMPI, up to two range rings can be simultaneously created at the same point.

·         UTM Format
RainStorm now supports Military Subzone designation as well as the 2-zone traditional designation.

·         Existing R-Sets
If an image contains R-Sets in the same directory, they will be automatically detected and made available for use.

·         Streamlined Mensuration Requests
A "Start" button has been added to the Mensuration Requests dialog that automatically downloads and/or locates imagery and centers the imagery on the reference coordinate.

·         GPS Position display
GPS receivers that output NMEA messages can be read by RainStorm. The current position, as well as positional tracking can be displayed on any open image.

·         Laser Rangefinder
Two popular Laser Rangefinders have been integrated with RainStorm. Coupled with a GPS receiver, the current position and pointed to position can be displayed on any open image.

·         Improved CoT Interface
The ability to receive (as well as send) Cursor on Target (CoT) messages has been added. This functionality has been integrated into the Mensuration Requests dialog and operates much the same as requests sent via the Web Service interface.

·         Use DTED® elevation as default for Go To functions
When a Go To coordinate or Locate function is executed, if the elevation is not specified, the DTED® elevation for that coordinate will be utilized. This is useful in mountainous regions.

·         Customized Toolbar
On the PC platform, the user can now customize the toolbar by adding or removing buttons. Additional toolbar buttons, such as Open by Coordinate, are also now available.

·         Tablet PC support
Additional toolbar buttons, such as raise/lower the cursor are now available for tablet PC users. Additionally, when adjusting the cursor elevation in split screen mode, only the right pane is raised/lowered to make this adjustment easier.

·         Socket API improvements
Two additional functions have been added to the Socket API: SetTargetList() and GetImageInfo().

·         Solaris X support
Solaris X is now supported by RainStorm.

·         TDVisor support
A wearable 3D device called a TDVisor is now a supported stereo viewing device. 

·         Enhanced PowerPoint export
The PowerPoint export now supports a default statement, customizable by an XML file, placed on each slide. 

·         New Installer
A new Installer, based on InstallAnywhere, is used. This installer is much more reliable, flexible and supports installation on Windows Vista. However, RainStorm has not been fully tested on Vista since there are currently no stereo-capable video drivers available for Vista.

·         Multi-band image support
Multi-band images are now supported.

·         Multi-volume DPPDB
When NGA distributes multi-volume DPPDB products on Firewire/USB drives, the directory naming can sometimes be different than the DVD distribution. This new format is now supported by RainStorm.

·         v1.4.1 features added to Solaris
All of the v1.4.1 features listed below that were previously only available on the PC platform have been ported to Solaris. 

October 9, 2006

RainStorm^® Takes Precision Strike To US Army

The Northrop Grumman precision targeting tool RainStorm recently supported the US Army’s Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) demonstration at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona.

Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector is developing a systems architecture and integrating the C-RAM target acquisition, fire control, warning and engagement subsystems. Under a $38 million contract, Northrop Grumman will first deploy a mortar-attack warning capability and install that capability at eight forward operating bases in Iraq. The contract is managed by the Director, Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar in the Army's Program Executive Office, Command Control and Communications Tactical.

C-RAM uses target acquisition sensors, including Firefinder and Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar, to detect and track fired rounds. The AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar system is produced by Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. Once a threat is detected, audio and visual alarms sound to warn exposed soldiers. A fire-control subsystem predicts the mortar's flight path, prioritizes targets, activates the warning system, and provides cueing data to defeat the mortar round while still in the air.

RainStorm was used to generate and pass coordinates electronically to the command and control system and the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) to generate a defensive fire mission. Follow-on demonstrations for RainStorm with the C-RAM system are planned with the goal of making RainStorm a part of the next C-RAM upgrade cycle.

September 29, 2006

RainStorm^® Supports Empire Challenge 06 Exercise

RainStorm personnel recently returned from Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, California, after successfully supporting the Empire Challenge 06 (EC06). The EC06 Exercise is sponsored by U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to demonstrate and evaluate intelligence gathering techniques and procedures for joint and coalition warfighting operations. USJFCOM’s Intelligence Directorate (J2) is working in conjunction with Joint Systems Integration Command (JSIC) and the NGA to identify the baseline capability to support network-enabled joint task force intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. RainStorm, the follow-on to RainDrop, provides precise coordinates from tactical and reference imagery for use in precision guided munitions. RainStorm received tactical imagery from Sarnoff’s TerraSight™ video processing tool using the RainStorm Web Services interface. The precision coordinates generated in RainStorm were then passed along to the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS) using a Cursor on Target (CoT) interface. From JADOCS, the coordinates were forwarded to aircraft and weapon simulators. Thus, the entire targeting process from image acquisition to weapon delivery was accomplished without manually copying files coordinates.

September 25, 2006

Don't miss the opportunity to attend this year's RainStorm Users Conference in Destin, Florida on November 7-8, 2006!! See the Information Package for details.

Also, if you haven't already upgraded from RainDrop to RainStorm...we are offering a special upgrade rate plus annual maintenance to all RainDrop users. If interested, please contact our RainStorm Sales & Support staff for a quote.

RainStorm Sales & Support

rainstorm@ngc.com

888-724-6376

Release of RainStorm^® v1.4.1 (PC update only)

Computer Based Training

A new "QuickStart" Computer Based Training (CBT) is now available on the installation CD and the downloads area of the Web site. This animated training can be viewed in any Flash-capable browser and provides users a quick tour of RainStorm features and capabilities.

New Features & Enhancements

·         CSM 2.0 Support
The  mensuration engine has been updated to support the Community Sensor Model (CSM) 2.0 API.

·         Look Angle
A new rotation option has been added that is based on sensor collection geometry. The image is rotated so that the vertical direction on the ground corresponds with the vertical direction on the display monitor, sometimes referred to as "Up is Up".

·         Continuous Roam
The ability to continuously scroll over an image at variable speeds has been added. Continuous roam is initiated by pressing the Shift button and clicking the left mouse button on the image. The further the cursor is from its starting point, the faster the image will scroll.

·         Image Display Outside of Application Window
Users can now "undock" an image window from the RainStorm application and display it in a separate window. This undocked window can be displayed outside of the RainStorm main window to support a dual monitor configuration.

·         Status Bar Color Warnings
Both the Math model and Zoom level are now highlighted with colors to provide visual clues to the user as to the viability of the current image for point mensuration. Colors represent the optimum conditions for calculating precise coordinates: green is good, yellow means use caution or not advised, and red is not allowed.

·         Product Footprint Enhancement
Diagonal lines have been added to the product footprint box on the world map so the user can identify a missing product in an area of contiguous coverage.

·         Locator Symbol Improvements
The locator symbol displayed after a Go To Coordinate search can now be deleted. The symbol is also now a two tone graphic for enhanced visibility when image contrast/brightness is altered.

·         Search / Go To Coordinate Dialog Improvements
Several changes have been made to the Search / Go To Coordinate dialog to improve efficiency:

·         Multiple File Open
Multiple files may now be opened using the File Open dialog.

·         Recent Session Files
A new option to open a Recent Session file(s) has been added to the File menu below Recent Image and Recent Stereo Pair.

·         Open By Coordinate Enhancements
The Open By Coordinate dialog will now search for Full Resolution imagery, and if that is not loaded, RainStorm will attempt to open the Overview imagery and then the CADRG that contains the corresponding coordinate. Also, the user can now select the desired coordinate system when entering coordinates and change the elevation type and units.

·         Image Footprints Enhancement
A new tool has been added to create an overlay of image footprints for imagery not currently open from user-specified directories.

·         User Preferences Enhancements
A number of user preferences have been added, including the ability to specify the DPPDB Product Catalog. Use of the product catalog allows RainStorm to determine which product is needed in the event of an unsuccessful coordinate search. Another useful preference is the ability to automatically open adjacent segments when the operator scrolls to the edge of the currently viewed segment.

·         Import Excel Dialog improvements
RainStorm can now import additional coordinate system formats from Excel. Also, if no elevation information is imported, the import will attempt to get an elevation from DTED®.

·         Improved Graphical Overlays
The Graphical Overlay tool has been redesigned to be more efficient, and the ability to rename overlays was added.

·         Calculate R-sets Button
If r-sets have not been calculated for an image, there is now a "Calculate R-sets" option at the bottom of the zoom drop down.

Release of RainStorm^® v1.4

New Features & Enhancements

·         Additional Mensuration Techniques
Native support for Community Sensor Models (CSM) has been added. CSMs are plugin components that enable RainStorm to obtain precise coordinates from tactical imagery. CSMs can also be adjusted to obtain more accurate coordinates by registering the image to DPPDB. Mono images, such as NTM imagery, can now be used to obtain coordinates using DTED® as an elevation source.

·         Arrow and Text Graphics
The capability to add independent arrows and text as features to an image has been added.

·         Calculate R-Sets
The capability to generate (and store) and delete image Reduced Resolution Data sets (R-sets) has been added. These R-sets provide faster image zoom and in some cases a greater zoom range.

·         Interim Target Solution (ITS) Export
RainStorm can now save an XML file with specified target data for import into ITS.

·         View Existing Tie Point Data
The option to toggle the display of the currently registered image’s tie points and/or the boundary of the currently registered image’s tie points have been added to the View menu.

·         Excel Import
The ability to import CSV files from a previous RainStorm created file or from another source has been added.

·         Coordinate Bar
A dockable coordinate bar has been added to display current cursor coordinate, elevation, and CE/LE information (formerly displayed in the Status Bar). The status bar displays provides messages concerning the state of current activity; pending mensuration requests, math (geographic) model behind the currently displayed, and magnification and rotation of the current image.

·         Target Files Editor
The Target Files Editor can now import and export XML files in addition to the RCV file format. Other enhancements to the Target Files Editor include manual entry of coordinates and the ability to edit the Weapon Type List.

·         North Up Image Rotation
A new rotation option has been added to orient mono imagery where North is at the top of the window.

·         Contrast Enhancements
New contrast enhancement options have been added, including range-based, percentage-based linear stretch, and histogram equalization.

·         Moveable Mensuration Symbol
The mensuration cursor can now be changed to a mensuration symbol which can be dragged and dropped onto a target to mensurate a new point.

·         Multi-zoom PowerPoint Export
The PowerPoint export is now capable of producing a three slide export in PowerPoint where the image is captured at 100%, 50%, and 25% of the current image window size.

·         Open By Coordinate
A capability similar to RainDrop's New Session->Go To Coordinate allowing the operator to enter a coordinate and press one button to arrive at the target within DPPDB has been added. Using the menu item, the user can enter coordinates and locate and open the appropriate DPPDB full resolution imagery.

·         Segment Boundary Enhancements
Segment boundaries of segments that have not been loaded on the system are now displayed in the Void Area color. A pop up warning dialog has been added when the user attempts to mensurate a point outside the segment boundary. Segment boundaries are now displayed in the Overview Locator window.

·         Target Detail Report Additions
The DPPDB edition number and DPPDB collection date have been added to the Target Detail Report. A warning has also been added to the Target Detail Report if a blunder was detected during the mensuration process.

·         Multiple Product Directory Improvements
If the user has specified multiple directories for their DPPDB products, additional options exist when loading or removing products/segments.

·         NITF Graphics Overlay
If a NITF image contains embedded graphics, an overlay is created to toggle on/off their display.

NGA Validation

RainStorm has been validated by NGA for use with DPPDB and NTM imagery registered to DPPDB. Additional mensuration techniques are being submitted to NGA for validation.

NGA Validates NTM-tied Imagery

RainStorm^® Users Conference a Success

The 2005 RainStorm Users Conference was a huge success with nearly 70 persons in attendance for the two-day event held November 15-16. Conference attendees were treated to presentations from the RainStorm team as well as government and industry representatives during the two day conference. Day one of the conference was held at the Embassy Suites in Destin, FL; day two of the conference was the first event to be held in the Niceville site's newly added conference room (future CWIN) to support classified RainStorm presentations.

The conference was a big hit with attendees and achieved its primary goal of bringing together RainStorm targeteers from around the globe to share their experiences, tips, and new ideas concerning the product's capabilities. Industry speakers were present to discuss precise positioning and the underlying architecture supporting time sensitive requirements of network centric warfare.

The Niceville staff kicked off the conference with briefings and demonstrations of the latest release of RainStorm (v1.3) and the Network Enabled Mission Execution System Integration Software (NEMESIS) project. Representatives from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) provided updates on source data production and tool validation. Air Force representatives provided updates on the future of precision targeting using Community Sensor Models and full-motion video. Targeteers from the US Central Command provided a briefing on the operational use of RainDrop and RainStorm.

Demonstrations highlighted the event helping make the conference upbeat and interesting. The RainStorm team made use of a stereo-capable projector that enabled the audience to view RainStorm demonstrations in the optimal 3-D mode. Users wishing to install RainStorm on their laptops could participate in the network demonstration of NEMESIS where workstations in the audience were tasked with mensuration requests. The RainStorm staff plans to make the conference an annual event in the future.

Release of RainStorm^® v1.3

New Features & Enhancements

·         Auto Tie Points
The ability to automatically locate tie points when registering an image has been added. The Auto Tie function significantly reduces image registration time and produces a more accurate controlled image, thereby reducing the overall mensuration time.

·         Assisted Tie Points
This mode assists an operator locate tie points during the registration process.  

·         Multiple Aimpoint Generation
This feature gives the user a mechanism to drop a series of DMPI's over a geographical area, according to a user-specified strip or pattern.  

·         NITF Reading, Writing, Chipping
RainStorm can now read and export NITF images and chips. Saving images in NITF format, as well as chipping a portion of an image to a NITF file has been added. The ability to "burn in" graphics into the graphics overlay is also supported.

·         Cursor on Target
The RainStorm Cursor on Target (CoT) function gives users the ability to send DMPI coordinates to a user specified server or to save the information in XML format locally.

·         Target Files
RainStorm's Target Files Editor dialog allows the user to import and export tasked target data from any system that generates the targti.rcv ATO file. RainStorm displays target data from the daily ATO on imagery, giving the user a visual representation of the plan. The RainStorm user can use the Target Files Editor to verify targets, confirm accuracy of mensuration, and edit/update as necessary. After updates to the ATO targets data are imported, they can then be exported out across a network as a targti.rcv file to other planning systems that may also require the update. Additionally, RainStorm works with multiple ATOs to support pre-planning activities.

·         Image Search – Speed Improvements
RainStorm now utilizes an image database for the purpose of speeding up the image search capability.

·         Improved Mensuration Engine
The mensuration engine has been redesigned to support DPPDB, NTM Tie, Multiple Mono Image point mensuration techniques.

·         Feature Graphics Improvements
Improvements have been made to the graphical features, including: specifying line thickness, selectable fonts, line types, North arrow placement, and specifying a solid background behind graphics.

·         Polyline/Polygon Interface
The Polyline/Polygon Interface has been improved by drawing the line to the next point when the user moves the mouse. Additionally, the Enter key can be used to accept the feature and the Escape key can be used to discard the last point.

·         Remote Socket Invocation
The Socket API can now access RainStorm running on a different workstation by supplying the IP address of the target machine in the SOCKET32.config file.

·         DDE Support
Drag and drop and DDE support has been added to the Windows version of RainStorm. A user can associate a file type, such as NITF, to automatically open RainStorm when the user double-clicks on a file of that type.

·         Report Warnings in Target Detail Report
All mensuration warnings, such as dropping points on images less than 100% magnification, are now reported in the Target Detail Report.

·         PowerPoint/Excel Options
Additional user options have been added to the PowerPoint/Excel export capabilities. The user will be prompted to select options such as page orientation, colors, font, coordinate format, before the exported file is created.

·         Product Reading Progress
A new progress bar as been added upon startup to display the progress of reading the DPPDB master product files. This is useful when accessing large amounts of DPPDB over network drives.

·         Contrast/Brightness Controls
The contrast/brightness controls have been updated to range from -100% to +100% to provide a better range for multi-byte imagery formats.