Legal Definitions - National Imaging and Mapping Agency

The National Imaging and Mapping Agency (NIMA) was a specialized unit within the U.S. Department of Defense. Its primary role was to provide the United States armed forces and intelligence community with precise, current, and reliable geospatial information. This information typically included detailed maps, aerial and satellite photographs, and navigational charts, all crucial for planning and executing military operations and intelligence activities.

• Military Deployment Planning: Before a ground force deployment into a new region, military strategists require comprehensive maps detailing terrain elevation, road networks, and potential obstacles. NIMA would have supplied these planners with up-to-date topographical maps and high-resolution satellite imagery of the target area, enabling them to plot safe routes and identify strategic points.

  This illustrates NIMA's function by showing how it provided critical geospatial data (maps, imagery) directly to the armed forces for operational planning.

• Intelligence Surveillance: An intelligence analyst might need to monitor construction progress at a suspected foreign military facility over several months. NIMA would have provided a series of updated satellite images of the site, allowing the analyst to track changes, identify new structures, and assess the facility's capabilities.

  This example demonstrates NIMA's role in supplying intelligence officers with current geospatial information (photographs) for ongoing surveillance and analysis.

• Naval Navigation and Submarine Operations: A U.S. Navy submarine preparing to operate in previously uncharted or unfamiliar international waters would need extremely accurate nautical charts and bathymetric data (underwater topography). NIMA was responsible for creating and updating these specialized charts, ensuring the submarine could navigate safely and effectively beneath the surface.

  Here, NIMA's contribution of precise charts and geospatial data for naval forces highlights its support for complex military operations across different domains.