COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR THE AP3 STEREO PLOTTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B04747A001700030001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 6, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 27, 1966
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2001/08/13 :CIA-RDP78B04747A001700030001-0
Declass Review by NIMA / DoD
Ts-159675-66
27 January 1866
Copy
i~:~;~ CP~'~V~DL'M FOR: Chief, Technical int~~lli~cnce Division, N1.'IC
i~~.tiCUCrl Chief, Inforrnatio_. ?-~ oces......g Division, NPIC
Sb'?~:;~Ci: Computer Prograr.:;;:-:i;' for -'~e A~3 Stereo Plotter
25X1A 1. ~_.e meeting held between TI:~ any. - proved to be a most
~ interestin:Y event. Several very ininortant points were brought up by
25X1A which directly affect iID, P&DS, and IPD. It
is apparent that the mode of operation of this new piece of equipment
has no~c b.en thoroughly thought out. At preser_t there are several
aiternwti-ti~es to the problem oi' ~orep-rocessing the necessary parameter
data for ~r~e various camera systems. No matter what the decision is,
its effect w;~ll be very far reaching. The three possibilities to the
preprocessing technique are;
., ~casu-re an:.~ _ ~:..~c she ece ,~ y data on another com-
_~~.rator and process ~.;~_~ ~.~'~a on one u:l?~'C ~+~0 in an off-line or
bate _....~e. ~T'r_e o~~~,~- -c ~ror.. t~-~ prc~frar_ ~~;rould then be accept-
aule -,o .,=~e APB via t~~e .,iedi~~ .;~ paper ~a:~e.
.sure ar~d reduce the necessary data ui_,,. tre computer
~~are the data on the AP3 and transmit th=_?~ ir_formation
aocured cor:rn-unication lines to the UNiVAC li90. ~L`he result-
_.:.~t ~ ~~ ,,fould be transmitted to the AP3 either electronically or
~:~ traa teletype and punched into paper tape.
:_. Considering the above proposals, b shows to be the weakest.
Ti1iN is because the computer imbedded in the AP3 is very slow with
liriited memory capacity and instruction repertoire. At present there
is ?:moo softwwre to aid the poor programmer in writing ar~d debugging the
;oro~-r~,,wa, All programs must be written in absolute code (i.e. numbers).
~~_~:, ~:~on~ ~:~~;Kes any programming for the AP3's extrerr,ely difficult and
..~: consuming. Symbolic language compilers or ~.~ c -..,J~^s? have been
? ~ .ii s
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Approved For Release 2001/.U~f'1~3 ~fia-1~iS~78B04747A001700030001-0
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Ts-15675-66
~aNt of the computer industry since early 1950. ^1o retuxn to the prirni-
:;.VC ':?tl,'rS wOLtld be a stEp bQ,C.t'iT~Lr v.. It 15 xi}.) ~ S OUli11.On tY13,t - :i:+ 25X1A
very delinquent ir. not supplying at least some form of symbolic latl;uage
for their computer. Because of the difficulty in evolving programs for
this machine and its hardware lirei-~wtior~s, this consideration should be
-rejected.
j. 1~`.% fIlO;:, ~~:"u71i.S'.1;1~ _~.C:~. :.~.Ci OYiC T+':1iC:` .7110i11d be inVe?tij~aL'ed
carafally t,~oui_d be tc _~u.vc :; e ~? ~ in an On-~_i':.e environment. the advan-
;:t~l? Of thi:i ,.:::,^_ :.~. "~.ial; ;rOa ::i~,;,1~'i: file CG'f,'y~W..'~C pOCJc:r c4nd f1(':{lbllii:,'j~
O a lai~'i', CG~~ ..,.__ ....i; t_ie .,i:.ie y0i: need it. `w';.a C~1_".^awbu.Cii fGr thlli COn-
sidcration, ._.~ .. ~ . ,. _ is t.Lat it r,~ay take a much forger brae to put the
equip:lar~t Gt;. ";,_:s a.~= ,:~~th a possible increase in cost. ^lnis consideration,
however, sr~ould be ea,re~'ally evaluated and not just rejected out o:~ hand.
~. Consideration a 'ras the befit chance of producing a workable con-
d-iticn in the shortest period of tiri.e. Phis system would utilize :gin-house
ta.icnt to develop the necessary l,:;utrocessing p-rograrris with the ability
t0 1:~~de,te tP1S 7)rC'."f/rGCeS:,'Or aS Y~u'ii ::ySte?:'iS bC'CO.,:C aVc;,ilable. 1P'~ ;3tandS
rowdy tG ,;i?_i:)vi'l. t:.iS prOjeCt lil wrCwteVe~"Or7n T1~ reG~.i.l.res.
5. '__ ~~.. _ ~, _ __._.,::ddod in file A~ 3 ixati .... ny limitations which
25X1 D
25X1A
~~
should .,~ ._.__ _:.~~. __ ~ .. ~_~is time becc.use 1 forew~::e sericus problems in
the dev~~~o~_._..,_..-., ~~ .,,~f-~'icientiy acc-kratc math i-rodels. At present, - 25X1A
ass;;;r,1os ~._~y ~;,.~o w~;ai.ing with airc~?~.,:?t _otogrw?hy, that is, altitude of
the e.cp~:_..r~ statirn in the neighbor_.cod c_' ;'x,000 feet o-r loss. ~ problem
indy OCC'w_: _:ii1`JeVe~' Trlheri the ~:l ti'~uC~e 1.:~ i:Cr~:;,:icd t0 SatC-l.~ite .ltltltde,
tliC,t i s; Ihi s ru:f_b:r convcr".ad to binary usas 21 bits. Any
Yfatlic7ra"G.C.,;,1 manipul::,t~On COnCC:r:~iP, al.'==-~~1de grid other SC;^-?1.ed n'a.uberS 1S
subs act to loss of :;~ .. -' .'~ cancew..~~. the resultant answers rf~ay have large
i n=::_.~ ant. .._ rocs. ,~:o~ co:r~y~uter Y~aa only 26 bits of significance,
a:rd ~,ac.,..~