Physical-geographic factors of terrain trafficability of military vehicles according to Western World methodologies

Abstract

This paper analyses the existing state, limitations, and possibilities for research of physical-geographic factors in the context of terrain trafficability of military vehicles in order to support the military decision-making process regarding planning movements of military forces. This paper shows which models and research methodologies were used to ascertain how physical-geographical factors influence vehicle cross-country mobility. Research has shown that slope has been used most frequently as a parameter, followed by soil properties, surface roughness, watercourses, vegetation types, and climatic-meteorological conditions. The quality of the results achieved so far has been largely determined by the quality and accuracy of the input data and by the various methods used in the models. Recent studies have shown that the Geographic Information System (GIS) unifies the issues determining vehicle terrain trafficability, as it displays all possibilities in a single platform.