A MCOO (Modified Combined Obstacle Overlay) is one product of the IPB process that is used directly in planning an operation. It combines lines of communication, obstacles, cross-country mobility, and other parameters. You will construct a MCOO by opening a map document, adding key terrain layers, building mobility corridors, and constructing friendly and hostile avenues of approach features. You will then share the MCOO as a map service.

Starting the MCOO map

In the first section of this exercise you will setup the map document before adding some layers.

1. Open Create MCOO.mxd from the template location\Military Aspects of Terrain Template\Maps folder.
2. First you will set some parameters in the map document.
   1. Select Geoprocessing > Geoprocessing Options.
   2. Check Overwrite the outputs of geoprocessing operations.
   3. Click OK.
   4. Select Geoprocessing > Environments.
   5. Expand Workspace.
   6. Set Current Workspace to template location\Military Aspects of Terrain Template\Maps\OperationsGDB.gdb.
   7. Set Scratch Workspace to template location\Military Aspects of Terrain Template\Maps\Toolbox\scratch\scratch.gdb.
   8. Click OK.

   While you are not going to run any geoprocessing tools in this exercise it is always a good idea to make sure that the current workspace and scratch workspace are set.

3. Next you will set map properties that will describe the purpose of the map. This information will be used when the map is packaged.
   1. Select File > Map Document Properties.
   2. Change the document Title. This should identify that this is a MCOO. You might also want to include a date.
   3. Change Summary to a one-line description of the map.
   4. Type a Description. This should be a paragraph describing the map's content and purpose.
   5. Add Author and Credits> as necessary.
   6. Click OK.
4. Select File > Save As.

   The Save Map window appears.

5. Type a file name for the map. The new title should be unique and should include the operation name, operation date and should include MCOO so it can be uniquely identified. For example: OP_ROCK_AVALANCHE_12JUN2012_MCOO.
6. Add suitability map service layers you created in Exercise 2. Use the Add Data button to add them from the Land Ops User connection. These services should be in the BattlefieldEnv folder.
7. Using the same connection and folder add the Lines of Communication and Obstacles map services. You created these services in Exercise 1.
8. Next you will add the Key Terrain layer package you created in Exercise 3. You can simply drag-and-drop the layer package (.LPK file) into the map. This will extract the data to the map document.
9. Review the obstacles in the area, including the Obstacles layer, Lines of Communication, and Cross Country Mobility layers.

Working with the Mobility Corridors service

The Mobility Corridors feature service is not tied to a single operation. In this section you will add the mobility corridors feature service to your MCOO map and add features to it.

1. Click Add Data and navigate to the Land Ops User connection.
2. Open the BattlefieldEnv folder.
3. Click the MobilityCorridors feature service.

   There are two services named Mobility Corridors: one is the map service and the other is the feature service. The map service is for display only and cannot be edited. The feature service allows you to add new features and delete or modify existing ones. This service can be identified by clicking on the symbol and looking in the Catalog window's Location box. The feature service will be named MobilityCorridors.FeatureServer.

4. Next create a local copy of the data for editing.
   1. Right-click BattlefieldEnv\MobilityCorridors and select Edit Features > Create Local Copy for Editing.

      Click Editor > Start Editing on the Editor toolbar.

   This creates a local copy of the features in the feature service, which you can edit, and will allow you to synchronize the edits back to the feature server.

5. Use the Mobility Corridor tools to draw passages between obstacles. The Measure tool will help you determine the correct size for the passage width. This will help determine the largest unit size that can fit between the obstacles.
   1. Click Measure on the map toolbar.

      The toolbar changes to the measure toolbar.

6. Select the Measure a distance tool on the measure toolbar.
7. Click on the map on one side of the passage, drag your cursor to the other side and double-click to finish the measurement.

   A line will stretch between the points that you clicked on the map. The distance in meters will be shown along with the line.

8. Using the measurement from the tool, choose a mobility corridor size to match.

Echelon	Minimum Width
Squad (SQD) or Platoon (PLT)	Less than 500 meters
Company (CO)	500 meters
Battalion (BN)	1500 meters
Brigade (BDE)	3000 meters

9. Select the Mobility Corridor template tool that corresponds to the passage size.
10. Draw a mobility corridor by clicking a line between the obstacles, double-click to end the line.
11. Repeat steps 17 through 20 for all mobility corridors in the operations area. Some will already exist as they are being shared with other operations.
12. When you are done, synchronize the edits back to the server and close the local copy.
    1. Right-click BattlefieldEnv\MobilityCorridors and choose Edit Features > Synchronize Local Edits with Server.
    2. Then right-click BattlefieldEnv\MobilityCorridors and choose Edit Features > Disconnect Local Copy From Server.

Constructing Avenues of Approach

Next you will use the mobility corridors, planning objectives, and general direction to identify Avenues of Approach. Avenues of Approach are general areas where a force can move. They are not specific paths a unit or vehicle will take. As part of this section you will look at both friendly and enemy objectives and mobility corridors and construct Avenues of Approach arrows to draw the direction of movement.

Sharing the MCOO as a map service

In this exercise you used data and services from the previous exercises to create a MCOO.

For further information on processes used in the exercise:

• About editing data from feature services
• Making a local copy of a feature service for editing
• Synchronizing local edits with the server
• Creating a map package