// hardcore functional action
public function get navigationLayersDataProvider():Array
    {
      return _navigationLayers.map(function(item:*, index:int, array:Array):Object
        {
          return item.forDataProvider();
        }
      );
    }

// jxl's boring, Java influenced, strong-typing w/Flex pragmatism (ArrayCollection vs. Vector)
public function get navigationLayersDataProvider():ArrayCollection
{
   var list:ArrayCollection = new ArrayCollection();
   var len:int = _navigationLayers.length;
   for(var index:int = 0; index < len; index++)
   {
      var navigationVO:NavigationVO = new NavigationVO();
      navigationVO.parseFromObject(_navigationLayer[index] as Object);
      list[index] = navigationVO;
  }
  return list;
}