1. **State the problem:** We need to find the area of a diamond-shaped figure (a rhombus) with given diagonal lengths. 2. **Identify the diagonals:** The horizontal diagonal is split into two parts: 17 m and 8 m, so the total horizontal diagonal length is $$17 + 8 = 25$$ m. 3. The vertical diagonal is split into two equal parts of 5 m each, so the total vertical diagonal length is $$5 + 5 = 10$$ m. 4. **Formula for the area of a rhombus:** $$\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times d_1 \times d_2$$ where $d_1$ and $d_2$ are the lengths of the diagonals. 5. **Substitute the values:** $$\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 25 \times 10$$ 6. **Calculate the area:** $$\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 250 = 125$$ 7. **Answer:** The area of the diamond-shaped figure is **125 square meters**.