got geoint?

Here we are on the precipice of a new decade. Where did this past decade go? They say time flies when you are having fun or really, really busy. For the GEOINT community, the past decade offered a mixture of both. Many believe, rightly so, that GEOINT came of age in this past decade. The confluence of technologies maturing, political/events (i.e. two wars) and natural disasters has created opportunities and challenges for both the private and public sector. And, as a result, we have seen both sides step up — creating solutions that are light years beyond what was happening ten years ago. And, as we have seen at the most recent GEOINT Symposiums, geospatial intelligence will continue to be the cornerstone for national defense. So, to this we would like to wish the entire GEOINT community a happy and prosperous New Years, as we head into another exciting decade.

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The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded three Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Contracts (MACs) for Commercial Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (COMSAR) Imagery, Data Products, and Direct Downlink Services. Contracts were awarded to MDA Geospatial Services, Inc, EADS North America, and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. As many of our readers know, USGIF has played an instrumental role in promoting COMSAR challenges and opportunities with its workshop in June. In addition, be sure to check out our exclusive podcast about COMSAR with Todd Jamison, Chief Scientist and CEO of Observera here.

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When the science fiction author William Gibson popularized the term “cyberspace” in the early 1980s, it was a reference to an other-worldly domain, a parallel universe, embedded in a context of networked computing in which people’s real world lives had become inextricably linked. In these intertwined universes, Gibson had envisioned a domain in which nefarious actors could harness the cyber-domain to manipulate, harm and even destroy economic, social, and cultural value that has been either created or stored within cyberspace. Surely, in some important respects, we have seen Gibson’s vision come to pass. Our society’s dependence on cyber-infrastructure, and the extent to which every-day people have become beings embedded in (and reliant on) networked computing and communication, has raised the issue of cyber-security to a Presidential priority. To read the full article by USGIF board member Christopher Tucker on CSO Online, click here.

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We hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. While many folks are taking time off between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it is still Monday and the news cycle keeps cranking on. The big news is the failed terrorist attack that occurred on Christmas day when a 23-year-old Nigerian man to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight. Certainly a major news story that has caused many to sit up and remember that we are always vulnerable on our homeland. The theme of today’s post is the fallout from this failed attack. So, fire up that second cup of coffee — as we always say — and read on.

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Merry Christmas eve to all. We hope everyone is having a restful and happy holiday today. The biggest GEOINT-related story of the day is NORAD Santa. Well, it is currently 9:15 a.m. on the east coast and Santa is in Ambon, Indonesia as we speak. And, in an hour, he will be in Koror, Palau. You can track Santa through out the day here at the official NORAD Santa site. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

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This just goes to show you that there is an iPhone app for virtually anything. Last week, USGIF member company Raytheon announced an iPhone application that tracks friends and foes, shows their positions on live, real time maps and provides secure communications. Called the One Force Tracker, the Raytheon iPhone software can also be used by first responders like police, firemen and emergency medical technicians. According to this NY Times article, this iPhone app is a rare case of consumer hardware and software concepts being adapted for military use. Wow. We are seeing the future of GEOINT.

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The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) today announced it was unanimously voted into the full membership of the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) during a meeting at the ASPRS/MAPPS 2009 Conference. “To be voted into COGO by our peer national geospatial organizations is not only a great recognition for our organization, but is also a great way for USGIF to accomplish its mission of bringing together geospatial intelligence stakeholders,” said USGIF President Keith Masback. “With this partnership, we hope to bring more awareness to the GEOINT Community as a whole.” Read the full press release here, and stay tuned for more coverage regarding this announcement!

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Once again, it is Monday morning and it’s time for the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from got geoint? As we ease our way into the holiday — and dig out from the massive snow storm that hit the east coast — many of us are most likely counting the days until we can spend more down time with family. Or, perhaps many are still knee deep in 2010 planning. Either way, we have served up all the latest actionable news stories for you to kick of your week on the right foot. As we always say, fire up that second cup of coffee and read on!

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Welcome to once again to our Friday’s Food for Thought post exclusively on got geoint? We hope that everyone is weathering the cold weather (like the pun), surviving the holiday party season, and has all of their holiday shopping done. We are officially seven days from X-mas. So, this means NORAD is kicking off it’s efforts to track Santa’s whereabouts. And, for fun, we decided to showcase the classic line “Charlie Don’t Surf” from Apocalypse Now. Hey, Christmas and Apocalypse Now; the two go together right? Hope you enjoy and Happy Friday!

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Journalists and commentators covering Afghanistan and Pakistan have addressed everything from geopolitics to tribal dynamics, reconstruction aid, and, of course, terrorism. Even the casual observer has probably read stories that have addressed U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance efforts, most notably the use of Hellfire missile-armed Predator and Reaper drones. In covering these topics, pundits often pause to cite the area’s difficult physical terrain, often mentioning it as a factor in the region’s long history of repelling foreign armies. However, none of these analysts has yet written about the sad state of the United States’ basic terrain data (specifically the Digital Terrain Elevation Data — DTED) over this region, which has emerged as an obstacle in conducting operations over such complex terrain. If you would like to read the complete article by USGIF board member Chris Tucker, check it out on Foreign Policy’s web site here.

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