got geoint?

Happy Monday to all of our got geoint? readers out there. We hope you had a restful weekend and are ready to kick it into high gear. One group that is clearly kicking it into high gear are the folks at USGIF. With GEOINT 2009 one month away, the Foundation is working hard to make the event a resounding success — and it is shaping up to be bigger than GEOINT 2008 (which was an amazing event). Speaking of GEOINT 2009, since many key leaders of the Intelligence Community speak at the event, we look to focus on high-level (and some would say political) news that impacts the community. Of course, we will throw in some news about the latest GEOINT technologies. Much like the GEOINT symposia, we like to focus on both the technology and the high-level goals for the IC. So, scroll down and enjoy!

Former CIA Directors Urge Obama to Drop Holder CIA Investigation
You know it is serious business when seven Ex-CIA directors — serving under both Republican and Democratic White Houses — have signed a letter to President Obama, calling on him “reverse Attorney General Holder’s Aug. 24 decision to re-open the criminal investigation of CIA interrogations that took place following the attacks of September 11. The seven directors include Michael Hayden, George Tenet, James Woolsey, John Deutch, William Webster, and James Schlesinger. Read more, and the actual letter, here.

Obama Refuses to Halt the CIA Prob
Well, it did not take too long for the Obama Administration to respond to the urgent letter from the seven ex-CIA directors. “Nobody’s above the law,” Mr Obama said in an interview with Face The Nation. President Obama made clear that he would not intervene in the judicial process. He told CBS that, “I appreciate the former CIA directors wanting to look after an institution that they helped to build. But I continue to believe that nobody’s above the law. And I want to make sure that, as president of the United States, I’m not asserting in some way that my decisions overrule the decisions of prosecutors who are there to uphold the law.” Read more here.

Intelligence Oversight Bill Faces Obstacles
The Senate has approved intelligence oversight legislation, deferring discussion of rules for interrogation and detention of terrorism suspects that have derailed previous proposals. But DNI Dennis Blair said he may recommend that President Obama veto the oversight proposals because they broaden traditional congressional briefings on covert activities. Read more here.

Geospatial Information Systems Market to Grow 50% Over Next Five Years
The worldwide market for Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) is forecast to grow 50% over the next five years, representing a compound annual growth rate of 9.3%, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study. GIS market revenues will be driven in the near future by continued worldwide spending in non-cyclical industries such as electric power, oil and gas distribution, and divisions of federal governments. Growth in the mid to latter years of the forecast period will be driven by increased adoption of GIS in emerging markets such as Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East; and a return to spending in North America and Europe by industries hardest hit by the global economic downturn. Red more here.

Lockheed Martin and IBM Deliver Revamped Multi-Level Security Solution To NGA
Lockheed Martinand IBM have delivered a new information security system to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), one that carefully manages multiple levels of security to give users worldwide more reliable, secure access to classified data. The new system replaces older, customized and labor-intensive technology with a streamlined, commercially-based architecture that performs better, costs less, and can grow to manage multiple security levels. Read more here.

Tags: Eric Holder CIA Investigations, GEOINT, GEOINT 2009, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, NGA, Obama CIA Investigations, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, USGIF