got geoint?

Every so often there is just too much news to share from the GEOINT sector — and this is a good thing. Today is one of those days. Of course one of the biggest stories is about the WikiLeaks cyber warriors who are taking a direct shot at web sites such as MasterCard.com and Amazon.con in a retaliatory measure. All this WikiLeaks intrigue makes us wonder: when is the WikiLeaks movie coming out? Truth is stranger than fiction on this one (for sure). Be sure to check out a compilation of other news in this post that — when you read it — will push you to the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Well, that may be a stretch, but our news round up will certainly make you smarter and sexier. Guaranteed. Happy Thursday!

Have ‘Hactivists’ Started ‘First Great Cyber War’?
They forced the MasterCard website Wednesday to go offline for several hours, but who exactly are the shadowy people behind what one blogger has claimed to be the “first great cyber war”? Well, Anonymous–the loose collective of online “hacktivists” which has claimed responsibility for the attacks on Mastercard et al–have not been all that keen to step into the public eye (it’s all in the name, apparently). “We are your brothers and sisters, your parents and children, your superiors and your underlings. Anonymous is everywhere, but nowhere,” it intones on one of its websites in a campaign against the Church of Scientology. Read the full WSJ blog post here.

Can the Air Force Fill Space Acquisition Assignments?
The lack of effective, distinct career specialties in the U.S. Air Force, coupled with short duty tours, is leaving the Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) space programs short of the domain-knowledgeable and experienced officers they need to succeed in their challenging endeavors. In the mid-1990s, the Air Force implemented two- to four-year rotational tours for space acquisition officers, with a bias toward three years. Accordingly, tours have gotten shorter. As a concession to the special needs of the space community with its very long programs, occasional extensions up to four or five years are granted. Read the full Space News article here.

GeoEye to Acquire SPADAC Inc.
GeoEye, Inc., a premier provider of superior satellite and aerial-based geospatial information and services, announced today that it has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the stock of SPADAC Inc., a geospatial predictive analytics company, for $46 million in cash and stock. Upon the completion of the acquisition, SPADAC will become a wholly owned subsidiary named GeoEye Analytics. This acquisition will enhance the breadth of GeoEye’s information service offerings and expand its customer base into new markets. SPADAC provides geospatial predictive analytic solutions to over 40 customers in key markets of defense, intelligence and homeland security. Since SPADAC’s formation in 2002, its industry-leading predictive analytics technology, combined with its world-class team of geospatial analysts and intelligence professionals, enables SPADAC to help customers gain the insight they need to support their mission-critical operations around the world. Read the full press release here.

Man Out of the Loop — Technology Projects Target Automated Analysis of Imagery
With U.S. analysts buried under surveillance imagery and facing the mind-numbing tedium of watching hour after hour of footage, some U.S. technologists are working on software tools that would assign the dreary but vital task to computers. Two tools in development by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Kitware, a 65-person company based in Clifton Park, N.Y., highlight the obstacles and potential benefits of automatically scanning imagery for suspicious behavior. Read the full Defense News article here.

Gitmo Repeat Offender Rate Continues to Rise
New data from the nation’s top intelligence official shows that the number of Guantanamo Bay detainees returning to the battlefield continues to grow at an extraordinary rate. The report from the director of national intelligence says that 150 of the 598 detainees who have been transferred out of Guantanamo’s detention camps, about 25 percent, are now confirmed or suspected of returning to the battlefield. Of that group, 13 are dead and 54 are again in custody, while 83 remain at large. And the report estimates that detainees that return to the battlefield do so an average of two and a half years after their release. Read the full Fox News story here.

Amtrak As Subway Map
If you love either trains or maps, you’ll dig the designer Cameron Booth’s “Amtrak Subway Map,” which shows the entirety of Amtrak’s rail service in the style of a subway map. And if you’re like me and you love both trains and maps, then you’re probably going to want to stop whatever you’re doing and order a nice, limited edition print of one of these straight from the designer himself. Be sure to check out the full GOOD Design post here.

Happy Thursday!

Tags: Air Force Acquisition, Cyber War, GeoEye, GeoEye Acquires SPADAC, GEOINT, geospatial intelligence, Gitmo Repeat Offenders, Intelligence Community, NRO, Spadac, WikiLeaks, WikiLeaks Cyber War, WikiLeaks Movie