General James R. Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), once said that geospatial intelligence is the “foundation for all other intelligence disciplines.”
Accurate and timely visualization capabilities provide the core situational awareness that drives decision-making for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community (IC).
And the need for real-time intelligence has never been greater than it is today. Whether supporting the warfighter on the battlefield, responding to natural disasters or providing humanitarian support, the right actionable insights drive the success of any mission.
New innovations are emerging that converge both operations and intelligence into unique consoles that provide the necessary data that guide all decision-making.
By leveraging a web-based geospatial framework that allows for the rapid development and integration of the Google Earth API, it is possible to integrate all new and existing data sources into one location. This new convergence paradigm allows for instant and powerful visualization and knowledge fusion capabilities that provide the required actionable data.
In addition, in today’s austere times, many of these solutions are highly cost-effective because they are web-based and do not require customization. All it takes is the free Google Earth plugin and a simple web browser. Furthermore, since it features the highly familiar Google Earth interface, minimal training is required.
These consoles are also data agnostic and don’t require data duplication. There is no need to maintain two different data repositories and they can display data from virtually any source.
Today’s missions need the most nimble solutions that support and augment decision-making – even in today’s post sequestration arena. The convergence of operations and intelligence is driving the next-generation of solutions that integrate data from multiple sources in a seamless and cost-effective manner.
