Tradecraft Built on Interoperability and Discoverability

GEOINT Innovation Tradecraft Competition provides insights into advanced capabilities

GEOINT_Innovation_Competition_2020_v3

The arrival of the new decade celebrates the evolution of the nascent mission analytics tradecraft. It is essential to discuss new challenges and strategies to achieve mission success. USGIF and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) propelled the conversation forward by co-hosting the inaugural GEOINT Innovation Tradecraft Competition on Feb. 4, at the Trajectory Event Center in Herndon, Va.

The first round featured 17 presentations demonstrating the best practices in data discovery and alignment to address mission problems through visualization, data sharing, and interoperability. Participating organizations included AGI, Cesium, Deloitte, Esri, General Dynamics Mission Systems, HawkEye 360, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, OmniSci, Orbital Insight, Pixia, Presagis, Sandia National Laboratories, Skyris, and Tableau.

Each entry provided a five-minute presentation to an all-star panel of judges including Dr. Nadine Alameh, OGC; Terrence Busch, Defense Intelligence Agency; Robert Cardillo, The Cardillo Group and former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; The Honorable Susan M. Gordon, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence; The Honorable Jeffrey K. Harris, USGIF Chairman of the Board; and Dr. Keith Littlefield, SAIC.

“This competition was unique,” said Cardillo. “Presenters had to align research insights into complex mission analytics in exactly five minutes. It was exciting for me to see the depth of talent and how my thinking can be positively influenced by a dynamic presentation.”

Concluding round one, the judges selected Cesium, Deloitte, HawkEye 360, and Sandia National Laboratories to move on to the final round. Pixia and Presagis were selected as runner ups.

FINALIST PRESENTATIONS

HawkEye 360: Invisible Needles 

HawkEye 360’s Director of Operations James Doggett demonstrated how to use RF data to discover activity and material that has gone unseen in the middle of seen area.

Cesium: From Disk to Disconnected

Shehzan Mohammed from Cesium focused his five-minute presentation on how to automate interoperability of 3D geospatial data and analytics on mobile devices in disconnected environments with on-device analytics using CesiumJS and 3D Tiles to not only empower warfighters but also enhance their decision-making and situational awareness.

Deloitte: AI at the Edge 

Alexander Payne highlighted the accomplishment of running AI on-device, drastically reducing data streaming costs, and reducing the latency of real-time mission-critical alerts. He showcased several demos, of running AI on $10-$450 computer boards. He also discussed a web-based app developed to remotely command and control these devices, while also viewing real-time alerts.

 Sandia National Laboratories: Big Data for Actionable Intelligence

Forest Danford showcased a software architecture collaboratively developed by SNL and ARI summer interns at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The chief aim was to design a system on natively distributed software that was capable of near-real-time processing and fusion of many disparate data types, resulting in the autonomous generation of actionable intelligence.

NEXT STEPS

The finalists will present on the main stage at the GEOINT 2020 Symposium, April 26-29, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. Attendees will be able to vote live for the GEOINT 2020 Innovative Tradecraft Champion.

Additionally, the runners up, Pixia and Presagis, will present their work in the Innovation Corner in the GEOINT 2020 Exhibit Hall.

Featured Image: The GEOINT Innovation Tradecraft Competition panel of judges.

Posted in: Event Recaps   Tagged in: Innovation, Research & Development

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