Weekly GEOINT Community News

Maxar to Provide Image Mosaic and Urban Change Indicator Products to Esri; IARPA Releases RFI for Camera Network Research Data Collection; Palantir Wins Potential $800M DCGS-A Contract; More

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Maxar to Provide Image Mosaic and Urban Change Indicator Products to Esri

Maxar Technologies announced an agreement to integrate its NaturalVue 2.0 image mosaic and National Urban Change Indicator (NUCI) products into ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. These enhancements will accelerate the speed at which analysts distill actionable intelligence from multiple sources of geospatial data to serve a variety of global missions. NaturalVue 2.0 is Maxar’s next-generation global image mosaic, encompassing more than 60,000 Landsat 8 images. NaturalVue 2.0 and the rest of Maxar’s image mosaic portfolio enable a broad range of geospatial and web-based mapping applications, including military logistics, GIS backdrops, flight simulation, cartographic mapping, 3D visualization, and GPS tracking. NUCI is Maxar’s commercial urban change detection product, which highlights areas of new construction activity by isolating changes that persist over time, derived from more than 13,000 Landsat images. NUCI enables analysts to rapidly identify areas of urban expansion across the U.S. landscape by filtering out noise from seasonal, agricultural, and other natural cycles that hamper traditional image-to-image change detection methods. 

IARPA Releases RFI for Camera Network Research Data Collection

The Intelligence Advanced Research Products Activity (IARPA) released a Request for Information seeking capability statements relating to the collection of research data from multi-camera video networks in support of computer vision research. In the past five years, there have been notable advances in computer vision approaches to facilitate tracking and re-identification of persons in security camera networks. However, the primary datasets available to the research community for algorithm training and performance evaluations are limited in subject count, camera network scope, and environmental factors. Further research in the area of computer vision within multi-camera video networks may support post-event crime scene reconstruction, protection of critical infrastructure and transportation facilities, military force protection, and the operation of national special security events. Responses are due May 10.

Palantir Wins Potential $800M DCGS-A Contract

Palantir won a potential contract worth more than $800M from the U.S. Army to build and deploy the Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A), The Washington Post reported. The Army selected Palantir and Raytheon in March 2018 to help address the service’s technology requirements for DCGS-A under a potential 10-year, $876M contract. The service made the decision after allowing Palantir and Raytheon to test their software platforms with soldiers who provided feedback on how to improve both companies’ offerings to meet the Army’s requirements. 

GeoSpark Analytics Awarded Air Force SBIR Contract

GeoSpark Analytics announced it has secured a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to evaluate incorporating USAF data into GeoSpark’s Hyperion threat and risk assessment platform for use in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) units and in Air Operations Centers (AOC). The cloud-based Hyperion platform provides analysts and operators situational awareness of political, economic, and social risk across the globe. Inclusion of air operations data will enhance safety of navigation and situational awareness for the USAF and for commercial air safety.

Geospatial Leaders to Gather at SLU Next Week

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and Saint Louis University (SLU) will co-sponsor a new geospatial conference in St. Louis, Mo., April 9 to bring together the government, academic, and industry partners who are growing the geospatial ecosystem in the Greater St. Louis region. The conference will be free and open to the public, and will include discussion of topics such as AI and automation, public-private partnerships, changing patterns of human settlement, and more. Click here to learn more or to register.

Parsons Files to Go Public 

Parsons Corporation announced it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The initial public offering is expected to commence after the SEC completes its review process. 

Peer Intel

Spatial Networks announced the appointment of James Fee as VP of Professional Services, responsible for the oversight and management of project managers, technical consultants, and engineers to ensure professional and effective services to Spatial Networks customers.
 
Image Credit: Maxar

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