2008 IEEE International Geoscience & Remote Sensing Symposium
July 6-11, 2008 | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

HD-5: An Introduction to AGI (Advanced Geospatial Intelligence)

Sunday Morning, July 6, 08:30 - 12:30

Presented by

Shawn A. Kalis, Riverside Research Institute

Abstract

The goal of this half-day workshop is to familiarize people at every level with the basic field of intelligence and the use and application of remotely sensed data towards this area; also called Advanced Geospatial Intelligence or AGI. The exponential growth of this field in both the civilian and security/defense sectors has brought the aims and missions of these groups closer than ever before in the history of intelligence applications. This workshop will educate participants in what intelligence and intelligence products are, how AGI is derived and utilized and how the academic, commercial and civilian federal agencies are or can be involved in the national security mission. Specific attention will be paid to research areas and sensor types of primary defense concern (including but not limited to unexploded ordnance, lidar-derived terrain and urban mapping, and exploitation of UAV platforms). All material will be given at the unclassified level.

Outline

  1. What is the intelligence field all about?
    1. History and definitions
    2. The role of geosciences in intelligence work and decision making processes
    3. The application of remote sensing to intelligence problems and requirements
      1. The “INTS” — IMINT, SIGINT, GEOINT, MASINT
  2. What is AGI and how is this information derived?
    1. AGI history and definitions
      1. Purpose
      2. Differences and similarities to civilian geospatial products
    2. The “TCPED” intelligence cycle
      1. Tasking
      2. Collection
      3. Processing
      4. Exploitation
      5. Dissemination
    3. Intelligence requirements and users — What and who uses remote sensing-derived intelligence products?
      1. Intelligence agencies (eg. NGA, CIA, etc.)
      2. Military entities (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines)
      3. Policy makers
      4. Domestic entities (Homeland Security, National Guard, Coast Guard, etc.)
  3. The academic, commercial and federal roles within the AGI community
    1. Academic research — commonly a top-down approach
      1. Suggestions for a more efficient bottom-up approach where intelligence requirements drive algorithm and system development and not vice versa
      2. Graduate research in the intelligence and defense fields including funding resources (NGA, DoD, etc.)
    2. Commercial resources — domestic and international
      1. Sensors and Algorithms (incl. both passive and active)
      2. Systems Engineering
      3. Archives
    3. Federal resources
      1. Civilian federal agencies (eg. NASA, USGS, NOAA, etc.)
        1. Sensors and Algorithms (incl. both passive and active)
        2. Archives
  4. Scenarios, applications and resources
    1. Some examples of typical AGI requirements and possible TCPED scenarios including sensors and product generation
      1. Terrestrial — Geology
      2. Terrestrial — Vegetation/Agriculture
      3. Aquatic
      4. Urban
      5. Atmospheric

Speaker Biography

Dr. Brigette A. Martini is a staff scientist at Riverside Research Institute and adjunct faculty in Engineering Physics at the Air Force Institute of Technology. She has over ten years of spectral processing and analysis experience that includes work with both commercial and government air and space-based remote sensing systems. Her principle expertise lies in analysis and assessment of airborne imaging spectroscopy for geological, biological and strategic targets. Her technical strengths include hyperspectral/multispectral signal processing, data fusion, spectral application design and implementation and spectral mission planning and management. She also has an extensive background in geology and geophysics with special emphasis on resource exploration and development including ore deposits, oil and gas and geothermal. She has chiefly worked in commercial hyperspectral/multispectral sales, acquisition, application development and analysis domestically and internationally. Recent focus has been on course development and instruction in the Advanced Geospatial Intelligence fields of spectral, SAR and LiDAR. BS, Geosciences, University of Arizona, 1997; PhD, Earth Science, University of California-Santa Cruz, 2002.