Satellite Image: North Korean Launch Site at Tongchang-ri

This is a DigitalGlobe 50cm resolution natural color image of the North Korean launch site at Tongchang-ri taken on March 28. (click for full resolution)

DigitalGlobe imagery taken today can confirm a higher level of activity within the overall facility and significant activity at the launch pad specifically. This activity appears consistent with preparations for a satellite launch. Providing a virtual presence is what DigitalGlobe does best, by rapidly delivering shareable, high-resolution imagery to provide up to date coverage of events on the ground.

Image (c) 2012 DigitalGlobe, Inc.

DigitalGlobe Reports Earnings; No Talks on EnhancedView with NGA

Yesterday, DigitalGlobe reported fourth quarter and full year earnings.  For the quarter, the company realized 17% revenue growth, year over year, and 5% revenue growth for 2011.

But the news that was on everyone's mind during the analyst's briefing was regarding the possible impact of any curtailment of the EnhancedView contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Jeffrey Tarr, CEO, stated, "We have not been notified of any cut to our program and we are not in any negotiation for a cut."

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ArcGIS for National Government: What is it? Is it New? #esrifedcon

Today, Esri launched ArcGIS for National Government at their Federal GIS conference. What is it and is it anything new for ArcGIS users?

ArcGIS for National Government, as best I can discern from the presentations, is composed of data services, combined with pre-assembled workflow templates that also includes pre-configured model builder workflows that result in a specific "information product." If you happen to be working in an intelligence agency, there are specific templates/workflows called "ArcGIS for Intelligence."

For example, the ArcGIS for Intelligence solution contains specific content and other information products such as basemaps that may convey "live" current events happening in the world and provides the user the ability to drill down to information about actual incidents. The basemaps may include ready to use layers specific to that application or cartographic elements, such as a light gray, low contract basemap so point and polygon data will not be overwhelmed with colors and attribution of a typical base map.

Another aspect of the solution provides for the creation of an user-defined image or data catalog with a rating scale so users can see how helpful a data layer or image has been to others. Any value-added work created within a project can be published to the catalog and registered as a service that others can use as well.

Additionally, users can access ready to use products including analytical templates to answer specific questions. If you were working as a border patrol agent, these templates would include applications for:

• Situational awareness
• Border patrol mobile applications
• Border crossing activity

The template, then, includes standard map layers (land cover, water, etc.) but also known trails that illegal aliens will use and the locations of border arrests plus polygons for border patrol administration areas.

Finally, the solution also includes a pre-configured model builder template for these applications. The user then gathers data by browsing ArcGIS Online to look for layers that may be more specific to his/her own project area. Once the analysis has been completed, the entire analysis can be sent out via a layer package that other users can pull into their ArcGIS system.

Is any of this new? What's new is that these kinds of solutions are packaged. While the underlying technology is not new, Esri is trying to simplify the workflow, which would be particularly useful to neophyte GIS users. And with an expected expansion of knowledge workers that want to avail themselves of geospatial technology but are not yet expert with ArcGIS, this certainly gives them a push in the right direction. In a way, it reminds me of the large, post-sized workflow models that Esri used to publish for certain vertical industries. This is the evolution of those posters for the era of "cloud."

EnhancedView Could Take $50 Million Hit - Aviation Week

Aviation Week is reporting that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) may be forced to renegotiate the EnhanceView contract with GeoEye and DigitalGlobe due to an expected $50 Million cut to the agency's 2012 fiscal year budget with the prospect of more cuts in fiscal 2013. The original EnhancedView contract was $7.3 billion over 10 years and was signed in 2010. The contract was roughly split between the two commercial satellite providers. According to a source cited by Aviation Week:

“You’re going to have to find a way to probably restructure the current service-level agreements with both companies if they’re going to take $50 million out,” says one geospatial-intelligence industry official familiar with EnhancedView. “Any reduction in the budget on the service-level agreement means you’re changing the scope of the contract and you have to renegotiate.”

Last week we reported that NGA was going to procure less imagery in 2013 but that Pentagon investments in new spacecraft would continue.

DoD Issues “Instructions” on GEOINT

Keith Masback (@geointer), president of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF), retweeted a U.S. Department of Defense document (PDF) issued today that "establishes policies, assigns responsibilities, and provides guidance for GEOINT operations within the DoD in accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5143.01." Here are a few snippents of relevance from this document:

• POLICY: It is DoD policy that GEOINT operations and activities shall be treated as high priority efforts and conducted in a unified and synchronized manner, due to the vital role GEOINT plays in the successful conduct of military operations and activities, in executing the mission of the DoD, and in supporting national security.
• GEOINT conducted under the authority of the Secretary of Defense shall comply with the [National System for GEOINT] NSG strategic guidance, policies, and procedures issued by the Director, NGA, acting concurrently as the DoD GEOINT Manager and as the GEOINT Functional Manager.
• The Director, NGA shall:
  • 
    Prioritize and implement activities necessary for timely, relevant, and accurate GEOINT;
  •  Lead the evaluation of all available GEOINT sources, including foreign, to identify the current and future technical, analytic, and mission value.
•  Director National Reconnaissance Office (NRO):
  • 
    Coordinate with the Director, NGA, to develop and provide integrated GEOINT and DoD human intelligence, counterintelligence, and measurement and signature intelligence activities, as needed.
  • Coordinate with the Combatant Commands to synchronize DoD intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance resources with other collection activities, and monitor execution of GEOINT collection operations

This is only a sampling of what is contained in the document and if you are interested you should read it in its entirety. I'm not certain why this set of "instructions" (not a directive?) was issued at this time or whether the information changes what was in place previously. Was there confusion over responsiblities and accountablity? However, it does make clear that the director of the NGA, currently Ms. Letitia Long, sits as the key figure for all geospatial intelligence for the DoD. To me, however, this did not seem to be in doubt before.