DigitalGlobe, a leading global provider of high-resolution earth imagery solutions, launched two new geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) services today at GEOINT 2011, the nation’s largest intelligence event. Both services, available now, are designed to enable faster response, smarter decisions, and more effective management of on-the-ground personnel during natural and man-made disasters.
“Now more than ever, on-demand access and real-time sharing of geospatial intelligence can make the difference between life and death in crisis situations,” said Jeff Kerridge, senior vice president and general manager, defense and intelligence at DigitalGlobe. “With these new services, our goal is to put the power of GEOINT in the hands of more first responders, wherever and whenever they need it, helping them achieve their missions and save more lives.”
DigitalGlobe FirstWatchTM
The first new solution, DigitalGlobe FirstWatchTM, is a rapid analysis and reporting service designed to help users more quickly assess and formulate response strategies following natural and man-made disasters.
When a crisis event occurs, the DigitalGlobe FirstLookTM service is activated and begins collecting new imagery from the affected region. Immediately after new imagery is downloaded, experts in the DigitalGlobe Analysis Center begin rapidly analyzing the images, publishing a comprehensive DigitalGlobe FirstWatchTM report within hours after the event occurs.
Reports include a wide-range of information to assist humanitarian relief personnel assess the scope and magnitude of the event and start formulating the most effective response plan. They identify key details on the ground, including evidence of structural damage, infrastructure failures, changes to topography, flood water depth and other potentially life-threatening elements.
“DigitalGlobe FirstWatchTM reports provide rapid preliminary analysis using the most up-to-date imagery available,” said Stephen Wood, vice president of the DigitalGlobe Analysis Center. “This frees customers to concentrate on addressing the next set of critical questions sooner, such as what may happen next, what more they need to know, and what are the best options for deploying personnel on the ground.”
To date, DigitalGlobe has produced reports for more than 50 events worldwide, including the earthquake and subsequent crisis events in Japan, and the impact of Hurricane Irene and Midwest flooding in the U.S. The latest report examples and excerpts can be found at www.digitalglobe.com/firstwatch.
Diplomatic Facilities Support Package
In addition to launching the DigitalGlobe FirstWatchTM reporting service, the company also jointly unveiled the new Diplomatic Facilities Support Package with partner CACI International Inc. .
The package is a first-of-its kind solution, specifically designed to help governments more quickly and effectively respond to threats to diplomatic facilities and citizens abroad.
It dynamically combines DigitalGlobe’s sub-meter resolution imagery with CACI’s geospatial feature content to provide users with a current view of geographical landscapes, structures, routes and roadways, and critical resources. Additionally, it provides virtual whiteboards and comprehensive annotation tools, allowing users to layer additional data on top of existing content and customize information, then share their whiteboards securely with other users of the service.
Further, because it is based on open industry standards, it gives users the flexibility to access the full functionality though a wide range of devices and computing platforms, including any current web browser running on desktop, laptop or most handheld devices.
“No matter where users are on the planet, all they need is a browser and Internet access to gain access to the complete functionality of the package,” said Jack Hild, vice president, U.S. and international defense and intelligence strategy at DigitalGlobe. “The imagery, feature information and shared whiteboard annotations are updated dynamically through the cloud. The ability to access and annotate recent imagery allows organizations to identify high-risk areas, plan staging bases and safe-haven operations, manage key resources, and collaborate with partners like never before.”
The solution also features comprehensive integration with DigitalGlobe’s FirstLookTM crisis event monitoring and image delivery service. When viewing an area of interest in the Diplomatic Facilities Support Package interface, users are alerted with unique on-screen icons when DigitalGlobe FirstLookTM imagery becomes available for the region. Subscribers can then select DigitalGlobe FirstLookTM service from the list of available content layers, instantly replacing the existing basemap imagery with new DigitalGlobe FirstLookTM imagery captured within hours after the event occurs.
Jake Jacoby, executive vice president in CACI’s National Solutions Group, said, “The Diplomatic Facility Support Package has the potential to significantly improve security for diplomatic facilities in emergency situations and to reduce threats to American lives. Its applications are broad and far reaching. It combines imagery, rich geospatial information, and real-time collaboration tools and puts them at the disposal of those charged with mission execution. This innovative approach by DigitalGlobe and CACI takes advantage of the capabilities of both companies to provide GEOINT on demand.”
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