Jagwire: Fast Reliable Access to Geospatial Intelligence — Anytime, Anywhere

Background

You know the drill. You task your analysts with searching through terabytes of data, most of it irrelevant, to find that one piece of data. The one that you didn’t even know you were looking for, but recognize the moment you see it. It is a lot like sifting through a haystack in search of a needle.

There is never enough time or resources for this sort of activity. But even less so when you’re in theater and fast, reliable access to geospatial data is even more difficult to come by. Imagine if your command staff could find exactly what they need when they need it?

Problem

Dozens of rockets were launched against a critical U.S. compound in Iraq. An investigation began immediately to determine the “point of origin” of the close-range, large-scale attack. While that was the main objective, uncovering information that could stop a similar attack from occurring again is also a top priority.

Image analysts at a different location are tasked to rapidly query archived images that are relevant to the time and place of the attack. Rather than having to sift through terabytes of data, they use a technology that is newly available to them — Jagwire™. Jagwire, makes the discovery, management, and dissemination of geospatial data and full-motion video easier than ever before. With this new system, the analysts were able to rapidly query images that contained the compound in the attack, and navigate easily through the massive collection of images.

Once identified, the analysts were then able to dynamically disseminate those images for further analysis. Leveraging the native “chipping” function in Jagwire, dozens of images were quickly compiled and the analysts built an intelligence product called a storyboard depicting that specific “point of origin” over-time.

This image is the search interface for Jagwire. On the left you have specific filters that can be applied, on the right you have specific information on an asset that was selected along with the details of the asset visualized on the map.

Solution Achieved

Within a short time following the attack, the analysts delivered a thorough assessment that showed the building site that was used to launch the attack in various stages of construction. This type of intelligence product, created and enabled by Jagwire, could then be used to identify patterns and facilities similar to what was used for this attack.

Without Jagwire, the traditional methods of collecting this type of intelligence would have required time, intensive downloads, and more costly infrastructure in order to load and process large sprawling images. This would have been an unneeded expense since only a small portion of the image had immediate value. In addition to the visually loss-less streaming, Jagwire delivered the ability to access a much larger repository than is typically available, as most localized image pools do not have the hardware to support extended storage.

Because Jagwire was deployed in the enterprise, the analysts supporting this mission were not only able to create unique time-lapse storyboards, but also create a model for detection that could reveal early signs of future attacks. This capability can save lives and critical US infrastructure in theatre.