Jack Hild, NGA, delivers the Keynote presentation at the 2009 GXP User Conference
The 2009 BAE Systems GXP International User Conference and Professional Exchange kicked off on Tuesday, May 5 with an introduction by Dan London, vice president of sales and marketing for the GXP business. Dan was happy to report that the debut of SOCET GXP Boot Camp was a big success, and received a positive response from attendees when he suggested taking the Boot Camp concept on the road later in 2009.
He reiterated the importance of user feedback and explained the concept of the Geospatial Professional Exchange, another component of the annual user conference introduced this year. Professional Exchange tracks provide a forum for GXP software users, industry professionals, and the GXP team to share ideas for future product development.
Dr. Stewart Walker, Director of Product Initiatives for the GXP business, reviewed BAE Systems’ vision for merging image analysis and geospatial analysis into a new discipline the company calls eXtreme Analysis™, similar to the perspective NGA promotes − collaboration, data sharing, and a common operational picture of the world.
GXP product specialists demonstrated new automated SOCET GXP eXtreme Analysis tools and SOCET SET v5.5 release enhancements that assist analysts in becoming more efficient in their jobs.
Jack Hild of NGA introduced a different perspective on geospatial intelligence during the keynote presentation: Pixels, points, and vectors, the fuel for GEOINT. He discussed emerging trends, the need for timely distribution of a proliferation of new satellite data, and noted that the world is discovering additional uses for GPS beyond finding the local Starbucks coffee shop. He reiterated a common problem − exposing new content in a timely manner to an extensive and diverse user community.
Additional customer presentations covered coastal mapping, DCGS-A, and the U.S. Army’s extensive SOCET GXP training program at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona that prepares troops for active duty.