GXP Mosaic

Excerpts from the article featured in Imaging Notes, Fall 2009, pages 27–32.

Matt Bower of BAE Systems discusses the benefits of using the new SOCET GXP® Video Analysis tool to analyze video feeds from unmanned aerial systems.

“Today, the U.S. military deploys more than 5,000 UAVs, and daily UAV missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have nearly tripled in the past two years.”

When Somali pirates hijacked the U.S. freighter Maersk Alabama and took Capt. Richard Phillips hostage in April, a U.S. Navy ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Boeing’s Insitu unit took video footage of the developing situation. Predator and Reaper UAVs have been in the news recently because the U.S. military has used them to launch missile strikes, such as the one that reportedly killed Osama Bin Laden’s son, against Al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Less publicized is the extensive use of UAVs by the U.S. military for “dull, dirty, or dangerous” surveillance tasks for which they are better suited than piloted aircraft. Real-time images and videos are increasingly used for remote surveillance, intelligence gathering, situational awareness, and decision-making. “At the receiving end, the amount of data available is increasing exponentially,” says Kevin Kelleher, airborne integration lead for the National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). By associating geospatial information with imagery intelligence, this airborne video surveillance (AVS) technology allows decision makers to view developing situations in their geographic context, track and visualize events as they unfold, and predict possible outcomes.

What UAVs are and what they do

Also known as remotely piloted aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, and simply drones, these remotely piloted fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and lighter-than-air and near-space systems are both armed and unarmed. They range in size from hand-launched models that look like toy planes and can weigh as little as 12 pounds to the jet-powered RQ-4 Global Hawk, built by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, which has a 3,000-mile range and operates at about 60,000 feet, and the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, both built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.

The Predator, which can fly at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet, performs surveillance and reconnaissance missions and carries two laser-guided anti-tank Hellfire missiles; it can stay in the air for about 40 hours. The Reaper is a larger and more capable aircraft that can fly at 50,000 feet, carrying up to 14 Hellfire missiles, and using infrared sensors to distinguish the heat signatures of rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns, and other firepower on the ground.

Today, the U.S. military deploys more than 5,000 UAVs, and daily UAV missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have nearly tripled in the past two years. Military applications include peering over hills or buildings, monitoring the seas, eavesdropping from high altitudes, and assisting in special operations. The U.S. military also uses UAVs to transmit live video from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Traditional roles for military airborne geo-intelligence, Kelleher says, include operational support, battle damage assessment, treaty/inspection monitoring, non-combatant evacuation operations, forensic analysis, and coalition operations; new roles include disaster relief, counter-terrorism/narcotics, and homeland defense.

Direct connection between UAVs and operators on the ground or on aircraft is limited to line-of-sight communication; however, communication relay nodes and satellites enable operators to control UAVs and download data from anywhere.

SOCET GXP® Video Analysis active film roll window

Video analysis software

One of the most valuable products that UAVs can provide is streaming video, in real time or near real time. This product also poses one of the greatest challenges. “To be useful, this massive amount of data must be analyzed in near real time,” says Matt Bower of BAE Systems, a subject-matter expert for the company’s SOCET GXP® Video Analysis software tool. The very flexible and dynamic re-tasking of UAVs, he points out, requires analysts to quickly analyze the data stream, which can be part of live operations.

SOCET GXP, he explains, can take in video from UAVs—plus a stream of support data that includes such variables as the platform’s location, its look angle, the temperature, and the wind speed—and display the footprint of the camera’s field of vision on a map. The user can then move the frames of interest into SOCET GXP to create annotations, mark-ups, briefing products, terrain extraction, building extraction, and so on. “You now have all the SOCET GXP functionality in the video,” says Bower, “and can push the data through. You can fuse the video with other reference sources you might have and use it to drive other geospatial software, such as Google Earth.”

The latest version of SOCET GXP enables users to track moving objects they select on screen, as well as to push the video’s telemetery data into a sensor model and use it to extract the coordinates of the moving object and monitor its speed and heading.

These data streams raise concerns about processing power, says Bower. “If you have a video at 30 frames per second, any advanced computation on those frames—even something as simple as sharpening and dynamic range adjustment—could incur a very big CPU processing cost, because you have to re-do the operation for every new frame.” UAVs can employ various methods to reduce the amount of bandwidth needed to transmit video streams by several orders of magnitude. First, their on-board computers can disseminate only the most pertinent data. Second, they can recognize targets and transmit their coordinates rather than large imagery files. Finally, when they do need to transmit large volumes of data, they can use advanced data compression to reduce bandwidth requirements. Read the complete article >>

Learn more about SOCET GXP video analysis capabilities >>

Vice Admiral, USN, Director, NGA

The following article is provided courtesy of The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Pathfinder magazine, November/December 2008.

In offices, labs and forward-operating bases, talented members of the NGA team are developing innovative and effective ways to produce the highest-quality geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) necessary for the problem at hand. Technology is often given credit for revolutionizing a process, but the real credit goes to the people behind the technology. They innovate, build and operate the tools and techniques to give our warfighters and policymakers the information they need to do their jobs. But there are many factors that influence how NGA approaches technology development.

Asymmetric threats, adversarial nations and rapidly expanding technologies require NGA to adapt and think systematically about what we are doing now, what we should be doing and how we will do so in the future. In the recently released Vision 2015: A Globally Networked and Integrated Intelligence Enterprise, the Director of National Intelligence reiterates our need for multiple, integrated collection systems, for integrated processing, exploitation and dissemination architecture, and for collaborative analysis. The key design principles of Vision 2015 are adaptability, alignment and agility; these principles are guiding NGA’s technology priorities. Incorporating multiple sensors into our architecture and analysis and improving exploitation tools and techniques are two examples of how technology is improving our operations.

Sensor Advantages

Over the last several years, combat operations have demonstrated what full motion video (FMV) brings to the fight. As airborne reconnaissance advances, wide-area surveillance (WAS) enables a better view of the battlefield and multiplies the effectiveness of each mission. The added value that airborne imagery brings to a large number of missions and operations reinforces our need to fully support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) efforts.

Additionally, NGA and our mission partners are leveraging existing capabilities and adapting them to new applications. Hyperspectral imagery, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and advanced radar applications are providing high-resolution terrain information that promises feature detection, extraction and attribution. In Afghanistan, we have seen firsthand the impact of these new applications in a collaborative coalition effort. NGA and numerous partners used hyperspectral imagery to gain a better understanding of the terrain of Afghanistan, creating foundation data that assisted in a variety of mission sets. These valuable, dynamic capabilities produce exponentially more data that require significant storage and exploitation space and appropriate extraction tools that make sure it is used effectively.

Exploitation Advances

Improving our sources and fusing national technical means (NTM) with commercial and airborne assets adds significant value to our capabilities. Still, our real power resides in our ability to perform geospatial analysis and work with our U.S. and allied counterparts. Our analysts require tools that enable them to discover, exploit and share existing imagery and data. Tools like Consolidated Analytic Spatial initiative (CASi) and GEOINT Online (GO) allow for quick retrieval of vast quantities of data in a user-friendly format. NGA is looking outward for other tools to aid in exploitation, like SOCET GXP^®, Adobe^® PDF, Microsoft^® Virtual Earth™, ESRI Arc Explorer™ and Google™ Earth. Our analysts continue to seek out more collaborative tools as they see the power to intuitively find the imagery and geospatial information that they need to produce accurate, relevant and timely GEOINT.

To maintain our technical advantage, NGA continues to develop a diverse array of GEOINT sources, tools and techniques. Technology has played a major role at NGA and will continue to do so, particularly as we focus outward and work more closely with Defense and Intelligence Community partners every day. And at the end of the day, we must all remember that our people drive our analysis, innovation, creativity and progress.

Robert B. Murrett
Vice Admiral, USN
Director

The article is also available online:
www1.nga.mil/Newsroom/Pathfinder/0606/Pages/OnMyMind.aspx

Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX is a United States armed forces training installation.

Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX is a U.S. armed forces training installation, commonly referred to as an intelligence schoolhouse because of its focus on providing top-notch intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance training. Goodfellow’s chief mission is to develop and deliver training for U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps personnel, and students from select allied countries and national agencies. Goodfellow recently selected SOCET GXP^® software as the image analysis training tool of choice.

The growth of the image analysis field, especially within the Air Force, has led Goodfellow’s 17^th Training Wing to recap all software and hardware at its facility. BAE Systems is assisting in the development of a new training program that includes SOCET GXP software. BAE Systems customer support, product management, engineering, and federal sales teams are all contributing to the comprehensive training plan.

The importance of this new development at the intelligence schoolhouse is twofold. First, new image analysts coming out of technical training have the opportunity to train on the same software they use in the field. Second, SOCET GXP’s flexibility and ease of use allows instructors to teach students more efficiently.

The greatest value, not reflected in a standard price list or formal brochure, is the level of support that the site will receive. BAE Systems prides itself on high-quality technical support for all customers.

“As a graduate from Goodfellow’s image analysis program in the late 1990s, I understand the importance of being able to ‘train as we fight.’ Many times analysts finish the six-to-seven month technical school and report to their first duty station only to find that they have to go through more training to learn the software that is used in the field. As an image analyst, I am pleased to see this development happening not only at Goodfellow, but at Fort Huachuca’s Army schoolhouse as well.”

Q: What is the mission of your SOCET GXP software, and in what ways does it provide unique benefits to users?

A: We believe that the distinction between image analysis, geospatial analysis, mapping and photogrammetric tasks is diminishing such that the roles of many individual domains are merging. We have listened to existing and prospective users who must learn and operate several different software packages to build and finish products. Based on feedback collected during user conferences, workshops and focus groups, we have learned that individuals are responsible for a growing number of tasks that require a wide range of skills and rapid turnaround times. And organizations are looking for cost savings across the board.

In response to these issues, we have been developing a new product architecture over the last several years that is the foundation for a comprehensive application called SOCET GXP. We are combining SOCET SET (geospatial analysis, mapping and photogrammetric tools); MATRIX (image analysis tools); VITec ELT (image analysis and mapping tools); and Common Geopositioning Services (targeting tools) into a single software product architecture that allows users to perform multiple tasks from a single user interface. Moreover, HSI/MSI and advanced geospatial intelligence capabilities have been added as well. By providing all of the required functionality in one product with a single user interface, BAE Systems empowers organizations to consolidate resources and increase productivity. SOCET GXP is flexible, easy to learn, and helps users create accurate, high-quality products quickly and efficiently. Click here to read more…

Earth Imaging Journal Industry Outlook feature

Click here to read more >>

Eric Bruce in a C-17 heading back to Qatar from Bagram Air Base.

BAE Systems GXP product specialists, Eric Bruce, Dennis Bryant, and Rob Stout, traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan recently to provide geospatial intelligence software training to field analysts.

The trip was part of BAE Systems formal partnership with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) deployable systems upgrade team. In 2006, NGA purchased BAE Systems’ SOCET GXP software to support its customer, the Office of Global Support.

Rob Stout on board a C-130 in Afghanistan. Travel from site to site within Afghanistan required tactical capabilities of the C-130.

“The goal of the trip was to provide operational capability to use the tool,” said Dan London, BAE Systems vice president for Geospatial eXploitation Products. “At the same time, the information our team gathered in the field was invaluable, because seeing the product in-theater, and the issues analysts face, helps us refine the product.”

SOCET GXP is a geospatial intelligence tool that uses imagery from airborne and satellite sensors to identify ground features for improved situational awareness. Analysts in the field use maps and charts generated by SOCET GXP to perform before-and-after site comparisons and battle damage assessment, and to detect potential improvised explosive devices and ambush sites. The data can also be used to coordinate troop maneuvers, helicopter landings, and land-vehicle routes.

Dennis Bryant at former Saddam palace, Al Faw in Baghdad, now an operations center for U.S.commanders.

“The analysts were very attentive and interested in what we were talking about. Because they’re in an operational environment, they know once we leave, they are going to have to put that knowledge to use,” said Eric Bruce, one of BAE Systems product specialists deployed in the field.

As part of an overall software upgrade, SOCET GXP was installed for the first time on the rugged portable computers used by analysts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The software processes data from a variety of image sources and creates image products that can be compressed, saved in multiple formats, and shared over secure networks. Data and reports can be immediately e-mailed and accessed from mobile laptop computers, relay stations, and ground control centers.

For the complete article and related webinar, Tales from the Warfront — Warfighters Receive Onsite Geospatial Training, GeoWorld Magazine, October, 2007, please visit:

• http://www.socetgxp.com/docs/education/articles/1007_geoworld_taleswarfront.pdf
• Archived on Geoplace.com

Dr. Bingcai Zhang accepts plaque honoring his induction as BAE Systems Engineering Fellow

Dr. Bingcai Zhang, Lead Engineer and Manager of R&D, BAE Systems GXP, was named BAE Systems Engineering Fellow at the annual Engineering Awards Banquet on April 12, 2007 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Dr. Zhang is recognized for his expertise in software development for photogrammetry, image processing, and geospatial information systems. For over 12 years, he has made significant contributions to BAE Systems’ world class applications, including SOCET SET and SOCET GXP, and has published numerous professional papers in the photogrammetric mapping field. His most recent contributions include the SOCET for ArcGIS and NGATE modules for SOCET SET.

This distinguished recognition is reserved for a select subset of engineers and scientists who have consistently demonstrated extraordinary technical expertise, creativity, and contributions within their technical discipline, and have shown the ability and willingness to collaborate with all levels of the organization. The BAE Systems Engineering Fellows program is an honor bestowed on only 1% of the company’s engineers.

For over 20 years, Bingcai has been making excellent contributions in this field and in the last decade has made world class innovations for BAE Systems with direct benefits to customers around the world. Bingcai continues to develop and lead others in the development of key applications in the mapping field. His expertise in software development techniques has been applied to achieve superior technical and application productivity.

Recently, Bingcai was also appointed co-chair of the ASPRS Softcopy Photogrammetry Committee (SPC). SPC assists ASPRS members in understanding and practicing softcopy photogrammetry, maintains guidelines and standards for the profession, and provides a forum for professionals to share and exchange industry knowledge and experience. It tracks emerging technologies related to the advancement of softcopy photogrammetry and offers educational opportunities for the understanding of scientific and technical advancements in the field.

Dr. John Brockhaus (center), with two West Point instructors, Maj. Christopher Oxendine and Maj. Allison Day, at the 2007 BAE SYSTEMS GXP International User Conference.

The BAE Systems Award for Excellence in Photogrammetry will be presented to an outstanding student from the Geospatial Information Sciences program, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. BAE Systems’ sponsorship of the Award, which will be presented at West Point’s GIS graduation awards ceremony on May 24, 2007, was announced at the 2007 GXP International User Conference in San Diego, California on March 29, 2007, in an address by Dr. John Brockhaus, Professor and Program Director, Geospatial Information Sciences program.

GeoEye^™, the world’s largest commercial remote sensing imaging company, has selected BAE Systems’ SOCET SET and ClearFlite^® software for a project that will create three-dimensional maps for hundreds of airports worldwide. Pilots and air traffic controllers will use the new maps to guide aircraft into and out of airports.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) awarded GeoEye a $3.7 million contract in June to complete the 3D mapping project, which involves the creation of airport mapping databases for 365 airports by June 2007. NGA and other international standards organizations define the database specifications for airport authorities. GeoEye will combine the 3D capability of its IKONOS^® and OrbView-3 stereo imagery with BAE Systems’ SOCET SET and ClearFlite software to create the detailed maps.

See press release >>

SOCET SET ClearFlite Module Wins Top Industry Award!

On February 14, 2006, ClearFlite^®, a module developed by BAE Systems for SOCET SET®, won the prestigious 2006 ATC Maastricht Industry Award, which recognizes excellence in air traffic safety. ClearFlite was nominated for the award by David Rider of Jane’s, who saw a ClearFlite demo, given by Curt Lima, at the ACI show in Auckland, New Zealand last year. The ACI event attracted airport executives and aviation business partners from 58 countries around the world. Each year six awards are given out at ATC Maastricht. The winners are selected by a panel of judges from 20 to 30 submissions. All nominations are listed in Jane’s Airport Review. The awards are designed to recognize contributions to air traffic management safety and capacity.
See press release >>

What is ClearFlite?

ClearFlite is a digital mapping tool developed for the aviation industry to help users identify airfield and runway obstructions; export data to third-party geographic information system (GIS) and 3D visualization applications; automatically generate models for single and multiple runways; and view 3D stereo images of runways and airfields. Analysts use ClearFlite to collect dynamic features such as buildings, hangars, vegetation growth, and the towers and antennae that accompany today’s explosion in cell phone growth. Such information is used to generate complex FAA, ANA, RBAI and PANS-OPS surface models automatically. Paper maps and charts are being phased out in favor of more precise, digital readouts that can be updated easily and shared via cockpit displays, laptops and personal digital assistants. In addition, using ClearFlite saves fuel costs and time. The obstruction surfaces of more than 800 airports around the world have been collected accurately using ClearFlite.

On April 3, 1996 U.S Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and 30 other passengers and crew were killed when their aircraft hit the side of a mountain in Croatia. In addition to gross pilot error and mediocre navigational equipment, the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Air Force determined that the aeronautical charts and cartographic data in and around the airfield were outdated or did not exist. On behalf of aviation safety, the U.S. Congress funded the Ron Brown Airfield Initiative (RBAI), and BAE SYSTEMS developed ClearFlite in response to this effort.

The goal of the RBAI is to produce the safest possible Terminal Procedures, or “TERPS”, for some of the world’s busiest airports. TERPS contain detailed information about airfields, runways and vertical obstructions. The RBAI consists of all military and civilian airports where U.S. Department of Defense passenger aircraft are anticipated to land three or more times per year. This includes over 2,000 airfields all over the world. NGA was tasked to develop a database of these airfields containing the airfield survey data, airfield features, vertical obstructions and airfield elevation models. Agencies worldwide share this concern for airfield safety as well, and are actively working to improve transportation infrastructure and to update airfield data and procedures.

More on ClearFlite: http://www.socetgxp.com/products/modules/module_clearflite.htm, or contact Curt Lima, ClearFlite Product Manager, curt.lima@baesystems.com, 303 220 0265.

The BAE Systems GXP team was contacted by the Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) to assist in gathering and analyzing up-to-date intelligence data to aid with Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts. This screenshot illustrates how the Multiport window in SOCET GXP is used to display Supervised Classification results to detect water in New Orleans using IKONOS^® multispectral imagery, and insert these in a PowerPoint or other product to be used by rescue workers.