Plotting the course 

Marines at NGA follow in Washington’s footsteps

‘Xperience’ NGA

Newly named directorate focuses 

on customer service
2 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

The Pathfinder promotes awareness and 

understanding of geospatial intelligence, 

and is published by National GeospatialIntelligence Agency’s (NGA) Office of 

Corporate Communications (OCC).

The Pathfinder is an authorized Department 

of Defense publication for members of the 

DOD. Contents of this publication are not 

necessarily the official view of, or endorsed 

by, the U.S. government, DOD or NGA. 

Articles in the Pathfinder may be reproduced 

in whole or in part without permission, 

unless stated otherwise. If reproduced, credit 

the author and the “National GeospatialIntelligence Agency, the Pathfinder 

magazine.” Reproduction of graphics, 

photographs and imagery is subject to 

the original copyright.

NGA Leadership

Director: Letitia A. Long

Deputy Director: Michael A. Rodrigue

Chief Operating Officer: Ellen McCarthy

OCC Leadership

Director: William M. Caniano

News & Information Chief: Christine Phillips

Editor: Glenn Holloway

Designer: Valorie Brinson

Contact us

Telephone: 571-557-5400

DSN 547-5400

Approved for Public Release, 13-479.

Find out more about NGA

pathfinder@nga.mil

www.nga.mil

@NGA_GEOINT

NatlGEOINTAgency

Customer service. Phone compani

tout theirs. Airlines praise theirs. 

Do it right, business booms. 

Neglect it, and business suffers. 

But how do we, as members of 

the Department of Defense and 

Intelligence Community, define 

“good” customer service? I 

believe it involves understanding 

customer needs and conducting 

business so we meet those needs 

as expeditiously, efficiently and 

responsibly as possible. It involves 

giving our customers the ability 

to solve their problems and gain 

valuable insight. It involves 

ensuring our nation’s leaders can 

see what our adversaries cannot, 

know what our adversaries wish to 

remain unknown, and act before 

our adversaries have the chance. 

Everything, everyone and every 

activity on Earth has a time and a 

place. That unique spatial-temporal 

geo-reference can have volumes of 

information tagged to it. As such, 

NGA is poised to take intelligence 

activities beyond where we ever 

imagined. Change and evolution 

– revolution – are in our DNA. 

We are the pointy tip of the spear. 

Gone are the days of static maps 

and imagery products. We are a 

dynamic provider of advanced 

GEOINT content, analysis 

and services. 

Our customers are in for a great 

experience when they come to us. 

We have listened to them. We have 

experts and analysts from many 

disciplines immersed in data and 

focused on the same hard problems. 

Customers will find the data they 

need, when they need it and in the 

format they need it. We have a 

deeper and wiser connection with 

our customers than ever before – 

we anticipate their needs and create 

valuable integrated experiences that 

rival the impact of smartphones 

and tablets. 

Customer service led me to 

change the name of the office 

of Online GEOINT Services 

User experience a driving force in 

NGA’s transformation 

to the Xperience Directorate, 

with the designator of X, and 

dedicate resources to ensure 

no customer ever walks away 

from an NGA interaction with a 

negative experience. In this issue 

of Pathfinder, the newly appointed 

lead of X, Geoff Fowler, gives his 

take on customer service and the 

way forward for our interactions 

with our partners and other users of 

our GEOINT. 

This issue also highlights one of 

the many GEOINT-based courses 

we provide the DOD here at the 

NGA College. The Marine Corps 

Basic Surveying Course trains the 

men and women the Corps needs 

to provide accurate and timely 

mapping and surveying in support 

of national objectives. I am proud 

of the work we do here at the 

college for the military services, 

and I am committed to ensuring we 

continue to meet their needs. 

Also, be sure to take a 

look at our new feature called 

GEOINTeresting that is a 

compendium of fun facts and trivia 

illustrating GEOINT’s use around 

the world for work and play. 

Enjoy this issue of 

Letitia A. Long

Director

Putting the

power of GEOINT

in users’ hands

!

On mY M

2 Pathfinder • Fall 2013
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 3

17

NGA scientists team with Howard 

U. students for GEOINT precision

12

Plotting the course: Marines at NGA 

follow in Washington’s footsteps 

3

NGA Salute: Navy Petty Officer 3rd 

Class Laura Hickman

6

‘Xperience’ NGA: Newly named directorate 

focuses on customer service

In

his

10

NGA employees live history during 

Battle of Gettysburg’s 150th anniversary

24

NGA responds to 

Colorado floods

26

GEOINTeresting

20

NGA team changes USAF approach 

to Djibouti crash investigation

Cover photo of National 

Geospatial-Intelligence 

Agency site by Kevin 

Clark, Office of Corporate 

Communications

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 3
4 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

Salute:

NGA

P tty Ofi ce r d  lss L 

Photo by Tony Boone, Office of Corporate Communications

Petty Officer 3rd Class Laura Hic

is a Navy intelligence specialist and 

a rising leader in the Navy who has 

done some of her primary growing and 

shaping at the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency’s East campus in 

NGA Deputy Director 

Michael Rodrigue 

presides over a 9/11 

commemoration and 

moment of silence at the 

agency's Springfield, 

Va., headquarters.

Springfield, Va., according to her leaders 

at NGA.

Since coming to NGA, she has been 

named junior enlisted of the quarter, and 

her experience at the agency inspires 

her to continue to be a leader in the 

intelligence community and military, 

she said. 

Hickman joined the Navy in 2010 

and came to NGA shortly afterward. 

She works in the Targeting Support and 

Analysis Branch, part of the Precision 

Targeting Engagement division. She 

and others on the AIRTO team provide 

precise GEOINT and multi-source 

imagery analysis for NGA’s defense and 

intelligence community customers. 

“Simply put, I make sure we hit 

where we aim,” said Hickman. 

“She is an integral part of our office,” 

said Hickman’s supervisor, Matthew 

Murdock. “Her dedication to the 

targeting mission is unquestioned."

Her exposure to advanced technology 

and education at NGA’s college, training 

Photo by Kevin Clark, Office of Corporate Communication

remember

opportunities, and the coordination that 

goes with multisource intelligence at 

NGA has given her a uniquely rounded 

experience that will be valuable when 

she departs for her next assignment, 

she said. 

“NGA is fortunate to have devoted 

and enthusiastic young sailors (like) 

Hickman working for the agency and 

furthering the NGA mission,” said 

Murdock. “They’ll take their GEOINT 

training into the field, and that’s critical 

to the self-service model we seek in 

the long run.”

Leadership is a strong focus at NGA 

and has had its effect on IS3 Hickman, 

she said. 

“I have mentors all around me,” 

said Hickman. “When I see something 

I like in a person or someone who is 

really good at a particular skill, I ask to 

learn from them, and so far no one has 

turned me away. To me, stagnation is 

unacceptable, and at NGA there is no 

such thing.”

NGA holds moment of silenc

 for 9/11 victims.

By Kris Mackey, Office of Corporate Communication
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 5

A recent exercise showcased the crisis s

capabilities of three federal agencies by simulating 

response efforts to flooding and tornado damage in the 

Midwest region. 

The joint training exercise between the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, the Missouri wing of 

the Civil Air Patrol, or CAP, and the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency was held Aug. 16-18 in Marshall, Mo.

 “When you get 

that many agencies 

together, you get a lot 

of interactions and 

build rapport,” said 

Rich Manning, part of 

NGA’s Integrated Work 

Group – Readiness, 

Response and 

Recovery, or IWG-R3, 

team, that participated 

in the exercise. “It was an invaluable opportunity to see the 

skillsets of each of the participating agencies.”

IWG-R3’s mission focuses on enabling online, ondemand support to domestic and international emergency 

preparedness, response and recovery mission partners. 

Throughout the exercise, NGA responded to 14 requests 

for information, creating large format graphics for FEMA 

for accurate flooding and damage assessments, and used 

full-motion video to generate 360-degree products.

 NGA used imagery collected by CAP, a national 

volunteer organization tasked by the Air Force’s Rescue 

NGA participates in joint exercise, proves sky no limit to collaboration

By Jacquelyn Karpovich, Office of Corporate Communication

Photo courtesy of Civil Air Patrol.

Coordination Center, for initial damage assessments 

and identification of areas most impacted by the crisis, 

said Manning. NGA then provided FEMA with products 

through a Web-based production and management tool, 

which was also accessible via iPads. 

“CAP’s role in search and rescue missions and 

disaster response coupled with the IWG-R3 support to 

FEMA as lead federal agency highlighted the importance 

of that critical 12- to 24-hour post-event window,” 

said Manning. “That window is where NGA’s damage 

assessments play a crucial role in allocating resources 

and giving decision makers the right tools to move 

forward with recovery efforts.”

Another success story from the exercise was the 

integration of NGA products with CAP’s Airborne 

Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced 

Reconnaissance, or ARCHER, system, said Manning. 

“We were able to incorporate the data being collected 

from ARCHER and seamlessly integrate it into our 

Google Earth and ArcGIS products,” said Manning. 

“It was a real win for NGA in the eyes of our CAP and 

FEMA partners.”

“I do believe CAP, NGA and FEMA are more 

aware of each agency's capabilities in collection 

and exploitation than ever before,” said Cory MacVie, 

regional GIS coordinator for FEMA. “Throughout 

the exercise, CAP collected over 2,000 ground and 

aerial images and ... we were successful in utilizing 

NGA for exploitation, creating mock rapid 

damage assessment(s).” 

“It was an invaluable

opportunity to see the 

skillsets of each of the 

participating agencies.”

- Rich Mannin
6 Pathfinder Pathfinder • Fall 2013 • Fall 2013
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 7

NGA

NGA officially launched the Xperience Di

Oct. 1, changing its name from Online GEOINT 

Services to better reflect its mission in the agency 

and cover the range of activities that the directorate 

is responsible for stewarding, namely a focused 

effort on the customer’s experience and 

customer service. 

“In a business sense, you might say the X 

Directorate is the customer service, delivery, 

marketing and the availability aspect of the 

business,” said Geoff Fowler, director of 

Xperience Directorate. “It is important to 

get those elements right if you are going to 

be successful.”

Part of delivering excellent customer service is 

making it easy for customers to find, access and 

understand content and services, said Fowler, a 

26-year intelligence officer, who recently served 

as the founder and managing editor of Central 

Intelligence Agency’s World Intelligence Review, 

or WIRe.

“While it may be individually rational to 

establish sites targeted to particular customers, it 

is actually irrational when serving all of NGA’s 

customers,” said Fowler. 

Maintaining multiple websites often results 

in redundant and often outdated content, is 

enormously expensive and makes it difficult for the 

agency to collectively measure customer behavior 

to make possible improvements, said Fowler. He 

compared the efforts to consolidate websites to 

cutting a diamond – an agency that cuts the right 

facets for its customers increases its value.

“A diamond’s value is enhanced when it is 

expertly cut – when facets are skillfully added that 

allows the light to reflect and sparkle,” said Fowler. 

“In our Web presence, the facets are the interfaces 

designed to meet the needs of customer archetypes. 

This is one of the reasons it is so important to 

understand our customers and to do a customer 

segmentation study – so that we know how best to 

create a tailored facet for each customer.”

Business intelligence will help ensure NGA 

makes insightful decisions, said Fowler. 

The X Directorate is responsible for establishing 

the agency’s business analytics to help leaders 

make decisions based on relevant data. It is 

essential to know how we serve our customers and 

how customers use or access our core content and 

services, said Fowler. That knowledge allows the 

agency to make astute, data-driven decisions about 

how to better meet the needs of those customers 

and improve our processes at the same time. 

“We must take our knowledge – and that of our 

partners, inside and outside the government – and 

present it in ways that best serve the needs of 

customers,” said Fowler. “By putting customers 

first in all we do, we create and maintain an 

important value proposition for the enterprise and 

help deliver on our mission – informing thinking 

and decision making centered on the 

nation's security.”

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 7

By Karen Finn, Xperience Director

Photos by Kevin Clark, Office of Corporate Communication

Newly nameddirec

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 7
8 Pathfinder Pathfinder • Fall 2013 • Fall 2013

Interview with Geoff Fowler

dirctor of NGA

Anything you

want to add? 

How essential

is it for NGA t

have a single 

online presence? 

What difference

can the Xperience

Directorate

make at NG

Why did the Onlin

GEOINT Ser

Directorate become

the Xperience

Directorate

Being new to NGA

what is the most 

significant quality 

you bring to the 

agency and why?

GF: I am honored to join NGA and work to create 

its consolidated online presence. I’m amazed at 

the quality and presence of NGA’s footprint and 

its myriad contributions to national security. In 

many ways this is our strength. But, it can also be 

our Achilles heel in that it makes it challenging 

to succinctly articulate who we are and what we 

stand for. I have proven experience in building 

a strong brand and expertise in bringing a team 

together to focus on the technology and processes 

to support core business areas. As a new member 

of the NGA team, I can make recommendations 

with a fresh eye. 

GF: In short, clarity and focus. These are critical 

when driving to an objective as important as 

making NGA a customer-focused enterprise. Also, 

the name Online GEOINT Services did not tell you 

the directorate was customer focused. Our name 

needed to capture the focus of the organization, 

better reflect the agency mission, and perhaps 

most importantly, establish a unifying brand that 

was exciting, motivating and future focused. We 

chose Xperience as the best descriptor of what the 

directorate was responsible for and how it fit into 

the NGA structure. 

GF: An enormous difference. I think of our 

enterprise as a business that operates in the 

information services industry – specifically, 

but not solely, geospatial information services. 

GEOINT is foundational to the intelligence 

integration objectives of the community. Any 

business with solid end-to-end excellence is 

headed for success, and strong customer service, 

distribution, marketing and sales help gain and 

retain customers. 

GF: If we don't do it, we will fail to serve our 

customers. I know some will say we serve our 

customers best when we deliver tailored websites 

for their needs. Yes, we serve customers well when 

we provide tailored services. But no, we don't 

serve them well when we have a proliferation of 

online sites that forces customers to go from one 

to another to find what they need. That actually 

makes it harder on our customers, not easier. 

GF: I am delighted to be at NGA. I've served 

26 years in the intelligence community in a 

variety of capacities, from line analysis to staff 

assignments. I’ve worked with Congress as a 

senior representative to Homeland Security and the 

White House. For the last seven-and-a-half years, 

I served as the founding director and managing 

editor of CIA's World Intelligence Review, or 

WIRe. I have a loving family that keeps me young. 

I've been embraced by colleagues at NGA and I'm 

learning about this critical component of the IC – 

essentially enlarging my family. I'm blessed. 

8 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

"GEOINT is

foundational to 

the intelligence 

integration objectives 

of the community."

- Geoff Fowle
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 9

The National GeospatialIntelligence Agency recent

partnered with the Department 

of State to produce the “African 

Elephant Poaching Threat Map,” 

showing the location of Africa’s 

elephants and where they are 

most likely to be poached.

The NGA Support Team 

at DOS worked with the 

department’s Bureau of 

Intelligence and Research and 

experts in African wildlife 

trafficking to create a map layer, 

called the poaching-threat index, 

which depicts key factors driving 

poaching, said Bob Bouvier, 

a geospatial analyst with the 

support team. 

“The issue of wildlife 

poaching and trafficking has 

become a foreign policy priority,” 

said Bouvier. “Having briefed 

this map to various assistant 

secretaries across federal 

government, as well as key 

non-governmental organization 

partners, the team hopes this 

map might be used to inform 

policymakers and spur resource 

investment to affect change.”

During President Barack 

Obama’s July trip to Africa, 

this map was briefed to senior 

officials and included in the 

president’s briefing book. 

The president established a 

cabinet-level task force to 

address wildlife trafficking and 

released an executive order 

on the topic, noting that the 

survival of protected wildlife 

species, such as elephants, has 

beneficial economic, social and 

environmental impacts on 

all nations.

NGA helps

Poaching threat index*

2011 CITIES PIKE index**

cause of mortality 

Numerals represent 

number of carcasses

Elephant range

(IUCN, 2012)

Elephant population 

estimate source: IUCN/SSC 

African Elephant Status 

Report, 200

High

Natural death

Natural death/poaching

Poaching

Medium

Low

Excluded countries

1 - 2,000

2,001 - 8,000

8,001 - 21,000

21,001 - 44,500

44,501 - 84,000

African elephant range, population and threats

* Poaching threat index is based on four factors identified in the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killi

of Elephants (MIKE) 2012 document CoP16 DOC.46.1. that correlate with illegal killing of elephan

including governance, law enforcement capacity, infant mortality and farming.

 Data Source: 2012 Ibrahim Index of African Governance rep

Note: Data was unavailable for South Sudan

**CITES PIKE if an index that measures the annual proportion of illegally killed elephants to t

total number of carcasses found at each site (values in black italics). The index ranges from 0.0 (no 

poaching) to 1.0 (all carcasses encountered are due to poaching). The PIKE index is calculated fo

specific "Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants" (MIKE) si

Source: CITES, Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants, 2012. (COP 16 Doc. 53.1)

By Jacquelyn Karpovich, Office of

Corporate Communications

Map courtesy of Esri modified by Valorie Brinson, Office of Corporate Communication

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 9

Went to Central Pk Zoo to meet w/wildlife 

experts about elephants. Their solution: 

Stop the Killing - Stop the Trafficking -

Stop the Deman
10 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

An imagery analyst and a human geographer have a lot in common besides the

at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, Va. 

They both donned wool uniforms and spent three days in the suffocating summer heat 

during a re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1-3 as part of the activities 

surrounding the battle’s 150th anniversary. 

Shepard Cook, an imagery analyst in the Office of Special Programs, and Patrick Ellis, a 

human geographer in the Source Directorate, participated in a week’s worth of living history 

activities with their respective re-enactment groups to commemorate the battle.

Cook’s passion for re-enactment was passed down from earlier generations, creating a minor 

Hollywood star in the process, he said. Cook was an extra in the Civil War films “Gettysburg” 

and “Gods and Generals.”

Battl

NGA employees live history during ofGettysburg's

By Jacquelyn Karpovich, Office of Corporate Communication

150th anniversary

An 1863 Union map of the Gettysburg area. Courtesy of Library of Congress.
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 11

 “My great-grandfather fought at Gettysburg,” said Cook. 

“I have his sword, his uniform buttons and a variety of other 

things. I went to the 100th anniversary of Gettysburg as a 

9-year-old.”

 During the July re-enactment, Cook lived for three days “in 

the field” only yards from where his great-grandfather, U.S. 

Army Capt. John Darwin Shepard Cook, fought during the 

original battle with the 20th New York State Militia.

 Ellis’ interest started when he was a child and his assistant 

Boy Scout master’s son told him about a re-enactment he had 

attended, said Ellis. 

 “We were sitting around the campfire during one campout and 

they were sharing stories from a recent re-enactment, and I said, 

‘Hey! That sounds like a lot of fun.’”

 Since the first sounds of gunfire during the 139th anniversary 

re-enactment of the battle, Ellis has been hooked, he said. Since 

then, he has portrayed a private, corporal, second sergeant 

and first sergeant of his company, Company A, 7th Maryland 

Volunteer Infantry. He recently returned to the rank of private. 

 “It’s a lot more fun,” he said. 

 Beyond the strong ties to ancestral and American history, 

re-enacting provides a way to experience GEOINT in its 

earliest form, he said. 

 “Each day, members of the public were in the camp asking 

not just the ‘Is-that-uniform-hot?’ questions, but other 

questions about logistics, mapping, telegraphs, technology,” 

said Cook. “All of the intelligence reporting that we do today 

is actually rooted in the American Civil War.”

 Two examples of early GEOINT in action during that period 

are embodied in the experience of Thaddeus S.C. Lowe and 

Jedediah Hotchkiss. Lowe served as chief aeronaut of the 

Union Army Balloon Corps, a civilian contract organization, 

whose efforts marked the start of the U.S. military’s era of 

aerial reconnaissance. 

 Hotchkiss was one of the most famous cartographers 

and topographers of the Civil War, serving directly under 

Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson. He was a prized 

resource at a time when soldiers on both sides would strip 

maps off the walls of civilian homes.

 Maps, or the lack thereof, informed much of the war’s 

tactical experience, said Cook.“The biggest gap every single 

commander had on both sides was accurate maps,” said Cook. 

“It was one of the reasons the U.S. stood up mapmaking at 

the beginning of the 20th century. The whole geographic 

intelligence our Army relies on today was a requirement 

known during the Civil War, but not met.” 

 Looking at the war through the lens of his human geography 

work at the agency, Ellis said having a better knowledge of 

the communities, whose citizens found war on their doorsteps, 

would have been greatly beneficial for Civil War commanders.

 “When Lee invaded Maryland during the Antietam 

campaign, he really expected a lot more Southern 

sympathizers,” said Ellis. “Had he done his human geography 

analysis ahead of time, he would have known that western 

Maryland (citizens were) a lot like the Pennsylvania Dutch – 

Union loyalists.”

While re-enactment has proved an effective way to 

understand history and the foundation of GEOINT, it’s also 

enjoyable, said Cook.

“I think one of the reasons we all fall into the hobby of 

re-enacting is that it is a lot of fun,” said Cook. “I don’t mean 

running around in the uniform shooting blanks. I mean sitting 

around the campfire, chewing the historical fat with a group of 

people who are as interested in it as you are.”

“The biggest gap every single 

commander had on both sides 

was accurate maps.”

- Shepard Cook

Cook stands near where his 

grandfather fought during 

the Gettysburg battle. 

Photo courtesy of Shepard 

Cook, modified by Valorie 

Brinson, Office of Corporate 

Communications.

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 11
12 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

 Collection of the Ewing Gallery, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 

Gift of the Washington National Insurance Company, Evanston, Ill.

www.ewing-gallery.utk.

12 Pathfinder • Fall 2013
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 13

In early 1748, a young George Washington set off on his first major sur

expedition across northern Virginia. The monthlong undertaking took the 16-year-old 

west over the Blue Ridge Mountains with George William Fairfax, nephew of Fairfax 

County’s namesake, Lord Thomas Fairfax, and James Genn, the surveyor of Prince 

William County. 

Story and photos by Kevin Clark, Office of Corporate Communication

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 13
14 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

and scholars attended the opening of 

the museum, Marines at the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on 

Fort Belvoir were busy surveying the 

northern Virginia landscape visible 

from Washington’s back yard.

NGA is home to the U.S. Marine 

Corps Basic Geographic Intelligence 

Specialist course, a seven-month 

endeavor that teaches Marines to 

perform precision ground control 

survey operations and provide the 

positional data required for various 

weapons delivery systems, according 

to marines.mil, the official U.S. Marine 

Corps website. Upon completion of 

the course, Marines are awarded the 

military occupational specialty of 0261 

and have the basic skills necessary to 

construct and revise military maps and 

A map of Lord Fairfax's property based on the survey from 1736-1737. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

The adventure helped spark 

Washington’s decision to become a 

geographical surveyor, according to the 

U.S. national archives.

More than 265 years after 

Washington’s journey, the Fred W. 

Smith National Library for the Study 

of George Washington opened Sept. 27 

at Mount Vernon, the first president’s 

Fairfax County home. While spectators 

14 Pathfinder • Fall 2013
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 15

U.S. Marine Pfc. 

Nathan A. Edwards 

operates a Topcon 

Total Station during his 

survey phase exercise 

July 26. The Total 

Station gives point-topoint measurements 

from location to 

location, allowing its 

user to later upload 

the data and detect 

any change in a point’s 

initially presumed 

coordinate. One use 

for such data is to 

help pinpoint artillery 

targets in the field. 

 U.S. Marine Sgt. Austin 

R. Hackett collects data 

points using a GPSbased Field Controller 

200 as part of a “realtime kinematic survey” 

during his survey phase 

exercise July 26. The 

points collected with the 

FC 200 will be recorded 

as specific objects 

during the exercise 

and later uploaded to 

mapping software such 

as Google Earth to 

show the locations of 

fence lines, manhole 

covers, trees and any 

other obstructions.

conduct topographic and hydrographic 

survey operations, analyzing terrain and 

hydrography as a functional aspect of 

military intelligence.

The first area of course study is a 

three-month, survey-based phase that 

develops the skills necessary to perform 

geographical surveys in the 

field, said Marine Staff Sgt. Keith 

Winfrey, a course instructor at NGA. 

At the end of the first phase, students 

test their new skills in a weeklong 

exercise that demonstrates their newly 

developed talents as Marine Corps 

surveyors, said Winfrey. The next phase 

of their training integrates their work 

into useful products for developing 

military intelligence.

Find out more about the course at 

www.marines.mil. Find out more about 

NGA at www.nga.mil. 

www.marines.mi

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 15
16 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

NGA-led exercise tests technology, international partnerships

By Jason Moll, Office of Corporate Communications

U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Charles Mason briefs Rear Adm. Thomas L. Brown II on an imagery delivery system during Exercise 

Enterprise Challenge July 23. Brown is the director of NGA’s Military Support Directorate. NGA Photo.

NGA employees in July le

transcontinental and transatlantic 

exercise in California that allowed 

U.S. and “Five Eyes” partners to test 

the ability of equipment to transmit, 

discover and store intelligence, 

surveillance and reconnaissance data 

over a network.

The annual exercise, known as 

Enterprise Challenge, was held in the 

western Mojave Desert at Naval Air 

Weapons Station China Lake.

Enterprise Challenge-13 provided 

a chance to field test integration and 

interoperability of the equipment and 

network before deploying to theater, 

said Ronnie Stanfill, NGA contractor 

and exercise director. 

 “If you’re going to fight in 

Afghanistan, and you have a radio and 

(an) air platform impacted by heat, 

you’re better off discovering that in 

the desert of California than in theater, 

where it may fail,” said Stanfill.

 The U.S. undersecretary of defense 

for intelligence, or USDI, asked NGA 

to lead the exercise because of the 

agency’s experience bringing together 

the military services, intelligence 

community and international partners, 

and for its familiarity with research 

and development in innovation, testing 

and evaluation, said U.S. Navy Cmdr. 

William Pharis, NGA program lead 

for EC-13. 

While the overall goal of the exercise 

was to ensure network interoperability 

and compatibility, each service branch 

and international partner had its own 

objectives, said Pharis.

“The Army was interested in knowing 

how well the antenna on its mobile, 

tactical ground station was working,” 

said Pharis. “The Navy wanted to see 

how their sensors were operating in 

the field, (and) our U.K. partners were 

keen to learn how they were sharing 

coalition (intelligence, surveillance 

and reconnaissance resources).”

The exercise involved multiple 

intelligence disciplines such as 

geospatial, human, signals and 

counterintelligence, said Pharis.

U.K. forces were at China Lake 

and Langley Air Force Base, Va., where 

they worked with Canadian forces 

as part of a NATO element, said Lt. 

Col. Andy Page, British intelligence 

liaison staff to NGA. The U.K.’s main 

effort took place at that country’s 

new geospatial intelligence building, 

Pathfinder, located at Royal Air 

Force Base Wyton, near 

Cambridgeshire, England.

The Pathfinder building was 

opened fairly recently and there 

was a large exercise contingent there, 

said Page. EC-13 was used to test 

how the new building works.

Some things didn’t go quite as 

planned, said Page, noting that 

exercises are designed to provide 

safe environments for systems and 

equipment to fail. 

“You’re operating and playing 

with technology, and you’re trying to 

push it as much as you can,” said Page. 

“So, on occasion, this technology 

will fail. And, indeed, we did not 

achieve certain things that we would 

have liked to. We have given our 

engineers and scientists new problems 

to overcome. And, such is the nature 

of this exercise.”

Stanfill considered the three-week 

exercise a resounding success, he said.

“This is the best standards, 

conformance and performance testing 

I’ve ever seen outside of combat,” 

he said.
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 17

Nearly every NGA directorate is engag

academic outreach with institutions across the 

academic spectrum, from elementary schools 

to post-graduate programs.

The partnerships vary and include 

everything from guest speaker programs 

and workforce recruiting to joint research 

ventures, said Scott Loomer, NGA senior 

executive for academic outreach. 

While partnerships generally benefit both 

parties, research is one area where benefits 

accrue to NGA, its partners and the nation, 

he said. 

“Because companies are business 

oriented, they are looking for a relatively 

quick return on investment,” said Loomer. 

“That’s why basic research is almost entirely 

the province of academia. Basic research is 

something you don’t know will work, but if 

it does, it could be game changing.”

The success of NGA’s academic 

partnerships has led to the establishment 

of even more partnerships, said Loomer. In 

fact, what once required part-time oversight, 

is now a full-time job.

The NGA College appointed Loomer to 

the newly created senior executive position 

in 2012 to manage the agency’s growing 

academic outreach activities.

“There are literally a couple dozen 

academic programs spread across NGA,” 

said Loomer. “While the stewards of these 

activities are good at what they do, the 

Agency ‘broker’ unites NGA with academic opportunities

By Jason Moll, Office of Corporate Communication

sheer volume and variety of programs has 

inhibited visibility across the agency.”

NGA’s status as an intelligence agency 

sometimes makes it difficult to be a 

champion for academic partners, said 

Loomer. Rather than creating another 

layer of bureaucracy, his job is to serve as 

a “broker” of sorts between institutions 

seeking NGA sponsorship and vice versa. 

Of particular interest are partnerships with 

academia to address NGA Strategy-related 

training and education shortfalls, he said. 

For example, NGA recently issued a request 

for proposal for a course of study to broaden 

and deepen the analytical expertise of its 

mid-level GEOINT analysts. 

Loomer’s work has internal and external 

components, he said. Internally, his office 

will be a resource where anyone within 

NGA can see the agency’s engagements or 

research agreements, said Loomer.

A newly created Page, called “Academic 

Opportunities” and located under the 

“Partners” link on the agency website, will 

help those in academia looking at NGA 

for partnerships, he said. (https://www1.

nga.mil/Partners/Academic_Opportunities/

Pages/default.aspx) 

NGA members engaged or interested 

in academic outreach and members of 

academia interested in partnerships should 

contact Loomer at academia@nga.mil 

or 571-557-3379.

49 research grants with a value totaling more 

than $19.9 million

NGA Academic Research Initiative 37 ac

grants, four pending, with 27 universities 

IC Postdoctoral Research Program 4 activ

postdoc fellows with 4 universities

Historically Black Colleges and Universitie

Minority-serving Institutions, or HBC

Research Initiative 4 active grants with 4 universitie

NGA Visiting Scientist Program 32 participa

to date, 6 active, 6 pending 10 participants hired 

by government 

U.S. Service Academies more than 1,600 cad

received GIS trainin

9 cadet summer interns at N

NGA A adm c Resa 

NGA Academic Outreach Activi

• InnoVision Italk speakers program

• Analysis Directorate guest speaker program

• Source Directorate guest speaker program

• Partners in Education program

Cooperative research and development 

agreements, or CR

• InnoVision Academic Research program

• CRADAs

• 26 total CRADAs 

• 6 academic CRADAs

https://www1.nga.mil/Par

Academic_Opportunities/

default.as
18 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

NGA teams with Howard U. students for GEOINT precisio

By Jason Moll, Office of Corporate Communications

Seeking a verifiable way to monitor atmospheric composition around the clock, 

from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s InnoVision Directorate teamed with scientists 

from Howard University, in Washington, D.C., to share research and equipment. 

The cooperative research and development agreement allows NGA scientists use of Howard’s 

research facility in Beltsville, Md., where NGA has placed a microwave profiler radiometer, said 

Torreon Creekmore, Ph.D., an atmospheric scientist with NGA’s InnoVision Directorate. 

The instrument allows scientists to measure the amount of water vapor in an atmospheric 

column extending from the ground up to 6.2 miles.

“Measuring water vapor in the atmosphere lets us know how to correct the sensor data we’re 

getting,” said Creekmore. “Water vapor affects radiation as it travels from earth to space. 

Calculating the total amount of water vapor lets our satellites account for water vapor in the 

atmosphere and determine the real amount of energy coming from our targets on the ground.”

It is important for analysts to know what’s between the sensors in space and the ground, 

said Creekmore. 

“Even when the sky appears to be clear, there is a whole host of things, like aerosols, water 

vapor and clouds that affect the data I’m getting,” said Creekmore.

NGA and Howard scientists are using the microwave profiler radiometer to develop a proof 

of concept that measures water vapor by receiving microwave energy from the atmosphere, said 

The U.S. government relies on 

intelligence satellites to take pictures 

(imagery) and acquire data with sensors. 

Electromagnetic radiation, or light, is 

particularly important.

Water vapor and aerosols affect energy 

and light as it travels from earth to 

space, limiting the accuracy of sensor 

data readings.

Aerosol

Water vapo

Clouds

Shortwave radiatio

Longwave radiatio
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 19

Creekmore. Scientists hope to use this method to calibrate radiosondes, or weather balloons, 

and satellites as they perform their own measurements, and to create models that allow them to 

indirectly gauge atmospheric conditions worldwide.

Howard has a microwave profiler radiometer of its own and other instruments that help 

NGA scientists corroborate and verify the data they receive, said Everette Joseph, professor of 

physics and astronomy at Howard and director of the Beltsville Center for Climate 

System Observation.

“There are subtle differences from one instrument to another, and we’re able to get a sense 

of that by comparing the data we get (from each of them),” Joseph said. “We also have more 

established methods of measuring atmospheric water vapor, such as using a radiosonde and 

(light detection and ranging).” NGA’s partnership with Howard provides agency scientists with 

access to their peers in academia and other federal agencies and exposes Howard students to 

working scientists and the intelligence community. 

“The students help me take measurements (and) install and characterize the instrumentation,” 

said Creekmore. “I’m helping another student with his Ph.D. research and publish a paper. So, 

things that I know, I help them on, and things that they might know, they help me on.”

NGA’s interaction with Howard’s students has also helped bolster technical education among 

those who come from traditionally under-served populations, said Joseph. 

Scientists use different methods to 

analyze the atmosphere's composition

By using a microwave profile radiometer, 

NGA and Howard scientists hope to 

develop techniques that allow them to 

subtract water vapor atmospheric effects 

on sensor-received data.

Weather balloNASA satelMicrowave profile radiomete
20 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

crash By Kris Mackey, Office of Corporate Communication

U-28s, like the one that crashed in Djibouti, provide 

manned, fixed-wing, on-call surge capabilities for 

tactical airborne intelligence, surveillance and 

reconnaissance in support of special operations 

forces. U.S. Navy Photo. 

Members of a National GeospatialIntelligence Agency support team

the Horn of Africa used GEOINT 

methods to change the way the U.S. 

Air Force investigated a plane crash 

in February 2012. 

The on-site Air Force team used 

these methods to document and 

investigate the crash of a U-28 

reconnaissance plane at Camp 

Lemonnier, Djibouti, in the Horn 

of Africa, said Jason Parrish, a 

member of NGA Geospatial Support 

Team 17. 

The investigators were unaware of 

the support team’s capabilities 

when they came to GST-17 looking 

for handheld GPS equipment, 

said Parrish. GST-17 gave the 

investigators much more, taking them 

beyond the traditional method of hand 

drawing maps of the crash site. The 

team provided investigators a more 

realistic depiction of the site through 

commercial imagery and overlays 

detailing the terrain and pinpointing 

the debris. 

“I labeled each of the points using 

GPS,” said Parrish. “Admittedly, 

it led to a very busy and crowded 

product because the debris was close 

together. (But) I knew (our product) 

could provide more clarity to the 

investigators, so I kept at it.”

The more the investigators saw of 

NGA’s capabilities, the more they 

wanted, said Parrish. 

The final suite of NGA products 

consisted of four maps – two 

unclassified and two at the FVEY 

level, said Parrish. The maps 

accurately represented precise 

locations within the debris field. This 

provided an electronic record that 

became instrumental in reconstructing 

the scene and the cause of the accident.

Some of the GEOINT was also 

presented to the families of the crash 

victims to show where and how the 

event occurred, said Parrish.

“NGA’s support is an imperative 

element during these events, as we 

supply the geospatial context of exactly 

where events unfold,” said Art Gregory, 

the site lead at the time of the crash. 

“Often, the only information the crews 

have with them when they depart for 

such an incident are customized NGA 

products guiding them to 

their destination.” 

He and his team were working late 

with members of Combined Joint Task 

Force-Horn of Africa on the evening investigation

USAFapproach toDjibouti NGA team changes

20 Pathfinder • Fall 2013
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 21

Map of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa

the crash occurred, said Gregory. They 

immediately responded to the crash, 

hoping the crew was still alive.

NGA got active, stayed involved, 

and accurately marked the position of 

the aircraft for recovery efforts, said 

Hiram Weedon, deputy director of 

intelligence for the CJTF-HOA from 

2012-2013. 

It was Parrish’s idea to lead a team 

out to the crash site, using his expertise 

with GPS tools and his geospatial 

knowledge of the area, said Weedon. 

It was also Parrish who convinced the 

team to abandon traditional flagging 

and hand documentation of the site, 

and instead use GPS to mark and 

document the site and the debris 

field, which became critical to 

the investigation.

Remains

Aircraft De

Investigation Boun

Initial Impact S

Ridgelin

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 21
22 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

To the thousands of NGA, N

military and contract employees 

who work at the Aerospace Data 

Facility in Aurora, Colo., or ADF-C, 

the phrase “integrated intelligence 

in action” holds two meanings. It is 

an apt description of the ADF-C’s 

collaborative spirit, and it was the 

theme for a recent technical workshop 

held at the facility.

Hosted by NGA-Denver and cosponsored with the U.S. Geospatial 

Intelligence Foundation, the NGA 

Technical Workshop was a three-day 

event held in the Denver area and at 

the ADF-C on Buckley Air Force Base.

The workshop’s goal was to 

develop multi-INT tradecraft and tools 

for enhancing mission effectiveness, 

and delivering top-notch service to 

NGA, the IC and to customers around 

the world, said NGA-Denver Director 

Ed Mornston, who welcomed more 

than 170 IC, DOD and industry 

attendees to this year’s session.

The “in action” part of the 

theme means that our customers can 

do something or make decisions 

with the integrated intelligence 

ADF-C provides, said keynote 

speaker Robert Cardillo, deputy 

director of national intelligence for 

intelligence integration. 

“ADF-C has intelligence integration 

in its DNA,” Cardillo told facility 

employees there. “There is no time 

when what you do has been more 

important than today.”

ADF-C continues to serve as a 

model for successful intelligence 

integration and collaboration, and 

Integrated intel focus of NGA-hosted workshop

By Al Schulte, Office of Corporate Communications (Editor’s note: Scott Michaud, ADF-Denver, contributed to this stor

NGA’s continuing partnership with 

agencies such as the NSA and NRO 

help us live up to DNI Clapper’s 

expectations for the rest of the IC, 

said Mornston. 

USGIF Chief Executive Officer 

Keith Masback pledged his 

organization’s commitment to 

strengthening the partnership between 

industry and the DOD, and to growing 

the GEOINT community.

NGA Chief Operating Officer Ellen 

McCarthy addressed the attendees via 

VTC, and said she supports a strong 

public and private partnership and 

that industry partners are crucial to 

providing solutions in technology, 

training and management for NGA. 

“NGA is at the forefront of 

bringing all of the -INTs together, 

and so it is only fitting that this 

event is being hosted at NGADenver because it serves as a model 

for collaboration and integration,” 

McCarthy said.

“NGA’s future lies in finding the 

unknowns – predicting targets, 

and utilizing new technologies and 

training to identify new threats,” 

said McCarthy. 

There are challenges, particularly 

caused by sequestration, but NGA will 

meet those challenges, and continue 

to invest in unclassified, open source, 

social media and commercial imagery, 

said McCarthy.

NGA-Denver and NSA-Colorado 

partner to create a fusion of GEOINT 

and SIGINT called GEOSIG, said 

Bruce Leiman, NGA-Denver deputy 

director. By collecting other forms of 

mission intelligence and compiling the 

data into a single product, stakeholders 

can have a more complete site picture 

on which to base their decisions.

An operational vignette briefing on 

integrated intelligence collection, titled 

“As Collected Monitoring Service,” 

was delivered by Aaron Shankles, 

NGA, and an NSAC representative. 

“When you integrate people from 

different intelligence expertise and 

cultures, and co-locate them into a 

facility like the ADF-C, it leads to 

success,” said Shankles. “Integrated 

collection processes are being applied 

to various issues every day.”

A discussion panel on the state of 

integration was moderated by Neil 

Tipton of ODNI. The discussion 

included panelists from U.S. Northern 

Command, the National CounterTerrorism Center, NSA and contracting 

company CACI. 

Tipton referred to the ADF-C 

as the poster child for intelligence 

integration, and an NSAC panelist 

attributed the effective operations 

of ADF-C to a sense of coalition 

leadership in its community. NGADenver seniors participated in an offsite speed mentoring workshop July 

18, sponsored by USGIF.

“We go to a lot of governmentsponsored conferences, maybe 20 a 

year, and this was one of the most 

informative and actionable sessions 

we’ve attended,” said an attendee. 

"It gave us exposure to real-world 

initiatives that help us better 

understand the needs of the 

intelligence community.”

Panel members discuss topics and field questions from attendees at the event. NRO Photo.
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 23

NGA welcomes distinguished guests

Photos by Tony Boone, Office of Corporate Communications

NGA Director’s 

Distinguished 

Speaker Series

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert re-enlists petty officers first class Aaron Marrison and Tom 

Wince, both Navy intelligence specialists, Oct. 9 during the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s celebration 

of the Navy's 238th birthday in Springfield, Va. Greenert was the keynote speaker for the birthday ceremony. 

Retired Army Gen. Stan McChrystal speaks to members of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s 

workforce Oct. 28 at the agency’s Springfield, Va., campus. The former commander of U.S. and international 

forces in Afghanistan was the first speaker to participate in the new NGA Director’s Distinguished Speaker Series. 

McChrystal now teaches a leadership course at Yale University and is the co-founder of the McChrystal Group. 

"NGA is the 

foundation of how 

we get around, 

how we know 

where to go and 

navigate safely." 

- Greenert 

"Senior leaders 

(must) trust junior 

leaders and 

challenge them." 

- McChrystal 

Navy bi
24 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

NGA responds to Colorado floods 

Office of Corporate Communications

NGA’s graphic depiction of search areas 

allowed rescuers, like these soldiers 

evacuating fifth-grade students, to narrow 

their focus. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. 

Wallace Bonner.

When floods devastated parts of Colorado in Septem

the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal 

agency for response to the Colorado flooding, called the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for help.

In response, NGA deployed two analysts to Boulder 

and Loveland, Colo., and launched its suite of analysis and 

collaboration tools to aid search and rescue efforts and provide 

flood and damage assessments.

NGA’s disaster event page is a hub for accessing NGA’s 

products and services. Through this unclassified Web page, 

federal, state and local response partners are able to submit and 

review requests for geospatial information and specific analysis 

needs, view and download NGA products such as maps and 

graphics that illustrate areas and extent of damage, and contribute 

information for the combined response effort. 

NGA launched its first disaster event page for the response to 

Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. The collaboration tool is now 

a standard component of NGA’s disaster-response service, and 

the agency creates a page as soon as a lead federal agency asks 

for help. 

As is often the case in disaster response, weather and cloud 

cover made analyzing conditions in Colorado more challenging. 

Multiple sources of data and imagery, including commercial 

news reports and information found in publicly available social 

media streams, had to be evaluated along with commercial 

imagery and other traditional information sources. 

The agency’s new GeoQ system makes that multi-source 

analysis more efficient. GeoQ integrates imagery and analysis 

from multiple sources and geographically dispersed analysts 

and better facilitates the use of crowdsourcing to define areas 

and extent of damage. It enables analysts to review imagery 

from different sources simultaneously, rather than sequentially, 

which results in much faster damage assessments. This allows 

responders to appropriately focus and prioritize limited resources. 

An aerial view shows flood damage in Colorado, Sept. 14 caused by heavy rains. NGA

deployed analysts and launched a suite of analysis and collaboration tools to help 

search and rescues and provide flood and damage assessments. U.S. Army photo by 

Staff Sgt. Wallace Bonner.
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 25

NGA specifically assisted with identifying areas of 

damage and assessing the extent of the damage. Because 

the Colorado floods did not follow a predictable river- and 

stream-bed pattern, typical modeling techniques could not 

be employed, which has made NGA’s imagery-derived 

damage assessments more critical.

NGA identified more than 3,000 damaged structures in 

the greater Denver and Boulder areas. The NGA flood and 

damage assessments resulted in disaster declarations in 

numerous counties. 

In addition, NGA aided urban search and rescue 

operations by graphically depicting where searches already 

had occurred and tracking search-and-rescue personnel 

movements via GPS logs. This type of analysis allows 

first responders to better manage response efforts, and 

avoid duplicating searches or missing damaged structures. 

Through the disaster event page, NGA is providing 

information and geospatial intelligence to everyone 

involved in disaster response in a self-serve, on-demand 

format. In addition, NGA analysts on the ground 

and the team at headquarters assisted responders with 

more complex, specific analysis when needed. By 

streamlining the processes and making finished products 

easily available through the event page, NGA was able to 

focus analysis efforts on the harder problems confronting 

the response effort. 

Vice President Joe Biden discusses Colorado flood damage during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster recovery center in 

Greeley, Colo., Sept. 23. An NGA assessment of damaged and closed roads helped illustrate the impact of the flooding. AP Photo/Ed Andrieski
26 Pathfinder • Fall 2013

Pe

Purported alien activity isn’t the 

only thing that Machu Picchu, the 

Nazca Lines and other ancient 

Peruvian ruins have in common. All 

are now being monitored in 3-D by

drones previously used only by the 

military. Increasingly inexpensive

and available, drones are speeding 

up normally sluggish mapping work 

and protecting fragile heritage sites 

from squatters, builders, 

thieves and miners. Source: www.npr.org Source: www.techcrunc

Source: www.nationala

Source: www.nationalgeogra

Source:www.reuters.co

Denali

Par

Preserve

North America’s 

highest peak is taken 

down a notch, and 

runner-up Mount 

Logan’s hopes 

soar. Mt. McKinley,

also known by the 

Native Alaskan name 

Denali, clocked in at 83 fewer feet than

previously believed, according to data 

recently released from a 2010 radar 

collection flight. Experts say the mountain, 

like much of the state, is difficult to map 

due to shifting ice and snow that alter the 

landscape. Many of Alaska’s topographical 

maps date to around the time of its 

statehood in 1959.

GEOIN

Missi

Uni

All roads lead to Rome – or, in our

case, all creeks lead to the mighty 

Mississippi. We loved exploring 

America’s largest river. Find your

favorite tributary on the National 

Atlas Streamer Map, a new 

app that lets you trace the upor downstream routes of 

any waterway in the U.S.

Gre

The view from this skywalk won’t 

be for the faint of heart. Using 

three decades’ worth of radar 

data, scientists have discovered 

a fissure nearly twice the size of 

the Grand Canyon beneath the 

Greenland Ice Sheet. It is believe

to have originated as a system 

of rivers in the bedrock at least 

4 million years ago.

Galapagos

Plan your giant tortoise and 

blue-footed booby sightseeing 

now. Google Street View spent

10 days in the islands, capturing 

ground and underwater footage. 

The images will be added to 

Google Maps in late 2013.

26 Pathfinder • Fall 2013
Pathfinder • Fall 2013 27

Source:www.nas

Source:www.pbs.o

Source:www.washingtonpos

Source:www.telegraph.co

Lond

One round-trip ticket to Fruit

Cake and Drippings, please. A

U.K. man created a “flavor map”

of the London Underground, 

assigning a taste to stops on 

the rail line. His 49-year project 

resulted in a clear winner: Baker 

Street, apparently tasting of 

a jam cake. Least popular? 

St. Paul’s, which imparts the 

flavor of soft, mushy sprouts.

The Northe

Arctic

Like any good bargain, the 

“shortcut” across the top of the 

world was available for a limited 

time only. Due to melting ice, the

Northeast Passage opened to 

shipping traffic for a brief window 

this summer. Boats from Shanghai 

to Rotterdam used the temporary

route above Russia to shave about

seven days and 2,750 miles 

from their travel. Experts hope 

for continued summertime 

use of the new route.

Photo: NASA

Au

Even 16th-century mapmakers 

knew to warn would-be explorers 

of dangers. Inscribed with

“here be dragons” in Latin, two 

conjoined halves of an ostrich 

egg form what may be the oldest 

globe depicting the New World. 

After it was purchased at a map 

fair in 2012, an Austrian collector 

spent a year analyzing the 

globe, dated 1504.

Photo: Washington Post

Okavango 

Scientists turn their gaze from 

the stars to the stripes – blackand-white stripes, that is. Using 

NASA rain and vegetation data, 

researchers can now anticipate 

and track zebra migration as the 

animals make a 360-mile round 

trip to Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, 

following rain-driven 

grass growth.

Pathfinder • Fall 2013 27
NGA

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

am

I

nga.mil | FB: NatlGEOINTAgency | @NGA_GEOINT

Liz Sherman began at NGA as a young 

analyst working on issues in the Horn of Africa. 

Today, she is a branch chief responsible for an 

integrated working group of professionals 

focusing on that region. 

She became interested in the region in 1993 

as a newspaper reporter in Georgia covering 

the 24th Infantry Division, now known as the 

3rd ID, she said. The unit was tasked with 

extracting American forces after 18 Americans 

soldiers were killed by antigovernment Somalis 

when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in 

Mogadishu. She continued her studies of the 

region in graduate school.

“Working Somalia issues for the intelligence 

community is a dream come true for me,” 

said Sherman, whose husband also works for 

the agency.

As a manager, she is also responsible for 

implementing the NGA Strategy and guiding 

her branch through the changes associated with 

a new way of doing business, she said. She was 

unsure how to motivate people entrenched in 

their work styles to shift their paradigms from 

information hoarding to information sharing. 

She sought the answers through leadership 

courses offered by the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency College. 

“The courses have taught me better 

resiliency skills and helped me learn how to 

motivate people when they feel the strain of 

rapid change,” said Sherman. “This is really 

about making ourselves change the way we 

think. Change is not easy, but once we get into 

the right mindset and embrace and internalize 

the need for institutional change, we bring 

more to the table and offer more to 

NGA’s customers.” 

Sherman loves her job and believes what 

she and her team do is important, she said. 

“I wake up excited about coming to 

work, and I go home fulfilled, knowing I did 

something worthwhile. I no longer feel like I’m 

‘just an analyst.’ 

I am NGA.”

Photo by Tony Boone, Office of Corporate Communications