PAT

T h e G e o s p a t i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e 

HFINDER

M a g a z i n e

J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8

t h e n a t i o n a l g e o s p a t i a l - i n t e l l i g e n c e a g e n c y

S u p po rt i n g t h e Fro n t L i n e

E n s u r i n g t h e M i s s i o n

D r i v i n g Tr a n s fo r m at i o n

Loo k i n g A h e a d

Vol. 6 No. 1

S e r v i n g t h e F r o n t L i n e

Highlights of NGA’s

›› M a p p i n g t h e A r c t i c , p a g e 1 2

2007 Accomp l ishmen ts
On My Mind

Looking Outward and Leaning Forward

NGA is vital to the success of virtually every mission in which our defense, intelligence and interagency partners 

are involved. Therefore, each and every NGA employee—civilian, military and contractor—directly contributes 

to NGA’s ability to get the right information to the right people at the right time. This past year highlighted the 

tremendous talent and dedication of the men and women of NGA as we focused outward and leaned forward 

to engage our mission partners, both national and international.

Supporting the Front Line

As the United States increased support to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, NGA increased our forward 

deployment and reach-back support efforts. We did this all while balancing our domestic and non-time dominant 

mission support. Time and again embedding our NGA personnel in our mission partners’ footprint allowed our 

products and services to be utilized in situations where otherwise they would not have been. Our NGA Support 

Teams (NSTs) live and breathe the battle rhythm of our mission partners and gain specific insight into detailed 

operational requirements, allowing NGA to best meet and anticipate the front-line needs of our partners and 

ensure that geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) is effectively absorbed.

Ensuring the Mission

In our evolving threat environment, we must ensure mission success through collaboration and partnerships. 

Over the past year, NGA participated in additional outreach with intelligence and defense community leaders 

to address opportunities for further partnerships. We also increased our Commonwealth partner interaction to 

capitalize on the talents, resources, perspectives and capabilities they bring to mission support. Additionally, NGA 

held two NST Conferences to foster two-way communication between the NST front lines and NGA leaders to plan 

for future mission accomplishments. This past year we also saw the National System for Geospatial Intelligence 

(NSG) grow in influence as senior leaders and directors from across the defense, intelligence and interagency 

communities, as well as our Commonwealth partners, met quarterly at the NSG Senior Managers’ Council. Ongoing 

support from senior leaders, such as retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr., Undersecretary of Defense 

for Intelligence; Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. 

Maples, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency; Randall M. Fort, Assistant Secretary, Intelligence and Research, 

Department of State; Ambassador Kenneth C. Brill, Director, National Counterproliferation Center; Charles Allen, 

Undersecretary for Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Army Lt. Gen. John F. Kimmons, 

Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, is recognition that the NSG plays a vital role in national security.

Driving Transformation 

NGA is dedicated to ensuring our mission partners get the information they need to make critical decisions, on 

demand. This past year NGA saw unprecedented advancements with the deployment of several eGEOINT initiatives, 

the launch of a new commercial imagery system, quality of analysis improvements and various human capital 

initiatives such as the Workforce Excellence Plan and Foreign Language Proficiency Pay. Of specific note was the 

accelerated progress of our online GEOINT capabilities. In June, NGA rolled out Google EarthTM on two military 

networks. With the capabilities of multiple discovery and access to data through GEOINT Online, NGA’s partners 

will have a better capacity for finding and retrieving the GEOINT they need. Additionally, the groundbreaking at 

the New Campus East in Springfield, Va., and various mission enhancements in the West marked a new era for 

NGA. For the first time in our history, our eastern operations will be consolidated in one location. The impact of 

this mission deployment to our operations, resources and culture will help establish organizational continuity, 

stability and mission effectiveness, as well as improve the way we do business, both in the East and the West.

Looking Ahead

NGA’s mission is vital to the success of U.S. global operations. Each member of our Agency, from line 

directorates and staff offices to the enabling organizations and our deployed teams, has played a key role over 

the past year. With an ever increasing demand for GEOINT from our many mission partners, to include military, 

Intelligence Community, policy makers and DHS, our collective dedication to success is more important now 

than ever before. We each have a measure of responsibility for fulfilling the Agency’s mission and for the quality 

of information provided to those making critical decisions; we performed this admirably over the past year. 

Thank you for your dedication to duty and commitment to our nation’s security. I look forward to working with 

you and achieving even greater things in 2008.

 Robert B. Murrett

Vice Admiral, USN

 Director
Contents

›› E N S U R I N G T H E M I S S I O N

19 Visualize This! NGA Initiates GEOINT Visualization 

Service

20 Value-Added Commercial Imagery Has Arrived

21 Aero Services’ Pursuit of Quality Reaches 

Milestone 

24 NGA Delivers New Technologies to Bulgaria

26 NGA Assumes DNI-Delegated Authorities

›› D R I V I N G T R A N S F O R M A T I O N

29 Integrated Exploitation Capability Empowers 

Analysts Worldwide

30 Multiple Intelligence Disciplines Form a Clearer 

Picture

32 Joint Activities Accomplish Lasting Change Across 

NSG 

33 Branch Creates Shapefile Tool to Simplify Work

›› L O O K I N G A H E A D

35 An Important Technology Passes: New Displays 

Will Replace Cathode-Ray Tube

37 WorldView-1 Delivers New Capability

38 NSG Adds Weather Data, Moves Toward Net-Centric 

Warfare

39 eGEOINT Will Help NGA Become More ServiceOriented

 ›› D E P A R T M E N T S

40 Partnerships: NGA Brings GEOINT to Navy 

Deployers

41 Working for NGA: Staff Officer Creates New 

Relationship with DEA

42 Our Heritage: You Are What You Read!

43 Viewpoint: Collaboration Requires Knowing Rules 

of the Road

44 NCE: NGA’s New Home Is a Symbol of the Future

Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008 ›› Vol. 6 No. 1

On the Cover

“Supporting the Front Line,” one of the key themes in this Pathfinder, 

could involve creating geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) for the Arctic. With 

renewed interest in this region, NGA recently supported the Coast Guard 

and other customers with GEOINT products destined to play an important 

role in defending U.S. interests there. See “Lomonosov Ridge Model Aids 

in Mapping Territory Rights” by Heather Cox on page 12. Three other key 

themes are also used in this Pathfinder to group NGA’s 2007 achievements: 

“Ensuring the Mission,” “Driving Transformation” and “Looking Ahead.” 

The highlights begin on page 7 with “NGA Prototype Enables Collaboration 

with the Field” by Neil Hartbarger. Photo ©2007 Jupiterimages Corp. 

1 Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

2 Letter to Our Readers

3 Up Front: Open Geospatial Consortium Honors NGA 

4 Up Front: NGA Wins Award for “Check It” Campaign

5 Up Front: Program Cited as “Best Practice” in Report to 

Congress

›› S U P P O R T I N G T H E F R O N T L I N E

7 NGA Prototype Enables Collaboration with the Field 

9 NGA Transforms Dissemination While Improving 

CENTCOM Support

10 NGA Supports Afghan Mapping Initiative

12 Lomonosov Ridge Model Aids in Mapping Territory 

Rights

15 NGA Supports California Wildfires Suppression

16 Analysts Map Avian Flu in Real-Time Collaborative 

Environment

12 35
2Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

PATHFINDER

Published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Office of Corporate Relations

Strategic Communications Branch (OCRNS)

4600 Sangamore Road, Mail Stop D-54

Bethesda, Maryland 20816-5003

Telephone: (301) 227-7388, 

DSN 287-7388, or

In St. Louis: (314) 263-4142, 

DSN 693-4142

E-mail: pathfinder@nga.mil

Director

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett

Office of Corporate Relations, Director

Paul Weise

Deputy Director

Art Haubold

Strategic Communications Branch, Chief

Louis Brune

Editor

Paul Hurlburt

Managing Editor

Jennifer Harris

Visual Communications Division, Chief

Richard Hardwick

Graphic Designer

Carmella Bender

Contributing Authors

Tom Cooke

Heather Cox

Jay Edmiston

Dr. Ron E. Enstrom

Gary W. Fuller

John Godby

John Gray

Neil Hartbarger

Brent Hermansen

David Ketron

Bruce Kiracofe

James Long

Roger Maier

Jason K. Michas

Ernie Moore

GETTING PUBLISHED

All members of the geospatial intelligence community are welcome to submit articles of community-wide interest. Articles are 

edited for style, content and length. The copy deadline is the last 

Friday of the third month before publication. For details on submitting articles, send an e-mail to pathfinder@nga.mil.

The Pathfinder is the medium with which the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency enhances and promotes public awareness 

and understanding of the discipline of geospatial intelligence. The 

Pathfinder is an authorized Department of Defense publication for 

members of the Department of Defense. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the 

U.S. government, Department of Defense or NGA. Articles in the 

Pathfinder may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission, unless stated otherwise. If they are reproduced, please credit 

the author and the “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the 

Pathfinder magazine.” Any reproduction of graphics, photographs 

and imagery is subject to the original copyright.

Letter to Our Readers

2007 Highlights

With the advent of a new year, there is much 

to be thankful for and much to look forward 

to. In the dark of winter, much at NGA shines 

brightly, leading the way for the Intelligence 

Community. New Campus East is in its early 

stages of construction, and there have been 

important advances in the world of geospatial 

intelligence. To that end, it seems appropriate 

that the theme of this month’s issue is “accomplishments and achievements.”

NGA is consistently recognized for innovation 

and excellence. Our Internal Control Program 

won an award for the Department of Defense 

“Check It” campaign. The Open Geospatial 

Consortium (OGC) honored NGA with the OGC Vision Award, and Ernie Moore 

details the high praise the MATRIX program received. 

Issues concerning both the warfighter and the civilian continue to be in the 

scope of NGA’s lens. The recent launch of the Digital Globe WorldView-1 (WV-1) 

spacecraft in September represents a quantum leap in the capabilities of U.S. 

space-based commercial remote sensing. In “NGA Supports California Wildfires 

Suppression,” John Godby details our NGA Support Team’s courage and commitment in a dangerous situation. 

 We are making progress in many areas, both at home and abroad. Internationally, our NSTs are providing critical support for many issues. “NGA Delivers New 

Technologies to Bulgaria” celebrates the installation of a new photo facility in 

a post-Cold War nation. “Lomonosov Ridge Model Aids in Mapping Territory 

Rights” discusses our creation of a three-dimensional model that will assist the 

U.S. Coast Guard and national leaders in examining some of the newly exposed 

Arctic region.

Another significant area of leadership is technology. “eGEOINT Will Help NGA 

Become More Service-Oriented” focuses on our commitment to quality customer 

service. In “Analysts Map Avian Flu in Real-time Collaborative Environment,” Jim 

Long details how one of our teams worked quickly and efficiently to develop the 

Avian Influenza Mapping System. It will reduce the time analysts spend on mundane tasks so they can focus on delivering information to decision-makers. 

Our March/April issue will have an international focus and examine the many 

ways we provide support to customers and civilians worldwide. Through the 

tireless work and unparalleled service of its members, NGA continues to “know 

the earth, show the way.” Best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous New Year to 

you and yours.

Paul R. Weise

Director, Office of Corporate Relations

Lauren Newson

Jim Olson

Sabine Pontious

Dr. Eileen M. Preisser

Sue Riley

Karen Ruppe

John Scheirer

Bill Small

Whitney Steger

Christian Tipton 

Bill Trzyzewski 

Dr. Gary E. Weir

Kevin Witherow

Cyndi Wright

Katherine Zimmerman
Up Front

Open Geospatial Consortium Honors NGA

By Jason K. Michas

3Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) honored 

NGA with the OGC Vision Award at a ceremony on Oct. 17, 

2007, at the Army and Navy Club, Washington, D.C. Steve 

Wallach, NGA Technical Executive, accepted the award 

on behalf of the Agency, commenting, “We have been 

partners with the OGC from their beginning and highly 

value our strategic relationship. The work of the OGC has 

been and will continue to be a key factor in our success, 

bringing interoperable data and services to the warfighter 

and decision-maker.”

In his letter to NGA announcing the award, OGC Chairman David Schell explained, “The OCG Vision Award was 

established to recognize the remarkable contributions of 

a member institution to advance the consortium’s vision 

of the benefits of geospatial information in the world community.” Schell continued, “For over a decade, both the 

leadership and professional staff of NGA have been farsighted and innovative in their support of OGC programs to 

lead industry alignment on open standards of importance 

to geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) requirements.”

The OGC, an international nonprofit organization, 

comprises more than 350 government agencies, private 

companies, research institutions and universities. The 

consortium seeks through a consensus process to 

develop voluntary public standards for geospatial and 

other location-based information services.

Responding to the need to instill greater cooperation 

within the intelligence system following Sept. 11, 2001, 

NGA created the National Center for Geospatial Intelligence Standards (NCGIS) to support the effort to standardize GEOINT in a networked environment. The NCGIS 

represents NGA as a key member of the OGC, supporting 

and working with the consortium to ensure that National 

System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) requirements 

are met. NGA and the NSG benefit greatly from the OGC’s 

development, alignment and promotion of openly available geoprocessing standards.

NGA and the OGC’s commitment to the shared vision of 

common GEOINT requirements is reflected in the NGA publication Geospatial Intelligence Standards: Enabling a Common 

Vision, which outlines the standards that will be used in the 

NSG to share, manipulate and exploit digital geospatial data. 

The document endorses a set of key specifications known as 

the OGC Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) 1.0 baseline.

The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, retired 

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr., who served 

previously as NGA Director, attended the ceremony. 

He remarked, “It is very gratifying to me to see that 

the NGA–OGC relationship has not only continued but 

strengthened over the years. The importance of standards 

and their promulgation and enforcement cannot be overemphasized.”

 Commenting on efforts to encourage common GEOINT 

standards, NGA Director Navy Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett 

has stated, “Having GEOINT standards that are universally 

adopted and implemented across the defense and intelligence communities, as well the entire U.S. government 

and our coalition partners, is crucial to mission success.” 

Murrett has emphasized, “Standards ensure that GEOINT 

data, services, and products—regardless of source—are 

timely, accurate and interoperable.” P

Photograph courtesy of Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.

NGA Technical Executive Steve Wallach (right) receives the OGC Vision 

Award from David Schell, Chairman of the Board of the Open Geospatial 

Consortium, Inc. (left).

Jason K. Michas

is a Staff Officer in 

the Office of Corporate 

Relations, Strategic Communications Branch.
Up Front

NGA Wins Award for ‘Check It’ Campaign

By Christian Tipton and John Scheirer

At the end of fiscal 2007, NGA Director Vice Adm. 

Robert B. Murrett received a Certificate of Excellence in 

recognition of NGA’s implementation of the Department of 

Defense (DoD) “Check It” campaign” from the Honorable 

Gordan England, Deputy Secretary of Defense. Mark Ward, 

Deputy Chief of NGA’s Financial Reporting and Control 

Division (FMC)—the division delegated to run the program—received the certificate on behalf of the Director.

The “Check It” campaign was initiated in fiscal 2007 to 

increase awareness of the value of the Internal Control 

Program (ICP) throughout DoD and recognize the efforts of 

individual agencies. The DoD program developed posters 

and TV commercials to show how internal controls used 

by different departments, such as finance, acquisitions, 

logistics and information technology, can affect how the 

warfighter completes the mission. 

NGA’s FMC initiated a new ICP Awareness Program 

aimed at informing the entire workforce of the importance 

of internal controls and individual roles in supporting the 

warfighter. Starting with the production of a brochure in 

2006 explaining the ICP, the program expanded in 2007 

with a series of internal Web news announcements, plasma screen videos, posters, and DoD’s “Check It” campaign 

commercials for NGA’s TV newsbreaks. 

The ICP is an initiative that ensures checks are in place 

throughout NGA using an outward systems approach to 

mitigate the risk of fraud, waste and abuse. Under the 

passage of the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act 

of 1982, the Director is required to annually assess the 

“effectiveness, efficiency and reliability” of the ICP. This is 

done through issuing a Statement of Assurance (SOA) that 

says there is reasonable assurance that controls are in 

place and that they are working effectively. 

The passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, designed 

to mitigate corporate scandals, became the driving force to 

reinvigorate the ICP at NGA. Starting in fiscal 2004, the ICP 

moved from a strictly financial resource focus to an NGAwide holistic approach that established assessable units. 

These are what the ICP uses to identify work processes 

based on major products and processes. Using a holistic 

approach pushes offices to evaluate their efficiency and 

manage risks in their work that do not have a direct impact 

on financial resources.

Using the ICP framework 

shown in the implementation guide of Office 

of Management and 

Budget Circular A-123, 

Management’s Responsibility for Internal 

Control, the first step 

was to create a control 

environment. This environment is established by 

the agency’s tone at the 

top level and is pivotal in 

determining the success 

of the program. NGA’s Director has 

set the tone to “look outward and 

be the most collaborative partner with the Intelligence 

Community and warfighter” as the top focus area. In fiscal 

2006 the NGA ICP submission was rated as first place 

within the Intelligence Community and tied for fourth 

place throughout DoD.

NGA’s ICP also improved by working to exceed regulatory 

requirements through updating the NGA ICP policy instruction and drafting the charter for the Senior Assessment 

Team. This is a team of five Key Component (KC) directors 

who provide oversight and accountability for NGA’s internal 

controls specifically for financial reporting. Financial 

reporting requires a separate SOA as required by OMB. Additionally, the ICP team designed, conducted and updated 

training for Internal Control Administrators (ICAs) and Assessable Unit Managers (AUMs) including a refresher seminar. The ICP team also created a web page and designed a 

Web-based database that is used to document the risk and 

control activities entered by the ICAs and AUMs. P

Christian Tipton and John Scheirer

work as contractor Financial 

Systems Analysts in the 

Financial Reporting and Control 

Division. 

4Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Up Front

Program Cited as ‘Best Practice’ in Report to Congress

By Ernie Moore

NGA’s MATRIX Program was listed as a key initiative 

and best practice for acquisition workforce development 

in the July 2007 Defense Acquisition Transformation 

Report to Congress. The Department of Defense recognition reflects the efforts of many on the NGA staff 

dedicated to improving the development of program managers, the contracting officer’s representatives and other 

acquisition professionals.

A robust program of 26 courses, MATRIX provides the 

knowledge, skills and abilities to help members of the 

acquisition workforce perform their critical acquisition 

functions effectively and with confidence. Developed and 

implemented by NGA’s Component Acquisition Executive 

and NGA college, MATRIX represents a significant investment in NGA people, providing an acquisition workforce 

that has the capacity to change to meet tomorrow’s needs.

Initial MATRIX development started with engaging the 

acquisition workforce to identify knowledge and skill gaps 

and to prioritize education and training needs. Courses 

were then designed and developed to meet those needs.

While course content has remained an essential ingredient in the curriculum, the MATRIX team has also placed 

a priority on identifying the best experts to teach the 

Ernie Moore

coordinates the 

MATRIX Program for 

the Acquisition Contracts 

Office as a contractor 

employee. 

courses. Today, top-quality commercial vendors as well as 

seasoned experts on the NGA staff serve as the MATRIX 

instructor corps. Further, NGA college’s comprehensive 

Adjunct Instructor Training Program, a week-long instructor development course, is helping to ensure top-quality 

instruction from NGA experts with little prior experience in 

the classroom. Feedback and course evaluations indicate 

that the program is on track. 

Efforts continue to develop the MATRIX Program to 

meet tomorrow’s needs. The curriculum will continue to 

shift and adjust as further acquisition workforce needs 

are identified and processes change, and customer insight 

and feedback will make an important difference. P

5Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Photo by Dick Fonner
» NGA Prototype Enables Collaboration 

with the Field

» NGA Transforms Dissemination While 

Improving CENTCOM Support

» NGA Supports Afghan Mapping 

Initiative 

» Lomonosov Ridge Model Aids in 

Mapping Territory Rights

» NGA Supports California Wildfires 

Suppression

» Analysts Map Avian Flu in Real-Time 

Collaborative Environment

6Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Supporting

 the Front Line

F E AT U R E A RT I C LE S
Supporting the Front Line

NGA Prototype Enables Collaboration with the Field

By Neil Hartbarger

Three NGA organizations shared their resources in 

2007 to create the prototype for a collaborative environment on the Web. With vital support from the InnoVision 

Directorate, the Analysis and Production Directorate is 

currently deploying the application on networks that link 

Intelligence Community analysts and front-line operators. 

With it, users anywhere in the world can add a comment or 

response to a shared space and, within seconds, it’s available to every user.

Need to Keep Data Current

A group of analysts brought the idea for the prototype 

to developers in the directorate’s Scene Visualization and 

Multimedia Branch. The analysts had experienced problems keeping data current in rapidly changing scenarios 

with critical impacts for customers in the field. Too often, 

as soon as the analysts published data, it no longer represented the current situation.

The analysts wanted a collaboration environment to 

serve the entire Intelligence Community, as well as those 

on the front lines around the world.

In engineering the prototype, members of the branch 

aimed to provide a quick, intuitive, universally available 

user interface for both skilled geospatial intelligence analysts and users who simply need to visualize and respond 

to intelligence plotted in a geospatial environment.

Teaming up with a Web/database developer, the branch 

developed an interface that allowed users to directly update 

a master database, providing near-instant display of the new 

7 Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

A prototype application that allows analysts to collaborate in real time with operators is being deployed by NGA.
data worldwide. The interface uses Adobe Flash® technology, a popular method for adding graphics and interactivity 

to Web pages, and JavaScript, a scripting language best 

known for its use in Web sites.

Flash® and JavaScript give analysts access to data in a 

visually rich and responsive interface, employing existing 

Web technologies. No downloads or installations are 

needed to make it usable, in contrast to other well-known 

environments, such as Google EarthTM. Using familiar tools 

also saved developers from having to surmount a learning 

curve in getting quickly to 

a deployable prototype. In 

three weeks the development team had their first 

prototype ready for NGA 

Tech Days, where presentation of the capability on a 

large monitor drew a crowd. 

From Development to 

Deployment

Since that early demonstration last May, development has moved quickly. A 

principal design goal was 

accessibility. If the frontline users’ workstations 

don’t have the current Flash Player® installed, for example, 

all the information they need is still immediately at hand 

on a Web page in HyperText Markup Language. 

Data points are filtered based on their type, date of 

creation and regional location. The interface displays 

detailed information about a selected data point, including analytical information, user comments and hyperlinks 

to other Web locations. This information also includes 

additional media, such as photos, videos, shapefiles and 

Portable Document Format® files, which can be viewed 

and downloaded. 

When Flash® is enabled, the application presents the 

information in a visually rich, click-and-drag environment. 

Analysts can also use this interface to add or update 

points or comments, or upload media. Where Web bandwidth is a problem, a lower-resolution version is automatically delivered. 

Providing real-time collaboration requires a fast Web 

server with plenty of storage and processing power. At the 

same time, worldwide coverage requires comprehensive 

overhead imagery. As it happened, the InnoVision Directorate was standing up Google MapsTM servers on several 

networks. But InnoVision’s Information Integration Office 

was prepared to offer even greater support. The loan of two 

dedicated Web servers on separate networks the analysts 

use made the rollout possible over the short term, avoiding 

a lengthy wait for the acquisition of new equipment.

Collaboration Is Next

Cooperation among three NGA teams is bringing a new 

capability to the community, from policymakers to tactical 

planners. Even more important, this new Web application 

enables collaboration. With its quick response time and 

broad availability, the application can speed communication between analysts and the field—in both directions. 

And, given the Flash® capability to draw lines, shapes and 

points, as well as display graphics and video, this environment will only grow richer with each revision. P

8Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Neil Hartbarger

 is a Senior Multimedia Developer with an 

NGA contractor supporting the Analysis and 

Production Directorate’s Scene Visualization and 

Multimedia Branch.

“Cooperation among 

three NGA teams 

is bringing a new 

capability to the 

Intelligence Community. This new Web 

application enables 

collaboration.”
9Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Supporting the Front Line

NGA Transforms Dissemination While Improving 

CENTCOM Support

By Jim Olson and Bill Small

NGA’s Enterprise Operations Directorate (E) made 

significant impacts in 2007 on its initiative to transform 

the dissemination environment and improve support to 

customers in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area 

of responsibility (AOR).

The recent relocation of non-contract printing to an 

off-site facility demonstrates NGA’s move toward digital 

dissemination, as the Agency also upgrades its data 

center in Arnold, Mo., to support operational continuity. 

The commercial imagery NGA provides has also proven 

to be a viable and imperative source of support for those 

responding to disasters in the United States and abroad.

Delivering New Commercial Imagery

The migration of E’s Commercial Satellite Imagery 

Library (CSIL) to the Unclassified Imagery Library (UNIL) 

allows for commercial imagery data in NGA’s archive to be 

integrated with other imagery sources at multiple security 

domains using a common architecture. 

The National System for Geospatial Intelligence architecture has been upgraded to support the tasking, storage, 

dissemination and exploitation of new satellite imagery 

acquired through NGA’s NextView program. NGA began 

receiving the new NextView imagery in November 2007. 

The delivery of NextView imagery to NGA, coupled with the 

completion of the CSIL-to-UNIL migration, provides a consolidated library of commercial imagery that can be shared 

with diverse customers across multiple security domains. 

Supporting Front-Line Analysts

NGA is also transforming dissemination through its 

Demand-Based Geospatial Intelligence (DBGI) program, 

which aims to deliver high-quality digital mapping data to 

forward-deployed NGA analysts for customer self-service 

printing. A DBGI pilot is currently under way at Fort Bragg, 

N.C. E will conduct a DBGI proof of concept using technology provided by the Defense Information Systems Agency 

for order entry and tracking.

In addition to its transformation initiatives, E advanced 

information-sharing capabilities with the International 

Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan by implementing a network connection that allows the transfer of 

releasable geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). 

Products Popular with CENTCOM

Based on customer requirements, E printed 685,000 

copies of maps and 34,000 copies of the Iraq Country and 

Urban Atlases for the CENTCOM AOR. Providing the Iraq 

Atlases was one of NGA’s biggest success stories in Iraq. 

Afghanistan Atlases are planned for the upcoming year. 

E also printed 400,000 copies of a new-generation 

blood chit for the CENTCOM AOR. A blood chit is an illustrated message used to obtain help by fallen military 

aircraft personnel. The new CENTCOM AOR blood chit 

contains a message in 32 local languages, replacing the 

need for various blood chits for specific regions. 

In 2007 E’s Remote Replication System in Bahrain 

printed 630 charts and worked extended hours providing 

specialized products to the customers throughout the 

CENTCOM AOR. The directorate loaded more than 2,500 

products into its upgraded Geospatial Intelligence Library 

(GIL) containing the entire product suite over the CENTCOM AOR. The Bahrain-based GIL allows NGA’s critical 

data to be closer to the user and alleviates the downloading of large data sets over the network. 

From reaching out to customers through site visits in 

Iraq and Afghanistan to providing GEOINT online, E made 

a significant impact in the dissemination environment in 

2007. From warfighters serving in the Middle East to civilians who lost their homes in California wildfires, the needs 

of customers served as the impetus for the people of E to 

accomplish their mission in the NGA way. P

Jim Olson and Bill Small

Jim Olson is the Deputy Chief 

of the Media Transformation 

Division of the Enterprise Operations Information Management 

Office. He is in charge of Information 

Management’s Demand-Based 

Geospatial Intelligence Transformation Initiative.

Bill Small is the Executive Officer for the Enterprise Operations 

Information Management Office. He is the Dissemination Issues 

Lead for the Iraq-Afghanistan Combat Operations 

Support Team.

Photo by Jim Olson
Supporting the Front Line

NGA Supports Afghan Mapping Initiative

By Bruce Kiracofe

The Afghan Mapping Initiative, a cooperative relationship between NGA and the Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office (AGCHO), has roots going back to 2006.

In February of that year, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl 

Eikenberry, Commander of the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan (CFC-A), approached retired U.S. Air 

Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr., who was then NGA’s 

Director, and asked for the agency’s support to modernize 

Afghanistan’s national mapping agency.

NGA sent its first technical assessment team to AGCHO in 

April 2006. The team determined that AGCHO personnel had 

the requisite scientific knowledge to satisfy Afghanistan’s 

national mapping requirements. AGCHO had already started 

on the path to digital remote sensing and geographic 

information systems (GISs) and had even established a 

Remote Sensing and GIS Institute. The team concluded, 

however, that AGCHO lacked the hardware and software 

infrastructure to support digital mapping and did not have 

an understanding of modern digital production processes.

In September 2006, NGA’s current director, Navy Vice 

Adm. Robert B. Murrett, visited AGCHO headquarters in 

Afghanistan. While there, he met his counterpart, the General President of AGCHO, Engineer Abdul Raouf Yari. Raouf 

has been Director of AGCHO since the fall of the Taliban 

regime. The staff of AGCHO nominated Raouf to the interim, post-Taliban government to guide the development 

of AGCHO into a modern mapping agency. During the civil 

war in Afghanistan in the 1990s, many AGCHO officials fled 

to Pakistan or Iran. Only now are they beginning to come 

home, having been asked by the current government to 

resume their careers.

After returning from his visit to AGCHO, Murrett committed $1 million in NGA funding to jump-start what was 

now being called the Afghan Mapping Initiative. But that 

commitment was just the beginning. To support AGCHO 

through this initiative, NGA had to conclude a Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) with AGCHO. 

This turned out to be a yearlong process that included 

10Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

The entrance sign to the AGCHO Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS.
Bruce Kiracofe

is a staff officer in the Office of International 

Affairs and Policy. He has worked on issues 

in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. His 

current focus is Afghanistan and Central Asia. 

He joined NGA in April 2006 and has worked in 

industry and at State Department.

drafting the BECA documentation, coordinating the effort 

within NGA and with the Department of Defense and 

getting concurrence from AGHO. NGA also established 

requirements, planned the activities, and garnered support from NGA organizations. Most of this early work 

was formalized through NGA country team meetings, 

composed of members of NGA stakeholder organizations 

and the International Affairs Steering Group, the office 

director-level group that guides international activities 

within NGA.

What the Future Holds for the Afghan Mapping 

Initiative

The Afghan Mapping Initiative plans to support the development of a modest mapping capability at AGCHO. As part 

of the initiative, NGA will install a nationwide geodetic network, procure and install a basic map production system, 

provide training and conduct joint AGCHO-NGA projects.

Additional NGA support in the planning and development of the Afghan Mapping Initiative came from 

the Office of International Acquisition, the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence College, the Office of International 

Affairs and Policy, the Office of Political Geography, the 

Source Global Foundation Office, the Office of Geodetic 

Sciences and many others within the organization.

11Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

NGA’s representative to the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A), the successor 

agency to CFC-A, plays an important role in the initiative 

by providing CSTC-A requirements to NGA and day-to-day 

interface with AGCHO and the Afghan National Army. NGA 

is also coordinating its activities with the International 

Security Assistance Force.

At first glance, the AGCHO project is unlike anything 

NGA has done in the past because NGA does not normally enter into reconstruction projects. But the Afghan 

Mapping Initiative is similar to the rebuilding that NGA 

supported in Eastern Europe in the mid-1990s. Today the 

geospatial partnerships in Eastern Europe, most notably 

with Poland and the Czech Republic, represent some of 

NGA’s most significant collaborations. The Afghan Mapping Initiative presents an opportunity for yet another 

winning partnership. P

Photos by Bruce Kiracofe

AGCHO large-scale map of Kabul City.
Supporting the Front Line

Lomonosov Ridge Model Aids in Mapping Territory Rights

By Heather Cox

In the midst of an Arctic warming trend, NGA has 

joined the race to map out new international passageways 

once blocked by dense sea ice. 

NGA is providing critical intelligence to help the U.S. 

Coast Guard determine economic rights to newly exposed 

Arctic resources through its creation of geospatial products that depict temporal Arctic ice extents and a 3-D 

topographic model of the Lomonosov Ridge. This undersea ridge is the site of intense discussion as bordering 

nations, including Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark, 

seek to control the economic impact of climate change. 

Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast 

Guard, recently expressed his great appreciation to NGA 

for the precision workmanship that went into constructing 

a detailed model of the Arctic ice cap featuring the Lomonosov Ridge. “The model provides a unique bird’s-eye 

view of the Arctic ice cap that most people have never 

seen before,” Allen said. “The model will be of inestimable 

value to me and the Coast Guard as we begin to consider 

and discuss the implications associated with the many 

national and international interests within the region.” 

The polar ice cap has melted more than 20 percent 

since 1980 from ongoing climate change, according to 

the National Resources Defense Council. Scientists have 

estimated that the Arctic may be virtually free of summer 

ice by the year 2050, exposing valuable natural resources 

and strategic polar locations. Nations bordering them are 

expressing autonomous economic interests and are vying 

for exclusive rights to the wealth of resources in the region, including an estimated 10 billion tons of oil and gas 

deposits, diamonds, gold, platinum and other valuable 

minerals contained within the Arctic seabed. According 

to NGA and the North American Aerospace Defense Command/U.S. Northern Command (NORAD/USNORTHCOM) 

NGA Support Team (NST) analysts, a single nation would 

gain significant economic and geopolitical advantages if it 

could establish Arctic dominance. 

12Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Russian Expansion

The waning Arctic ice may also enable northern shipping lanes to be navigable for a significant portion of 

the year. The economic impact of passable northern sea 

routes could save billions of dollars annually in transoceanic commerce. The economic future of nations lies in 

the establishment and accurate depiction of geographic 

boundaries in the polar region.

This issue was brought to the forefront in late June 

2007. Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s 

2001 claim that the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of 

the Siberian continental shelf, and Russia, therefore, is 

due full economic rights to the region. Furthermore, in 

August 2007 two Russian mini-submarines traveled down 

to the Arctic seafloor near the North Pole and planted a 

Russian flag as a symbolic maneuver to bolster their economic (as opposed to territorial) claims to this region. 

Numerous elements within NGA collaborated to produce the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) visualization 

13Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

tools its partners needed to better perform their missions 

in the Arctic region. The Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS) NST initially submitted a requirement for a model 

of the Lomonosov Ridge and high Arctic region. NGA 

engaged multiple teams, including the Office of Global 

Navigation’s Maritime Services Division, Office of the 

Americas, Office of Analytic Visualization and Operations 

Research’s GEOINT Solutions Division and Office of Targeting and Transnational Issues’ Political Geography Division, to create this product. The NORAD/USNORTHCOM 

NST assisted the DHS NST by identifying northern sea 

routes, seasonal extreme ice cap coverage, and Russia’s 

anticipated claim area. NGA analysts delivered geospatial 

products and model of Lomonosov Ridge to Allen in September 2007. 

In addition to having worldwide impact, NGA’s products 

also enhance security at home, providing the tool for effectively communicating the issue to the Coast Guard and 

national senior-level decision-makers. The model is not 

©2007 Jupiterimages Corp.
14Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

only an accurate briefing tool, said NST members, it also 

allows the layman to comprehend and visualize the depth 

of the Arctic seafloor. In addition, the representation also 

depicts the surrounding nations that are stakeholders in 

the Arctic and have expressed sovereignty interests. 

U.N. Involvement

The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 

signed in 1982, indicates that “States bordering an enclosed or semi-enclosed sea should cooperate with each 

other in the exercise of their rights and in the performance 

of their duties under this Convention. To this end they 

shall endeavour, directly or through an appropriate regional organization: 

» to coordinate the management, conservation, exploration and exploitation of the living resources of the sea;

» to coordinate the implementation of their rights and 

duties with respect to the protection and preservation 

of the marine environment;

» to coordinate their scientific research policies and 

undertake where appropriate joint programmes of 

scientific research in the area;

» to invite, as appropriate, other interested States or 

international organizations to cooperate with them in 

furtherance of the provisions of this article.”

NST analysts at NORAD/USNORTHCOM say Russia has 

a deadline of 2009 to substantiate their Arctic sovereignty 

claims by submitting scientific evidence to a U.N. commission for review in accordance with the UNCLOS treaty. It 

permits a state to extend its territorial sovereignty out to 

12 nautical miles (nm) and sovereign rights to exploit and 

protect resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 

out to 200 nm from its declared coastline. Other states 

are permitted complete freedom of navigation within an 

EEZ and are given the rights of innocent passage through 

territorial waters. Innocent passage is defined as passing 

through waters in an expeditious and continuous manner 

when no alternate route is accessible. However, coastal 

nations do reserve the right to temporarily suspend innocent passage as a security precaution. 

As the economic future of the Arctic emerges, NGA 

people and products continue to be at the forefront of 

diplomatic activity. Analysts indicate NGA’s production 

directorate has established a High Arctic Working Group 

(HAWG) that will serve as the Agency’s subject matter 

experts on this and other issues in the region. The HAWG 

has and will continue to solicit knowledgeable membership not only within NGA, say sources close to the project, 

but across the entire Intelligence Community to ensure 

coordination, accuracy and collaboration. P

Heather Cox

is a Staff Officer for 

the Office of Corporate 

Relations. 

Photo by Larry Franklin

This is a top view of the 3-D model of the Lomonosov Ridge
15Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Supporting the Front Line

NGA Supports California Wildfires Suppression

By John Godby

On Oct. 21, 2007, several wildfires began to burn in

Southern California. By the next morning the situation had 

changed drastically, as had the mission for an NGA Support 

Team (NST) deployed from the Office of Military Support.

The team chief flew into San Diego with the author 

early the following day as wildfires raged in the mountains 

east of the city. Evacuations were already under way as 

they met their team, who had deployed in support of the 

I Marine Expeditionary Force Mission (I MEF) Rehearsal 

Exercise that was to run that week at Camp Pendleton 

(CamPen), Calif.

With the situation becoming ever more fluid and 

dangerous, the team chief, in coordination with I MEF 

personnel, decided that the NST would assist the firefighting effort. The team immediately task-organized to take 

maximum advantage of its equipment and communications links, putting to work their substantive experience in 

military and civilian crises. 

The team used a modified systemic operational design 

approach with a focus on defining the problem—how 

to support local efforts and leverage local and non-NGA 

assets. By developing a solution that tied in with local 

sources, the team operated for almost five days before 

the official national effort was fully under way. As the only 

NGA team on the ground until Oct. 25, the NST provided 

rapid and reliable GEOINT advice, data and products to 

the Marine Corps Installations (MCI) West GeoFidelis 

office, which manages geospatial information for Marine 

Corps installations, and the Marine Corps Base CamPen 

Crisis Action Team (MCB CAT). 

Among the many support actions they performed, the 

NGA team made a very positive impact in developing a 

useable, near-real time common operating picture (COP) 

that was instrumental in all decision-making regarding emergency management. Although presented with 

tremendous logistical challenges and working in different 

locations to take the best advantage of available resources, team members were synchronized through clear and 

concise communication and a common mission focus.

More than 12 major fires raged across San Diego County 

that week, causing the evacuation of some 800,000 people and engulfing over 21,000 acres of Camp Pendleton, 

including areas originally designated as civilian relocation 

sites. Two NGA team members not only served in an 

exemplary manner, but had to contend with the additional 

challenges they faced as residents. 

The NGA team achieved its goals of assisting the MCI West 

and the MCB CAT to access robust data sets, and of keeping 

the COP current, emphasizing the importance of a variety of 

local data sources that included airborne and ground collection. By keeping MCI West “in front,” NGA forged another 

mutually beneficial relationship, not only with MCI West, but 

with other Marine Corps commands as well. P

John Godby

joined the Marine Corps NGA Support Team 

in September 2005. Prior to working at NGA, he 

was a defense contractor and a church administrator after a 21-year career in the Marine Corps 

as a Naval Aviator and Plans Officer, retiring as a 

lieutenant colonel.

DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Wayne Bitselly, U.S. Marine Corps

A UH-1N Search and Rescue Unit helicopter from Naval Air Station Fallon 

releases water onto a wildfire in an effort to control and contain the fires on 

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Oct. 24, 2007.
A small NGA team from the Enterprise Operations 

Directorate, in support of the Office of the Director of 

National Intelligence (ODNI), has developed the Avian 

Influenza Mapping System (AIMS) to track the spread of 

the virus. In early 2007, ODNI approached NGA on behalf 

of analysts who were spending an inordinate number of 

hours processing and communicating time-sensitive flu 

information to a broad base of users. The analysts needed 

an intuitive method to rapidly validate, aggregate and 

communicate information on the flu’s status throughout 

the Intelligence Community, public health and nongovernmental organizations, and infectious disease experts, and 

to publish the results to a wide range of decision-makers. 

The AIMS team delivered the initial system within one 

week of the ODNI request, and an operational Web site by 

the end of the second week.

The AIMS Web site has its roots in NGA’s response 

to Hurricane Katrina and the lessons learned providing 

timely, unclassified imagery via the Internet in support 

of first responders and the general public. These lessons 

included the need for a simplified user interface, temporal 

data views to track hurricanes or infectious disease 

outbreaks over time, access to NGA and third-party data, 

and collaborative access to NGA’s imagery and geospatial 

analysts. In response, NGA developed the capability for 

authorized users to dynamically add and share their own 

mission- and agency-specific data layers.

Supporting the Front Line

Analysts Map Avian Flu in Real-Time Collaborative 

Environment

By Jim Long

16Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Jim Long

is the Chief of Applied IT Solutions in NGA’s 

Enterprise Engineering Office. Before coming 

to NGA he was an Air Force officer supporting 

national intelligence systems in numerous assignments.

To map the avian flu, the AIMS team used this new 

layer feature to show poultry density geographically, 

which, when incorporated with a layer showing human 

density, proved extremely valuable. As a result of this new 

functionality, ODNI analysts have reduced the time spent 

on mundane tasks and can focus on distributing influenza 

data to decision makers in a simple, easily understood 

and collaborative framework. 

Underlying AIMS is a virtual Web environment built on 

a geographic information system provided by NGA. This 

approach gives the Agency the ability to deliver data, 

services and expertise within a customer’s own footprint 

without requiring analysts to operate from an NGA 

workstation. In addition, this design allowed NGA to pass 

account and Web site administration to ODNI personnel.

ODNI and other customers can now collaborate internally with the assurance that their data remains secure—it 

can never be released without the knowledge and approval of appropriate authorities. Using AIMS, analysts 

from ODNI can now overlay flu-related intelligence on a 

collaborative geospatial foundation in a matter of minutes 

and share the resulting information in real time. P

17Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Photos ©2007 Jupiterimages Corp.
» Visualize This! NGA Initiates GEOINT 

Visualization Service

» Value-Added Commercial Imagery 

Has Arrived

» Aero Services’ Pursuit of Quality 

Reaches Milestone 

» NGA Delivers New Technologies to 

Bulgaria

» NGA Assumes DNI-Delegated 

Authorities

Ensuring

the Mission

F E AT U R E A RT I C LE S

18Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Ensuring the Mission

Visualize This!

NGA Initiates GEOINT Visualization Service

By Sue Riley

It is an unforgiving fact that the volume of data 

available and relevant to intelligence analysis is ever 

increasing and, in high-tech areas such as geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), at alarming rates. With every NextView 

sensor adding potentially 500,000 square kilometers of 

imagery per day, new airborne sensors (still and motion) 

coming online monthly, national systems continuing to 

gather immense data stores, and non-image sources becoming increasingly important, the mere task of gathering 

data is massive. Once gathered, these sources must be 

understood and links between them fully grasped. Enter 

the GEOINT Visualization Service (GVS) and Google EarthTM.

Visualizing data in three dimensions is a capability 

once limited to terrain and cultural features. The classic 

scene visualization was the flight simulator, initially a 

prediction of what a given area would look like for a flyer 

upon entering it for the first time. In Bosnia, for example, 

pilots could—from the 

comfort of their 

base—“fly” a mission multiple times before entering 

enemy space.

Today, visualization is as important in initial data gathering and data compilation as it was in military operations 

just a few years ago; battlespace visualization has become 

a specialty in itself. While the user interface focuses on a 

globe of the Earth, the base data of that globe is a combination of NGA and commercial data in immense detail. 

Rather than having to start queries of multiple complex 

databases, analysts define their need in three-dimensional (3-D) space. GVS translates that need and reaches 

into relevant databases, gathering seemingly divergent 

and unrelated data into a single collection that can also 

be perceived in 3-D space. Analysts can then interact with 

that data in a visual way—all in that 3-D context—often 

seeing connections between diverse sources that were not 

readily apparent in their database form.

By deploying 3-D capability in analyst settings, NGA 

has become a leader in making data easily accessible 

for sharing and collaborative work across agencies. That 

deployment was no easy matter, as the deployment team 

had to orchestrate the installation of four systems (each 

component on multiple networks) while simultaneously 

coordinating installation of the application across the 

entire exploitation baseline and NGA desktops.

Visualization—a core GEOINT capability—is as important today in gathering engaging intelligence information 

as portraying it. Applying a commercial technology both 

broadly and intensely, GVS has brought visualization to 

this new level while achieving the “holy grail” of automated information systems: 100 percent availability/zero 

down time in its first four months of operation. P

Sue Riley

is the Program Manager for several 

acquisition programs that support GEOINT 

visualization. She has over 29 years’ experience 

supporting defense and intelligence customers 

through system development, cooperation with 

commercial partners and user engagement.

19Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
NGA entered a new era in 2007 as our partners’ 

reliance on commercial imagery—and the corresponding 

demand for it—increased to new levels. As a result, the 

Commercial Remote Sensing (CRS) Value Added Program 

has emerged as an advanced capability to meet the 

agency’s overall mission. The program evolved from NGA’s 

requirement to develop a comprehensive commercial 

imagery strategy and support the Intelligence Community 

(IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) with commercial 

imagery products. Leading this effort is the NGA Commercial Partnerships Division in coordination with the 

Commercial Solutions Division, which initiated such key 

value-added products as DigitalGlobe’s CitySphereTM and 

the Three Day Orthomosaic Project.

During 2007, NGA acquired access to CitySphere’s full 

suite of imagery-derived products, including unclassified 

orthorectified and mosaicked 60-centimeter resolution 

color imagery of over 200 cities worldwide. This data is 

updated at the rate of 15 cities per month, and none of the 

imagery is older than two years. With such current data of 

major international cities, CitySphere’s products are able to 

serve as base maps for a range of geospatial intelligence 

Ensuring the Mission

Value-Added Commercial Imagery Has Arrived 

By Whitney Steger

(GEOINT) applications and fulfill many unclassified urban 

imagery requirements for NGA, DoD and the IC. 

The Three Day Orthomosaic Project allows NGA to 

inform a vendor of an area of interest, and, if applicable 

imagery exists in the vendor’s archive, receive an orthomosaic within three days, as well as an option to task 

for new imagery when needed. Over 650 sites have been 

completed using this service. NGA used this capability in 

November 2007 to provide broad area imagery in support 

of humanitarian relief efforts in Bangladesh following 

Tropical Cyclone Sidr.

As NGA increasingly relies on commercial imagery, CRS 

value-added products and services are rapidly becoming 

essential tools for the agency to use in providing the best 

GEOINT to its customers. P

Whitney Steger

is a contractor supporting communications for 

the Source Operations and 

Management Directorate.

20Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Inset of Baghdad CitySphereTM data, showing imagery of Baghdad’s bestknown landmark—the giant crossed-sword arches built by Saddam Hussein 

after the Iran-Iraq War.

Photo ©DigitalGlobe
21Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Ensuring the Mission

Aero Services’ Pursuit of Quality Reaches Milestone

By Jay Edmiston

Life’s biggest moments are documented with simple 

pieces of paper—a birth certificate, diploma, marriage 

license or retirement orders—a few words struggling to 

summarize much more. One of these moments took place 

in April 2007 when Air Force Col. John Schiavi, then NGA’s 

Chief of Aeronautical Services (Aero), received a National 

Quality Assurance (NQA) Certificate of ISO 9001:2000 

Registration during an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) awards ceremony. 

The certificate symbolized a four-year journey of organizational introspective analysis, hard work and personal 

dedication. 

 “Successful certification under ISO standards validates 

Aeronautical Services’ commitment to quality and ongoing 

efforts to create a more effective and efficient operation 

for our warfighting community,” said Charles L. McGaugh, 

Director of the Office of Global Navigation. 

ISO? Like on Trucks?

ISO is a network of national standards organizations from 

157 countries working to develop technical agreements that 

provide a framework to ensure quality and consistency. 

ISO registration is internationally recognized and indicates an organization is committed to quality. Companies 

tout this recognition by putting statements like “ISO 

9001 Registered” on trucks, buildings, shipping containers, Web sites and many other places. 

Enhanced Relationships

 International acceptance is an 

important component of Aero’s 

ISO efforts because aeronautical 

data is often acquired through 

exchange agreements. 

Quality of data is also a huge concern for Aero as it 

relies on numerous countries for aeronautical information, using it to produce safety of navigation products for 

Department of Defense aviators worldwide. NGA’s international partners also worry about quality, so obtaining ISO 

registration provides assurance that Aero is dedicated to 

meeting the same standards.

Aero has been undergoing a digital transformation effort for years and pushing others to do likewise. Various 

players in the aeronautical data arena include Jeppesen, 

the Federal Aviation Administration and others who have 

also been moving in this direction. 

 “We were pushing the rest of the world towards electronic/digital information, and reliable quality of information was going to be key to any future successes,” said 

Lynne E. Puetz, NGA’s Deputy West Senior Executive and 

former Aeronautical Division Chief.

As Aero began the pursuit of ISO certification, it became 

apparent that the goal was not just certification but rather 

the adoption of a 

different way of 

conducting 

business. 

U.S. Air Force photo 
22Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

A major objective of ISO adoption was the standardization 

of production processes. 

This was important to Aero as the sole producer of 

NGA’s Flight Information Publications (FLIPs), precision 

navigation products that are critical to the safety of 

military flight operations. Using ISO standards offered 

an opportunity to enhance the quality of the production 

process and the products themselves.

Aero identified areas for improvement including the need 

to bridge the gap between newer analysts’ abilities and 

experience lost during recent retirements. Training materials needed to be updated, according to the deputy division 

chief of the Aero Imagery and Obstructions Division. 

“ISO was initially viewed as a mechanism whereby our 

training guidance and manuals could be reviewed and updated to make it easier for new analysts to use,” she said. 

Aero pursued standardization under the ISO 9001 

series, which related to quality management and continual 

improvement of production processes. NGA’s aeronautical 

products already followed a rigorous review process, while 

ISO helped define the overall management processes. 

The tasks required to create, certify and maintain Aero’s 

Quality Management System (QMS) include the following:

» Defining a quality policy and objectives

» Defining core processes and assigning ownership

» Creating procedures and work instructions

» Institutionalizing a philosophy of continual improvement

» Instituting an audit program

» Developing and maintaining records

People Power

People made this work for Aero, beginning with management, who spent hours defining the core processes 

that encompass production activities and identifying 

quality objectives that honored the mission and guided 

production. 

The deputy division chief of the Aero Imagery and Obstructions Division served as management representative, 

a mentor helping her fellow managers through the adoption of ISO. Aero also has two full-time employees who 

handle ISO duties, including a Quality System Manager 

who acts as a focal point for development and maintenance of the QMS. 

Aero employees began the work of writing step-by-step 

procedures for numerous business activities. During this 

process, employee contributions paid off because floor 

analysts were most familiar with the work required to 

create quality products. 
Jay Edmiston

is an Aeronautical Analyst most recently 

serving as the Executive Officer to Aeronautical 

Services. A former military aviator and airline 

pilot, he is currently attending Air Command and 

Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

23Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

The procedures were made available to the entire workforce for review. An analyst could then identify shortcomings and propose a solution to be reviewed and ultimately 

approved by the process owner, a manager who “owns” 

the core process covering a specific activity. Proposing a 

better way was encouraged anytime an analyst saw an 

opportunity for improvement. This continual effort to improve continues to be one of the core tenets of Aero’s QMS 

and its focus on quality.

The creation of work instructions was a demanding process that required rigorous review of numerous daily tasks, 

often leading to extensive discussions among managers. 

One useful tool for getting a work instruction correct was 

the flowchart, which helped define the course of a process 

or determine how a logical idea could use improvement. 

The purpose for creating standardized procedures and 

work instructions was to use them to conduct normal, 

everyday business. To ensure instructions continue to 

work as intended, internal audits are conducted to verify 

compliance with the quality procedures and objectives. 

NGA also conducted external audits to verify that certification efforts were on track and to initially certify the Aero 

QMS. Semiannual surveillance audits by NGA will also be 

required to maintain certification. 

ISO also requires extensive documentation to clearly 

define the structure of the QMS, codify work processes, 

track audit results and detail subsequent efforts to improve. The task of organizing that documentation falls to 

Aero’s other full-time ISO expert, who manages a complex 

system of linked documents, folders and databases to 

meet ISO requirements.

Hard Work Equals Success

The hard work has been worth the payoff, with Aero 

achieving the goals it set early on and realizing a cultural 

change within the organization. 

Standardization of production procedures has improved 

productivity due, in large part, to analyst involvement in 

capturing processes. The cultural shift is most evident 

within the ranks of Aero’s senior managers, who demonstrated their willingness to change and improve by 

referencing the quality-objectives framework in decisionmaking and planning sessions. 

Aero tackled the ISO challenge, invested in a new philosophy and now reaps the results of its efforts. And now 

the department displays a piece of paper on the wall that 

reads simply “Certificate of Registration” but stands for 

much more. P

One of numerous DOD Flight Information Publications.
Ensuring the Mission

NGA Delivers New Technologies to Bulgaria

By Bill Trzyzewski

NGA has been assisting the newly independent 

nations of Central and Eastern Europe in modernizing 

and expanding their geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

collection and exploitation capabilities and in achieving 

interoperability with NATO partners. For Bulgaria, NGA 

provided technical assistance and guidance to the Military 

Geographic Service (MGS), the primary GEOINT organization of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense (MOD), to support data exchange and co-production.

Bulgaria identified as one of its top priorities a new 

printing capability, designed to replace its slow, antiquated 1970s-vintage printing press. Following consultations with the Sofia office of the U.S. Office of Defense 

Cooperation (ODC) and a review of pricing and availability 

data provided by NGA, Bulgaria decided to purchase and 

install a new five-color, high-speed offset lithographic 

printing press and digital-to-plate pre-press system at the 

new MGS Production Center in Troyan.

One way that NGA helps partners achieve data interoperability and modernize their GEOINT production and 

exploitation capabilities is through the procurement of a 

wide variety of National System for Geospatial Intelligence 

hardware, software and services under the Department of 

Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The NGA 

FMS team is composed of personnel from Acquisition Contracts, Acquisition Systems International Programs, Financial Management, the Office of General Counsel and the 

Office of International Affairs and Policy. The team manages 

all aspects of each FMS case in close coordination with ODC 

and the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

24Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

 Commissioning ceremony for the new Military Geographic Service 

Production Center .

Courtesy of Bulgarian Military Geographic Service.
25Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

U.S. Foreign Military Financing grant money was used to 

establish an FMS case for the Bulgarian Ministry’s printing 

press, including pre-press systems, training and GEOINT 

hardware and software.

In preparation for their new printing press, MGS built 

a new building on their Troyan campus. The building met 

stringent power supply, climate control and load-bearing 

requirements and was designed to house all MGS reproduction and product finishing systems.

As the printing press was manufactured by a non-U.S. 

company, Richard J. Millies, Deputy Director, DSCA, with 

the concurrence of the Department of State, gave permission for off-shore procurement. Installation began at the 

new facility in January 2007. A required site-acceptance 

test, overseen by representatives from MGS, NGA, ODCSofia and KBA, was successfully completed in March. The 

digital pre-press system was then delivered, installed, 

tested and accepted in April.

Colonel Georgi Gladkov, Chief of MGS, hosted a gala 

commissioning ceremony for the new Troyan Production 

Center on April 25, 2007. The Bulgarian Deputy Minister 

of Defense, Chief/Operations General Staff, Head of the 

National Border Guard Service, Head of the Bulgarian 

Publishers Association and Mayor of Troyan joined with 

the men and women of MGS to celebrate the grand opening. Representatives of the Archbishop of Sofia sang a 

benediction and blessed the attendees, the printing press 

and the new facility. NGA joined with Gladkov and Deputy 

Defence Minister Ivan Gavrilov in the ribbon-cutting 

ceremony. Young women in folk costume sang traditional 

songs of celebration as Gavrilov performed the ancient 

Bulgarian custom of dousing the floor with a pail of water 

to bring good luck to the new facility. 

The new computer-to-plate press system provides MGS 

with the capability for quick, cost-effective press-run 

setup, applying data directly from a digital file to the press 

plate, thereby eliminating the need for expensive, environmentally hazardous chemical and film processes. The new 

high-speed press provides a print rate of over 15,000 copies per hour, making the MGS facility in Troyan the MOD’s 

premier reproduction center.

Bill Tryzewski

is a Staff Officer for 

Central and Eastern 

Europe in the Office of 

International Affairs and 

Policy.

Most recently, MGS provided GEOINT over joint U.S.-

Bulgaria military training areas to support U.S. European 

Command requirements and high-resolution GEOINT over 

Sofia for NGA and the U.S. Country Team to support President Bush’s June 2007 visit. MGS continues to be a good, 

close partner, providing hard-copy products, raster graphics, vector data, geodetic data and commercial imagery 

through the agreement with NGA.

Bulgarian armed forces personnel currently support 

the Multi-National Force-Iraq, NATO’s Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force and the Kosovo Force, and 

provide force protection for Headquarters European Union 

Forces Sarajevo, the follow-on mission to NATO’s Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. P

Courtesy of Bulgarian Military Geographic Service.

Military Geographic Service (MGS) personnel demonstrate the new printing 

press and pre-press system at the MGS Production Center in Troyan.
26Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

In April 2006, NGA began implementing critical 

disclosure and release (D&R) authorities related to 

geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) products, on behalf of 

the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The assumption 

of these authorities has strengthened NGA’s role as the 

Functional Manager of GEOINT and enabled the agency to 

improve timely and relevant support to foreign partners 

and Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) counterparts.

Strengthening NGA’s Functional Management 

Role

At the time of NGA’s (then the National Imagery and 

Mapping Agency) stand-up in 1996, key authorities for the 

disclosure and release of imagery and imagery-related 

products were delegated to the Director of the CIA. This 

continued a disparate D&R environment in which several 

IC agencies and organizations, including CIA, NGA and 

the IC-wide Remote Sensing Committee, all had a level of 

D&R authority and responsibility over some component 

of GEOINT, with no centralized authorities. In December 

2005, after two years of close coordination between 

NGA and CIA, the DNI signed a memo transferring these 

authorities from the Director of the CIA to the Director of 

the NGA. This transfer not only benefited the IC at large 

by clearly identifying a central authority (NGA) for GEOINT 

D&R, but also marked a significant step toward furthering NGA’s role as the Functional Manager of GEOINT by 

providing oversight authorities for imagery intelligence 

to the Director of the NGA, similar to the authorities the 

Director of the National Security Agency retains for signals 

intelligence and the Director of the CIA retains for human 

intelligence. In addition to codifying D&R oversight, the 

DNI-delegated authorities further enhanced the Director 

of NGA’s ability to directly manage, develop and implement the agency’s foreign relationships. 

Impacting Our DoD, IC and Foreign Partners

NGA’s Office of International Affairs and Policy, Disclosure and Release Division (OIPD) began preparing for 

NGA’s assumption of these authorities in 2004, when the 

initial proposal was made to the then-Director of Central 

Intelligence George Tenet. The nature of these authorities 

and their impact on defining the support the United States 

is able to provide its foreign partners requires NGA to 

actively collaborate and coordinate with the CIA, Defense 

Intelligence Agency, State Department and Foreign Denial 

and Deception Committee. This collaboration ensures that 

all relevant sources, methods and national equities are 

protected. OIPD recognized the importance of ensuring 

ease and efficiency in this IC coordination process and 

leveraged its role as the NGA focal point for these functions in order to proactively engage these organizations 

in identifying and implementing process improvements. 

The result was the design and development of the Imagery 

Disclosure Tool (IDT), an online application created to 

handle the submission, coordination and archiving of key 

D&R requests in support of U.S. government organizations, the IC and NGA’s foreign partners. 

When NGA assumed responsibility for the DNI-delegated authorities in April 2006, OIPD launched IDT 

to manage DoD and IC requests related to intelligence 

exchanges (including military-to-military), ongoing military operations, senior foreign official briefings, official 

diplomatic protests, and continuing authorizations. IDT 

centralizes processes and allows NGA and its IC partners 

a means for online collaboration and coordination in a 

transparent environment. With the implementation of IDT, 

OIPD created a collaborative coordination mechanism that 

Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence

Ensuring the Mission

NGA Assumes DNI-Delegated Authorities

By Katherine Zimmerman
27Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

simplified the IC review process, reduced e-mail traffic, 

enhanced request tracking, improved reporting and created a centralized online archive for searching and retrieving previous requests. 

NGA’s execution of these authorities has bolstered the 

Agency’s ability to respond effectively to high-priority, 

time-sensitive issues and operations and has been favorable in the opinions of those NGA supports. According to 

the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) Intelligence, 

“NGA OIP has continually provided time sensitive, realtime policy and GEOINT support to the USCENTCOM CCJ2. 

NGA OIP remains the most versed on GEOINT policies 

and procedures directly supporting the warfighter and 

has been instrumental in supporting real-time operations throughout USCENTCOM’s Area of Responsibility.” 

Similarly, the improved processes and procedures NGA 

has implemented have made a positive impact on the IC 

agencies closely involved in the process. As a coordinator 

from the State Department explains, “NGA has done a 

fantastic job managing its new disclosure authorities and 

repeatedly demonstrates itself as a competent arbiter and 

proactive responder to the needs of its D&R customers. 

Furthermore, NGA’s IDT system is transparent, standard 

What Is D&R?

Disclosure refers to revealing classified or other sensitive government information—orally, in writing or 

using any other medium—without providing the recipient a copy of the information for retention. (They 

can see the information and hear it, but they can’t 

keep it.) Release is providing the recipient a copy of 

such information—orally, in writing or using any 

other medium—for retention. (They can see it, 

hear it and keep it.)

Katherine Zimmerman

is a contractor employee supporting the 

NGA Office of International Affairs and Policy 

(OIP). She has supported OIP’s Disclosure and 

Release Division for the past seven years.

across all IC elements, accessible, searchable and fast, 

and NGA has been willing to improve upon it to ensure it 

serves the customer.” 

Driving the Future of Disclosure and Release

NGA and OIP still move forward. Efforts on both the 

policy and technology fronts continue to ensure NGA is 

postured to respond to routine and crisis-related D&R 

requests. While the delegation of DNI authorities 

was a significant step toward solidifying and 

promoting the Director of NGA’s role as 

the Functional Manager of GEOINT, OIP 

continues to actively collaborate with 

the DNI and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to share effective 

policy guidance that better supports 

NGA’s partners and the execution of the 

NGA mission. 

Building upon the successful implementation of IDT, OIPD is actively working to define and 

implement requirements to automate a number of other 

key D&R processes, with the ultimate goal aimed at creating a Disclosure and Release Portal. This portal would 

provide users in NGA, DoD and the IC with a “one-stop 

shop” for policy guidance and decisions related to the 

disclosure and release of imagery-related NGA products. 

This resource will further enhance cross-collaboration 

and coordination among organizations and continue 

to strengthen NGA’s ability to effectively and efficiently 

respond to requirements from our allies and coalition 

partners in support of worldwide humanitarian, disaster 

relief and Global War on Terror activities. P
» Integrated Exploitation Capability 

Empowers Analysts Worldwide

» Multiple Intelligence Disciplines Form

a Clearer Picture

» Joint Activities Accomplish Lasting 

Change Across NSG 

» Branch Creates Shapefile Tool to 

Simplify Work

Driving

Transformation

F E AT U R E A RT I C LE S

28Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
29Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

From humble beginnings, an NGA system is now 

becoming a common feature of geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT) operations around the world. Since an initial 

delivery of 18 custom systems to the NGA Washington 

Navy Yard in 1998, the Integrated Exploitation Capability 

(IEC) has delivered over 3,000 workstations to analysts 

at over 110 sites worldwide. National intelligence centers, 

regional analysis centers, combatant commanders, battle 

planners, security event coordinators and natural disaster 

responders all receive support from GEOINT analysts 

equipped with the IEC, the worldwide workhorse. That 

massive success in less than 10 years begs the questions 

“What next?” and “Where else?”

The traditional model for development of an ultra-specialized workstation involves close control of the physical 

configuration and development process—delivering a 

well-defined capability 

within a reasonable period 

of time. As the IEC program 

matured, a new vision 

emerged for a streamlined 

acquisition process—a 

simple, user-friendly 

installation tool, and a 

realistic support concept, 

the Platform Independent 

Softcopy Exploitation 

Capability (PISCES).

Initially, the PISCES project explored whether NGA’s 

exploitation capability could be made available to a wider 

audience—customers who did not necessarily need a 

full-specification IEC workstation or could not justify the 

cost of a high-end workstation. Today, PISCES delivers a 

softcopy-only exploitation solution that can be customized to fit the specific needs of each customer via a highly 

automated installation tool. It breaks away from the onesize-fits-all mentality. 

Through PISCES, exploitation capabilities are installed 

in a user-friendly, automated manner on a range of workstation platforms and network configurations, including 

workstations not connected to a network infrastructure. 

The automated installation process senses, through queries to the computer system, the configuration of the host 

computer. It determines, with input from the user, exactly 

what capabilities the user really wants. For example, if a 

user only needs the capability to measure objects seen 

monoscopically on commercial imagery, the PISCES tool 

notes the host configuration and installs only the software 

necessary and appropriate to do the function on that 

particular computer.

Not limited to users with a limited exploitation mission, 

PISCES is also capable of installing a full-specification IEC 

capability on a high-performance workstation remotely. It 

improves the efficiency and timeliness of ordering, receiving and installing exploitation applications on workstations in National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) 

and standalone environments.

Never content to rest on past successes such as PISCES, 

the IEC program continues to keep pace with current technologies such as the following: 

» Piloting efforts to deploy onto Microsoft’s Vista Operating System and associated tools

» Optimizing the transmission rates on networks (i.e., 

faster response for users)

» Minimizing conflicts between different software versions.

As a practical matter, the IEC is now in the sunset of its 

lifecycle. It remains the fine-tuned engine driving the NGA 

(and NSG) GEOINT machine. As NGA moves to a serviceoriented architecture, the services-based design and 

approach of the IEC will live on, serving not only as the 

exploitation foundation of that architecture, but also as an 

integration model for future systems. P

Driving Transformation

Integrated Exploitation Capability Empowers Analysts 

Worldwide

By Brent Hermansen

Brent Hermansen

has had a lifetime career supporting the 

Intelligence Community. He is currently Chief 

Executive Officer of a private firm that provides 

systems analysis and technical support to NGA. 

“As the IEC program 

matured, a new vision 

emerged for a streamlined acquisition 

process—PISCES.”
Driving Transformation

Multiple Intelligence Disciplines Form a Clearer Picture

By Sabine Pontious

Over the last year, NGA has achieved dramatic 

success in leveraging other intelligence disciplines (INTs) 

to provide more comprehensive geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT) answers. The Agency has long enjoyed a productive relationship with the National Security Agency 

in efforts to jointly employ the nation’s “eyes and ears” 

against U.S. adversaries. Building on this success, interagency collaboration has reached new heights in preparing for and responding to the most dangerous—and 

best-concealed—threats. 

A true milestone in interagency collaboration was recently achieved with the ability of military and intelligence 

organizations to see inside each others’ technical collection strategies, and then jointly acquire intelligence data 

against a target. These coordinated efforts compounded 

the strengths of the various intelligence disciplines for 

a deeper understanding of U.S. adversaries’ activities, 

resulting in a more efficient application of the U.S. intelligence assets. For example, 

sometimes a GEOINT 

question is answered best by another intelligence 

discipline’s systems or processes.

Responsiveness and seamless integration go a step 

further with the multi-intelligence collection model called 

Integrated Collection Management. This process is a 

highly synchronized application of prearranged collaborative collection strategies among two or more intelligence 

disciplines. Originally a signals-intelligence and imageryintelligence initiative, it now incorporates multiple disciplines, platforms, sensors and Intelligence Community 

partners. Certain predictable international scenarios 

initiate intelligence gathering through deliberate parsing 

and allocation of IC assets—like a complex arrangement 

of falling dominoes. For example, timely human intelligence and commercial or airborne imagery are capable of 

revealing physical details of places or events with unprecedented clarity, effectively redefining the limits of GEOINT. 

In 2007, NGA developed collaborative collection strategies 

at record levels.

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare

30Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
When Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell 

issued his 500 Day Integration and Collaboration Plan, 

he made it clear that the IC must rapidly overcome those 

invisible barriers that impede coordination and collaboration and that undermine the production and dissemination 

of timely, relevant intelligence. In 2007, in addition to the 

closer cooperation already described, NGA made great 

strides toward that vision by doing the following:

» Creating new working groups dedicated to multi-INT 

operations and community collaboration.

» Sponsoring multi-INT training to promote collaborative methods and practices.

» Sharing expertise through employee assignments to 

mission partners to promote closer working relationships, tighter coordination and better analysis.

» Developing new tools, technologies and tradecraft to 

bridge gaps between disciplines and make collaboration more transparent.

» Crafting new procedures in tasking, collection, 

processing, dissemination, archiving and analysis to 

make GEOINT more accessible to other disciplines 

and to provide NGA’s workforce access to data from 

other INTs.

» Developing creative multi-INT strategies to augment 

GEOINT collection capabilities in the U.S. government, civil, commercial and international sectors.

Some of the barriers to effective collaboration across 

the IC will undoubtedly linger. NGA, however, has emerged 

as an IC leader, coordinating systems and strategies to 

collect intelligence for the most thorough answers possible to questions having worldwide ramifications. GEOINT 

alone cannot paint as complete a picture as several INTs 

combined. Considering the unlimited layers of information 

and nuance that multi-INT collaboration can produce, it 

truly illustrates the notion that the whole is greater than 

the sum of its parts. P

U.S. Army photo

Photo by Larry Franklin

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump

U.S. Air Force photo 

Sabine Pontious

is a contractor supporting communications for 

the Source Operations and 

Management Directorate.

U.S. Navy photo

U.S. Marine Corps photo

U.S. Navy photo

31Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Multi-INT draws from many sources.
Driving Transformation

Joint Activities Accomplish Lasting Change Across NSG

By David Ketron

NGA integrated geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

into joint doctrine through a number of new joint publications last year. In its functional management of the 

National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG), the 

Agency also issued a series of NSG Directives outlining 

roles and responsibilities for NSG functional managers. 

Meanwhile, NGA continued to focus on improving the 

application of GEOINT to a wide range of operations conducted by NSG partners. 

One NSG partner—U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM)—

continued to co-lead the Joint Geospatial Intelligence 

Activity (JGA), which has applied broad criteria in identifying 

gaps and proposing actions to enhance joint capabilities. 

By working together, mission partners can realize immediate low-impact enhancements by identifying best practices 

and aligning activities with the technology that combatant 

commanders, operators and analysts already use.

Specific actions focused on the execution of joint doctrine and the transformation of GEOINT capabilities and 

procedures to achieve “jointness.” For example, JGA funded joint enhancements to the Air Force Geospatial Product 

Library and U.S. Pacific Command Theater Geospatial 

Database to better meet joint warfighter needs.

JGA also established a Joint Warfighter Interoperable 

GEOINT Concept of Operations that identifies a consistent joint GEOINT process and outlines the GEOINT cell 

concept that was introduced in joint publications. Recommended actions apply to doctrine, organization, training, 

materiel, leadership, personnel 

and facilities, collectively 

known as DOTMLPF. They 

are captured in NGA’s JGA 

Strategic Implementation 

Plan and a draft JFCOM 

document, Joint GEOINT 

Transformation DOTMLPF Change Recommendation.

JGA’s true success can only be 

measured as plans and recommendations are executed. Strong collaboration among NSG partners 

is essential. Immediate benefits 

will be realized from actions 

that develop and exercise the 

GEOINT cell concept at the joint 

operational and tactical level. Such 

actions will also institute 

lasting change across 

the NSG, as they 

expand options for sharing information and enable 

unified operations. P

David Ketron

is an NGA staff officer 

in the Office of Geospatial 

Intelligence Management 

serving as the Operations 

Manager for the Joint 

GEOINT Activity.

32Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Immediate benefits from the Joint Geospatial Activity will be realized from 

actions that develop and exercise the GEOINT cell concept at the joint 

operational and tactical level.
33Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

branch, they designed a custom solution—Easy Shapefile 

Creator—that incorporates the simple functionality of creating a shapefile in the original application into the new 

package, avoiding the necessity of interfacing between 

two different applications.

Easy Shapefile Creator allows analysts to both create 

and generate a new shapefile in just one of the applications that make up the new GIS package. It is one example 

of how innovative thinking in NGA can incorporate humanneeds engineering in order to customize technology and 

make it more useful and efficient. P

Kevin Witherow and Roger Maier

work in the Geospatial Intelligence Customer Applications 

Branch. Kevin Witherow develops 

geographic information system 

software, and Roger Maier leads the 

Geographic Information Systems 

Development Team. 

It’s an all-too-common scenario: 

technology is upgraded in hopes of yielding more powerful software applications. 

Yet, the price seems to be the loss of user 

familiarity and efficiency. One instance 

occurred recently with software used in 

NGA’s geospatial-analysis tasks.

In the late 1990s, analysts used a common application for geospatial analysis 

that became standard for the desktop 

geographic information system (GIS). But 

this product was updated in recent years 

with a suite of products, or applications, 

that ushered in a new way for users to 

perform geospatial analysis. 

The new package offered significant new features, functionality, extensions, greater flexibility and capabilities not 

available with the original application. But for many, the 

transition was difficult, so much so that a sizeable number 

of users continued to use the original application.

The analysts found difficulty with the new package for 

several reasons. These included an inability to transfer 

their preferences from the original application to the new 

suite of products, a loss of functionality resulting from the 

transition, interface changes, and the need to use different applications in the new suite of products simultaneously to perform certain tasks.

A particularly illustrative example of the lost functionality was the inability to create shapefiles within a single 

application. Shapefiles provide a format for displaying 

geospatial data that allows it to be viewed and edited on 

a GIS. Users could create shapefiles very simply in the 

original application, but in the new package, they had to 

switch between different applications contained within 

the suite of products. First, a new shapefile had to be 

created in one of the applications. Then, to add features 

to the shapefile, the user had to load it into a different 

application and start an editing session. 

While many analysts were satisfied continuing to use 

the original application, members of the Geospatial 

Intelligence Custom Applications Branch realized that the 

future lies with the new package. Befitting the name of the 

Driving Transformation

Branch Creates Shapefile Tool to Simplify Work

By Kevin Witherow and Roger Maier

A common application used for geospatial analysis, referenced in the above 

illustration, had many advantages that NGA incorporated into a tool called 

Easy Shapefile Creator.
» An Important Technology Passes: New 

Displays Will Replace Cathode-Ray Tube

» WorldView-1 Delivers New Capability » NSG Adds Weather Data, Moves Toward 

Net-Centric Warfare

» eGEOINT Will Help NGA Become More 

Service-Oriented 

Looking

Ahead

F E AT U R E A RT I C LE S

34Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

U.S. Navy photo

U.S. Air Force photo
Looking Ahead

An Important Technology Passes

New Displays Will Replace Cathode-Ray Tube

By Dr. Ronald E. Enstrom

In geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) analysis work, 

where subtle changes or minute details may be critical, 

seeing truly is believing. To aid in believing, NGA analysts 

currently use high-quality, high-resolution cathode-ray 

tube (CRT) monitors to display imagery, geospatial data, 

graphics and other key elements in their work. As the last 

major application of vacuum tube technology, developed 

in the 1940s, CRT technology is rapidly approaching its 

end life.

For the last several years, the supply of high-quality CRT 

monitors has dwindled as manufacturers have increasingly shifted production to the flat-panel displays favored 

in offices and homes. Early NGA testing suggested that 

these technologies had substantial disadvantages compared with the CRT standard. GEOINT analysts’ need for 

specialized monitors is viewed as a tiny market niche. As a 

result, NGA’s last source for high-quality CRTs is dropping 

the monitor from its line.

NGA is now facing the end of an era and the disappearance of CRT technology from the workplace, a day when a 

monitor “dies” and cannot be replaced by an equivalent 

from stock shelves. Unfortunately, no obvious replacement has emerged. Rather, new technologies with unique 

potential are being brought to market.

Because GEOINT analysts have requirements that are 

considerably more stringent than the requirements of 

possibly every other display user, NGA must drive the 

development of available, emerging technologies. To meet 

the specialized needs of analysts, one high-potential technology requires them to keep their heads in the optimum 

viewing position for extended periods of time—no small 

demand.

To assess the potential of the various emerging 

technologies, a CRT Replacement Team organized evaluation sessions, engaging more than 200 NGA analysts. 

The viewing environment was set to approximate NGA 

35Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
facility standards for analyst viewing, and displays were 

calibrated to comply with standards established by the 

NGA Image Quality and Utility office. Workstations were 

equipped with RemoteViewTM and Socet Set® electronic 

light table software to standardize image viewing and 

manipulation. Analysts could use the images provided or 

access images from their usual work files. They rated each 

of 11 displays on technical and human factors and stated 

whether the display could be a viable replacement for 

their current CRT display.

The displays included fast liquid-crystal displays 

that could approximate the roam speed of a CRT, stereo 

displays that equaled or exceeded the resolution of the 

CRT displays, and eyewear that could be worn on the head 

or mounted on a tripod to view a scene in stereovision, 

when required. The analysts found that certain displays 

performed a particular technical function very well, while 

other displays appealed because the analysts could 

assume a comfortable viewing position for an extended 

period of time.

Finding a replacement for the CRT display is a continuing process of which the analyst evaluation is a critical 

step. The CRT Replacement Team is encouraged by results 

to date suggesting that suitable replacements for the CRT 

technology are on their way. Next steps will include close 

engagement with technology producers, giving feedback 

on analyst needs, and focusing attention on the technologies with the highest potential to meet NGA requirements. 

The end result will be improvements to existing, imageviewing technologies, bringing them in line with the needs 

of GEOINT professionals. P

36Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Dr. Ronald E. Enstrom

led programs to find and certify displays 

for the Integrated Exploitation Capability and 

other NGA programs at the National Information 

Display Laboratory and in private industry.
37Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Looking Ahead

WorldView-1 Delivers New Capability

By Cyndi Wright

On Sept. 18, 2007, the Intelligence Community witnessed the launch of the first NextView class commercial 

imaging satellite. The DigitalGlobe WorldView-1 (WV-1) 

spacecraft is in orbit, its sensor sending very high-resolution imagery to a ground architecture built to NextView 

Program standards. That imagery is now on its way to 

NGA libraries via high-speed electronic links. 

NextView represents a quantum leap in the capabilities 

of U.S. space-based commercial remote sensing, including:

» Very high resolution—.5 meter—imagery 

» Stunning improvements in geolocation accuracy 

» Dramatic changes in sensor agility (a first-ever commercial application of Control-Moment Gyros allows 

quick sensor focus on divergent targets)

» Tasking-to-delivery time in the neighborhood of 800 

minutes for routine orders

» High-speed, electronic transmission of imagery data 

» Increase in overall collection capacity in the vicinity 

of 50 percent, capable of gathering 400,000 square 

kilometers of 80 percent cloud-free imagery daily, 

with revisits in less than 48 hours.

Easy-to-use Imagery

For years, U.S. warfighters have sought readily available, high-quality, unclassified imagery and related products in a format they could easily use and disseminate. 

The NextView Program delivers on the NGA promise in a 

be-careful-what-you-wish for manner, delivering immense 

amounts of high-quality imagery to NGA (and on to users) 

in volumes that stretch our already- burgeoning libraries 

and data links. 

With well-established license agreements already in 

place, U.S. warfighters can readily share commercial 

imagery with coalition partners for counterproliferation, 

counterterrorism, and damage assessment, thereby 

expanding the military’s concept of intelligence collaboration beyond national borders. Because of its unclassified 

nature, high-resolution commercial imagery also supports 

a wide variety of other missions and customers, such as 

agricultural and environmental applications and humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.

Commercial remote sensing data is a valuable resource 

in its application for geospatial and imagery analysis. 

In addition to exploitation by NGA personnel using the 

National System for Geospatial Intelligence, commercial 

imagery can be easily ingested into various commercial 

off-the-shelf (COTS) software suites for exploitation and 

manipulation. Currently, a number of NGA products are 

being generated from commercial imagery, including 

HarborView, CitySphereTM Controlled Image Base (CIB®), 

mono and stereo airfields.

Four Commercial Satellites Planned

The second NextView Program launch (GeoEye-1 satellite, to be delivered by GeoEye), on a similarly fast timeline, 

is scheduled for spring 2008. GeoEye will add a multispectral capability to the program while meeting the NextView 

requirements for resolution, accuracy, delivery time and 

transmission speed. DigitalGlobe is also developing the 

WorldView-2 (WV-2) satellite, with a planned launch in 

2009. GeoEye recently announced their plans for GeoEye-2, 

a .25-meter ground resolution, slated for a 2011 launch.

The geospatial intelligence community will benefit 

tremendously from the launch of these four spacecraft, all 

designed and built with specifications to support our customers with the most stringent performance parameters 

for image quality, accuracy and timeliness. NGA is proud 

of this unprecedented partnership with the commercial 

remote sensing industry and looks forward to a long, 

productive relationship. P

Cyndi Wright

is the NextView Program Manager in 

the Commercial Solutions Division of 

the Acquisition Directorate, responsible 

for the two NextView Programs for next 

generation commercial imagery. 

View of Paris, France from DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-1 satellite.

Photo ©DigitalGlobe
Looking Ahead

NSG Adds Weather Data, Moves Toward Net-Centric 

Warfare

By Karen Ruppe

NGA’s Office of Future Warfare Systems interacts 

with Department of Defense program managers to ensure 

that issues involving geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) are 

considered throughout systems development.

Significant achievements occurred on the weather front 

in 2007, among other areas. NGA established the position 

of Senior Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC) Officer within the Office of Future Warfare Systems (OMW) to 

coordinate environmental issues for the National System 

for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG). In coordination with the 

Agency’s key components, the officer has received approval 

from the NGA Director to establish a METOC Management 

Authority. The Management Authority will draft a Weather 

Strategic Implementation Plan to address the broad, crosscutting effects that space, atmosphere and ocean have on 

the production of GEOINT. The plan will identify necessary 

actions and resources to address the integration of weather 

and environmental concerns into NSG mission areas. Publication of the plan is expected in 2008.

In addition, NGA established an NSG-wide group to 

deliver technical solutions to environmental challenges 

that impact GEOINT production. Called the Meteorological 

and Environmental Pathways to/from the Intelligence 

Community, the group was formed through a collaboration 

of OMW, the InnoVision Directorate and the NGA Technical 

Executive. InnoVision is chairing the group.

In collaboration with the Air Force Weather Agency at 

Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., OMW also developed an overlay of environmental data for NGA’s PalanterraTM software 

package, used for homeland security and other applications. Introducing the overlay to PalanterraTM has set the 

stage for incorporation of environmental data into NGA’s 

Google EarthTM, providing worldwide support.

Future Combat Systems

OMW continued to support Future Combat Systems 

(FCS), the Army’s modernization program in 2007. In order 

to ensure interoperability, the Army has aligned with the 

NSG and formalized the need for a common geospatial 

Logical Data Model (LDM) for use in the development of 

FCS. OMW coordinated across NGA key components to relate significant dependencies of FCS on a geospatial LDM, 

including its timely development and implementation. 

OMW spearheaded several Data Model Summits 

and worked closely with FCS program developers. One 

outcome was a geospatial LDM that NGA provided for 

the first FCS battle-command software build. FCS is the 

first system in development to incorporate the new data 

model, which will facilitate the collection of value-added 

data from the field and exchanges of GEOINT.

Advances in the development of Net-Centric Enterprise 

Services (NCES) are coming in 2008, in particular the NCES 

Global Information Grid, one of the key systems driving 

interoperability. NCES will be the backbone for making sure 

that the NSG community can access, understand, disseminate and use data from multiple sources. It will provide 

the conduit for passing and receiving data to and from the 

warfighter. NGA has partnered with the Defense Information 

Systems Agency to develop this important capability. P

Karen Ruppe

is the Functional Executive of the Office of Future 

Warfare Systems.

38Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Looking Ahead

eGEOINT Will Help NGA Become More Service-Oriented

By Gary W. Fuller

Through the efforts of the eGEOINT Management 

Office, NGA is transforming itself to being a GEOINT 

Services Provider to better serve its partners, customers, 

consumers and users. To do this, eGEOINT is considering 

GEOINT as Services (GAS) as a key element of enabling 

GEOINT. This transformation addresses changes from 

both a business and technology perspective and includes 

people, process, technology and physical infrastructure 

dimensions.

As part of this transformation, GEOINT Online (GO) will 

provide an integrated, intuitive user interface to GEOINT 

discovery and access services in late 2008 as a first step 

to a true online, on-demand geodata, information and 

knowledge service. Later versions of GO will create the 

foundation for a Global GEOINT Network (GGN), enabling 

a global community of GEOINT providers and users who 

share content, services, expertise and support.

The first version of GO will be mostly based on technology integration, but its ultimate success will depend on 

business process transformation across NGA to support 

the services provider model. In other words, the way NGA 

does business will be driven by providing services rather 

than producing products. 

To do this, NGA is developing a services doctrine and 

concept of operations that define how the Agency will operate in a services environment. A fundamental element of 

this transformation is to promote a services orientation in 

all activities, whether business or information technology 

services. It is, in effect, a way of thinking about what NGA 

does and how it does it, focusing on customer satisfaction.

At the technological level, defining and implementing 

a services-oriented enterprise architecture, driven by the 

needs of the business and serving customers, will be another key step forward. The construct of GAS is key to the 

success of GO and NGA’s transformation. P

Gary W. Fuller

is a Senior System 

Engineer and Strategic 

Planner with an NGA 

contractor supporting the 

eGEOINT management 

office.

39Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Partnerships

NGA Brings GEOINT to Navy Deployers

By John Gray

The Navy NGA Support Team (NST) is taking an 

active role in exposing the fleet to NGA by demonstrating 

Agency products and services to our deploying naval 

forces where they work and train. Navy leaders are becoming increasingly aware that timely, relevant and accurate 

geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) gives decision-makers 

and mission planners a keen operational advantage 

over potential adversaries. But, as GEOINT products and 

services become more complex, their effective utilization 

requires increased knowledge of the various data exploitation and display methods available. That’s where the Navy 

NST brings together a group of individuals with diverse 

naval warfare experiences and skill sets to train and equip 

Navy operational commands and support staffs with the 

latest in GEOINT tactics, techniques and procedures.

Partnership with the Fleet

NGA has an externally assigned geospatial analyst at 

the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), who 

from this remote desert training facility provides tailored 

GEOINT support to a broad range of mission partners. 

Whether they are conducting predeployment training or 

real-world combat operations, highly dispersed Navy warfighters have access to the specific planning and targeting 

they need to complete their mission. Rapid advances 

in geographic information system (GIS) software and 

improved imagery capabilities, along with the deployment 

of geospatial visualization tools (Google EarthTM ArcGIS 

ExplorerTM, PalanterraTM) to user networks, have enabled 

this improved access.

The increasingly expeditionary nature of naval warfare 

requires the ability to rapidly produce mission-specific 

data and products for new and, at times, hard-to-access 

locations around the globe. Exposing Navy intelligence 

and operations specialists to new and improved GEOINT 

access and exploitation capabilities enables them to 

decrease their search time for resources and spend more 

time performing GEOINT analysis and production. Future 

advancements such as the migration to a Web-enabled, 

net-centric dissemination architecture will continue to 

improve the quality and completeness of NGA support to 

the deployed warfighter.

Impact of Training

Exposing operators to NGA systems, products and reach 

back resources prior to deployment better enables them 

to plan and execute the GEOINT-dependent portion of 

their missions regardless of the operating environment. 

The Navy NST is committed to providing on site tailored 

GEOINT training to each deploying Carrier/Expeditionary 

Strike Group. This training includes basic geospatial analysis, geodesy and datums, NGA products and services, 

GEOINT support to strike warfare and GEOINT visualization services. Advanced training includes applications of 

GEOINT to complex strike warfare scenarios and Intelligence Preparation of the Environment. 

Making a Difference

Site visits to deploying warships and aviation units 

have provided an excellent opportunity to enhance the 

understanding of GEOINT as it applies to strike warfare. 

There is no substitute for being able to demonstrate all 

that NGA has to offer the warfighter and no better feeling 

of accomplishment than seeing Navy units actually create their own GEOINT using the equipment they will be 

deployed with. P

John Gray

is a geospatial analyst and an NGA Staff 

Officer assigned to the Naval Strike and Air 

Warfare Center. A retired Navy chief warrant 

officer, he has supported the Intelligence Community for over 24 years. 

40Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

U.S. Navy photo
41Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Working for NGA

Staff Officer Creates New Relationship with DEA

By Lauren Newson

On Aug. 31, John Godby, a Staff Officer with the U.S. 

Marine Corps NGA Support Team (NST), taught a course 

for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Training 

Academy in Quantico, Va. The academy wanted Godby to 

teach their entry-level analysts basic map-reading skills.

In preparation for the course, Godby used NGA resources including materials from the School of Geospatial 

Intelligence, as well as materials from the Marine Corps 

Basic School and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), while 

drawing from personal experience to develop a course that 

addressed the fundamentals of map reading. Godby’s goal 

for the one-hour course was for the students to understand map basics like features and coordinates. To achieve 

this, he ordered 30 sets of “JOG- Airs” (Joint Operations 

Graphics-Air, 1:250,000 scale), 30 “TLMs” (Topographic 

Line Maps, 1:50,000 scale) and 30 USGS maps (1:24,000 

scale), all covering the DEA Training Academy and surrounding area.

The course covered the interpretation of marginalia, symbols and features. Godby had the students look for quarries, depressions, draws, fingers and saddles. They also 

explored how to measure distances and slope interpretation 

(whether the slopes are concave, convex or uniform). 

“The class was very interactive and hands-on, which 

generated a great deal of interest and enthusiasm 

amongst the students,” Godby said. He also touched on 

how to properly use the Global Positioning System (GPS) 

and the dangers of using incorrect data. In addition, Godby 

used different datums in an effort to teach the students 

that the world has different datum sets and that they must 

match between the maps and GPS.

This class was a new collaboration between NGA and 

DEA. “The future of the class is promising due to the networking and collaboration that has occurred,” Godby said. 

“It’s important to greet people and let them know who you 

are. That’s how I get most referrals.” 

Godby shares the credit for the class’ success with the 

School of Geospatial Intelligence, Marine Corps and USGS. 

Teaching is nothing new to Godby, who has been a Sunday 

school teacher, a youth sports coach and a Marine Corps 

flight instructor. “You have to know your audience and 

what the objectives of the class are,” he said. “If it is fun 

for the students, the information will stick with them.”

As a member of the Marine NST, Godby travels around 

“selling” NGA to Marine Corps commands at Quantico. 

His primary focus is with the Marine Corps Training and 

Education Command. Godby is quick to point out that 

everything NGA has accomplished at Quantico has truly 

been because of great teamwork across NGA and with 

other agencies. P

Lauren Newson

was an intern in the 

Office of Corporate Relations. She currently serves 

as Editor in the Director’s 

Action Center.
Our Heritage

You Are What You Read!

By Dr. Gary E. Weir

You are what you read, so let the NGA History Group 

improve your intellectual diet! The history of intelligence and 

geospatial tradecraft illuminates a world many never see. 

For others it provides the context of their professional lives. 

In my case, the world described by Alfred Burton in Conquerors of the Airways or by Elie Abel on the Cuban Missile Crisis 

provides an important backdrop for all of us who matured 

in the shadow of the Cold War. Regardless of age or life 

experience, history offers even deeper understanding for the 

experienced, while it enables the young to mature beyond 

their years. 

For centuries, successful people have made reading history a habit. Understanding the past to inform the present, 

what we call applied history, became part of a daily routine 

for Winston Churchill, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, 

John Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, Napoleon Bonaparte, 

Chester Nimitz, Hyman Rickover and many who became 

extraordinary. I became very good friends with a remarkable 

Navy vice admiral who spent his lunch hour two or three 

days each week reading history and helping to catalog 

historical manuscripts at the Navy Department Library while 

serving as Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. 

He “owned” all of the submarines in the Atlantic Fleet as 

well as those in NATO. History, he suggested, helped him 

relax and gave him broad perspective. I need this, don’t you? 

At the end of 2007, the NGA history group scrapped the 

old history Web page on NGA’s internal networks and created a home in our workplace for things interesting, diverse 

and historical. This page, already on Agency networks, is 

scheduled to appear on our public Web site, www.nga.mil, 

in January. One of the departments on this page contains the 

first edition of a reading list in history for anyone fascinated 

by geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), its practice and evolution. Looking at the list, you might mumble that the historian 

has lost his mind, or perhaps envision a package of books 

in shrink-wrap prescribed for everyone who wishes either 

to advance as a professional or to understand this type of 

intelligence. Thankfully, the truth lies elsewhere.

 The NGA history staff would like to suggest a different 

way of using this list, a way that will help us fulfill one of 

our many historical goals for this past year. We prepared 

the list for the widest possible audience, comprising the 

worldwide GEOINT community and all those wanting to 

know more about GEOINT. For those in the National System 

for Geospatial Intelligence, it offers as much as possible for 

every analytical trade and interested staff member. Wellwritten history entertains while inviting us to ask questions 

of our assumptions based upon the way colleagues from our 

past wrestled with the essential questions of their time and 

their practice. 

In using this list, please choose works that you like. Nothing here should suggest requirement. Choose something 

new or choose something you have already read. The new 

offers novel possibilities; the familiar history will reward you 

once again, and your enthusiasm for it will reveal satisfying nuggets you missed earlier. Read at your desk if time 

permits, in a comfortable chair with a glass of wine at home, 

just before bed, or with friends in a study group. I would 

enjoy hosting a history reading group at NGA headquarters 

in the east if that proves desirable. In the west, the museum 

staff will play host to a group if that serves. Each book or 

article, each moment you spend with well-crafted history, 

advances you as a professional. 

Not everyone will choose the same kind of history. 

Perhaps you would prefer a biography of Constance Babbington Smith, or a memoir of a critical time in our history 

written by Dino Brugioni, or Robert Divine’s fine history of 

President Eisenhower’s reaction to the Sputnik launch in 

1957. The more you read and the more you revisit old historical friends, the deeper you become as a professional. The 

more you know, the more historical you are, the greater your 

ability to see both the way people react to critical moments 

in our national life and the significant continuity between 

our present activity and that of our colleagues decades and 

even centuries ago. 

Our list will remain in constant revision, adding works that 

you may nominate to me at Gary.E.Weir@nga.mil and refining the existing choices made by the history staff. You will 

not find the latest headlines in a work of history. However, 

the latter will offer something far more fascinating: real lives 

like our own and the origins of what we do. P

Dr. Gary E. Weir 

is the NGA Historian.

42Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008
Viewpoint 

Collaboration Requires Knowing Rules of the Road

By Tom Cooke

When intelligence professionals discuss analysis 

and production, the conversation often turns to the issue of “lanes in the road.” The phrase is applied both 

positively, as in “They know (or keep to) their lane,” and 

negatively, as in, “They don’t stay in their lane.” Regardless of how the term is applied, it is invariably based on 

defining specific tasks for Intelligence Community (IC) 

members. For example, when all-source analysts comment on imagery products, imagery analysts may object. 

Conversely, when imagery analysts offer opinions on a 

potential adversary’s military intentions in addition to their 

capabilities, all-source analysts similarly express concern.

Because these “lanes” are often cited as a hindrance 

to true IC collaboration, I thought it might be useful to 

fully explore this traffic metaphor and how it may be positively applied.

When discussing lanes in the road, it is important to 

remember that it’s all the same road. Assuming we are 

talking about a multi-lane highway, all the lanes travel in 

the same direction and, therefore, head toward the same 

destination. The same is true of the IC. Regardless of the 

lane, everyone is traveling in the same direction toward 

the same goal.

No lane is more important than another. Trucks may 

keep to the right and faster traffic will normally dominate 

the left lane, but each lane is equally important based on 

the traffic it supports. When driving on a multi-lane highway, usually there is no law against occasionally changing 

lanes, even if lumbering trucks occasionally move toward 

the center to get around an obstruction. The same rules 

apply within the IC. Although some organizations normally 

“stay in the right lane,” at times they need to “move out of 

their lane.”

In normal traffic, when a vehicle successfully moves 

from one lane to the other, three actions must occur to 

maintain order. First, the vehicle changing lanes looks to 

ensure no other vehicle is occupying the space into which 

it wishes to move. Second, the vehicle makes its intent 

known through a clearly visible signal. Third, all other 

vehicles on the highway should recognize and acknowledge the intent of the vehicle to change lanes and make 

sufficient allowance to let it into the lane. If any of these 

actions does not occur, the results can cause a crash, 

forcing everyone on the highway to stop until the debris 

are cleared. 

These actions are also relevant to the IC. When an 

IC member determines an operational requirement to 

“change lanes,” all three actions must occur. For example, 

when an organization identifies a need to operate outside 

its normal analysis and production effort, it should first 

look throughout the IC to determine whether others are 

performing the intended effort. By querying the IC, it not 

only reduces the possibility of costly and unnecessary 

redundancy, it also performs the second step: signaling 

intent. If it is clear no one is performing the task, the IC 

member must make its intention known to fill that void. 

Once these two functions are complete, the entire community needs to allow sufficient room.

Applying our traffic analogy to an IC-centric conclusion, 

crashes (and resultant backups) occur when (1) an IC 

member decides to change lanes independently, (2) the 

member does not coordinate (signal) to others who might 

be performing a similar mission, and (3) other members 

intentionally try to stop the action, just like a driver who 

sees someone trying to change lanes and then speeds up 

to fill the gap.

So, the next time you hear someone talking about 

“lanes in the road,” remember it’s OK to sometimes 

change lanes, as long as you follow the rules. P

Tom Cooke

is Deputy Director of 

the Defense Intelligence 

Agency NGA Support Team. 

He is a retired Army lieutenant colonel with over 28 

years’ intelligence experience.

43Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

Photo ©Getty Images
New Campus East 

NGA’s New Home Is a Symbol of the Future

By Dr. Eileen M. Preisser

The New Campus East (NCE) is a physical symbol of 

NGA’s transformation as it focuses on further improving 

the quality of both products and services to its partners. 

NGA is crafting its legacy for the future with every decision 

made and implemented with respect to the NCE. 

During 2007, remediation and cleanup on the land 

parcel was completed and construction began on the site. 

NGA also surmounted several obstacles along the way, 

engaging worried Fairfax County neighbors in dialogue 

to ease their concerns. The agency also received most 

of the environmental permits, although they were more 

complicated to get than initially thought. Happily, NGA 

also discovered two endangered species on the site that 

made it a treasure: the small whorled pogonia plant and 

wood turtle. This summer, NGA finalized road construction 

scenarios with the Virginia Department of Transportation 

and the Army and made significant progress regarding 

decisions concerning who will fund power, utilities, 

bridges, and roads. NGA celebrated the completion of the 

10-percent and 35-percent designs, hired the first construction management contractors, and created a “One 

Team” partnership with the joint venture 

partners from the Army. The 2.4-million-square-foot project is as 

big as Tysons Corner 

Center shopping mall in nearby Mclean, Va. The building’s 

skeleton should be in place by spring 2008, and exterior 

construction should be completed within two years, with 

an additional year needed to outfit the interior spaces. In 

an example of collaboration, NGA and the joint venture 

partners will work together to oversee the project. 

While a number of people may think of this structure 

as an end to itself, for others, this purpose-built home 

encourages NGA to think bigger and broader—there 

is a high-performance organization waiting to be born. 

Couldn’t the new structure serve as a collaborative decision-making portal? What a grand idea: a place where the 

warfighter and others can efficiently assess the footprints 

of both friend and foe.

Consider this: the NCE will become NGA’s legacy. If, as 

its home is designed and built, minds reach deep into the 

future and indulge the collective imagination, all involved 

will become geospatial intelligence entrepreneurs. If all 

accept ownership in the NCE endeavor—refuse to accept 

the concept of “cannot” and replace it with “can”—this 

will mark a most relevant path for our future. P

Dr. Eileen M. Preisser

an NGA Geospatial Intelligence Officer, was 

matrixed to the New Campus East Program 

Management Office to direct the NCE Advocacy 

effort.

44Pathfinder ›› January/February 2008

www.nga.mil