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

M a y / J u n e 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

Co ll a b o r at e ,

Coo pe r at e , I n t e g r at e 

P h oto g r a m m et ry Te a m 

M o d e ls C lo u d Fo r m at i o n

Vol. 6 No. 3

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

Inte l l igence Profess ion

Un ify ing the
On My Mind

Collaboration Helps to Solve Our Toughest 

Challenges

In the face of an evolving, asymmetric threat environment, we must increase our collaboration across 

the Intelligence Community (IC) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to maintain our strategic edge. The 

more we work together, the more we realize just how much value can be derived by breaking down barriers 

between agencies. As we move away from the “need to know” mindset to a “responsibility to share” approach, the quality of support we provide to our warfighters and policymakers is increasing exponentially.

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and DOD guidance, as outlined in the National Intelligence Strategy and the Defense Intelligence Guidance, demand increased collaboration. DNI Mike McConnell 

states in his guest column, “Intelligence analysis must be multi-INT, cross-discipline and multidimensional to 

be complete.” Our threats are multidimensional and our adversaries strive to exploit seams in our defenses. 

Collaboration is valuable in eliminating gaps and improving our intelligence services and products.

Collaboration is a strategic priority. Our NGA Focus Areas challenge us to “look outward and be the most 

collaborative and integrated partner with the IC and the warfighter” and to “strengthen quality of analysis 

in concert with other IC partners.” These statements align directly with ODNI and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence priorities. Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) remains a key foundational element that 

promotes the accurate aggregation of intelligence data throughout the community. This common reference 

frame enables collaboration and enhances national security.

People Lead the Way

Our people are the biggest driver of collaboration, as individuals use tools and seek new ways to interact 

with other agencies. We have embedded both analytic and support personnel at hundreds of locations, on 

six continents, to help our partners apply and manipulate GEOINT and to capitalize on all its attributes.

As we encounter new threats, we are reminded of the importance of working directly with our partners. 

Individuals who collaborate regularly are better equipped to recognize the scope of perspectives and 

creatively seek solutions. Forward-deployed personnel learn the battle rhythms of our warfighters, anticipate their needs and provide the highest quality intelligence products to help them achieve their mission. 

NGA’s Support Team structure places NGA staff in the footprint of our partners at more than 150 locations. 

Having our people embedded with our mission partners, on joint duty assignments, deployed into forward 

theaters, is the best way for NGA to continue in our tradition of collaboration.

Technology Enables Collaboration

With NGA personnel and our IC and DOD colleagues spread around the world, new tools improve communication, foster collaboration and further integrate our systems. Wikis and other forms of social media enable 

analysts to instantly communicate with their colleagues regardless of location. NGA has also sought to upgrade existing technologies, including information technology and community systems. NGA is at the forefront 

of collaboration, and our workforce is creatively developing tools to continuously improve our tradecraft.

NGA is one of the biggest users of Intellipedia, and our workforce is already anticipating the new DNI 

initiative, A-Space, a virtual work environment for analysts. We are full supporters of the DNI-led effort 

to carry forward the Intelligence Community Architecture (ICA). The end goal of the ICA is to establish a 

system through which the entire community can interoperate and share data through native systems and 

multiple security levels.

Across the National System for Geospatial Intelligence, it is the people who harness this technology who 

are making the difference, as they discover new ways to leverage systems, in concert with their counterparts across the intelligence and defense communities.

Looking Forward

NGA will continue to look outward and strive to be the most collaborative partner with the IC, the 

warfighter, policymakers and all of our mission partners. As the demand increases, NGA will remain forward 

leaning and learn to best leverage collaborative tools and the creative talents of our workforce—and to 

make sure that GEOINT is effectively available to and absorbed by our defense and IC counterparts.

 

Robert B. Murrett

Vice Admiral, USN

Director
Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008 ›› Vol. 6 No. 3

1 Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Contents

2 Letter to Our Readers

3 Guest Column: Collaborate, Cooperate, Integrate

5 Up Front: Clapper Inducted Into the NGA Hall of 

Fame

›› F E A T U R E S

6 NGA Support Team Exemplifies Unified GEOINT 

Operations

7 NGA and CIA Build Collaborative Partnerships

8 Integrated Collection Management Accelerates 

Interagency Cooperation 

9 NGA Integrates ONIR into the Mainstream

10 Photogrammetry Team Models Cloud Formation

12 NGA’s Gateway Expands Virtual Community

›› D E P A R T M E N T S

14 Partnerships: Commonwealth Partners Learn 

GEOINT With U.S. Counterparts

16 21st Century: Advanced Geospatial Intelligence 

Enhances Commercial Imagery

17 New Campus East: NGA Constructs a GEOINT 

Center of Excellence

18 Our Heritage: IC Senior Historians Panel Nurtures 

the Human Network

20 Working for NGA: Visual Media Artists Capture ICy 

Awards

17 20

12

On the Cover

The member agencies and organizations of the U.S. Intelligence Community 

excel within their respective spheres of responsibility, but no member acts 

alone. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence leads to ensure “a 

unified enterprise of innovative intelligence professionals.” Though their 

footprints may vary depending on the nature of a problem, all members 

make their unique impressions. In service to the nation, each applies its 

respective disciplines and perspective in an increasingly coordinated effort 

to advance the frontiers of collection and produce the finest intelligence. 

In this issue, the Pathfinder illustrates the critical contribution of NGA and 

GEOINT to the fluid but unified operation of the Intelligence Community. 

Vincent Gaines and Carmella Bender designed the cover. Concept by 

Jason K. Michas. 

More to the Story?

The online Classified Pathfinder, which is accessible by 

members of the Intelligence Community, may include 

additional information and expanded sections of some 

Pathfinder articles. The Classified Pathfinder provides 

a forum for reading and discussing topics at the level 

of “Unclassified//For Official Use Only” or higher. For 

information please contact the editor, Heather Cox, at 

301-227-2290.
2Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

PATHFINDER

Published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Office of Corporate Communications

4600 Sangamore Road, Mail Stop D-54

Bethesda, MD 20816-5003

Telephone: (301) 227-7388, 

DSN 287-7388

E-mail: pathfinder@nga.mil

Director

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, U.S. Navy

Deputy Director

Lloyd Rowland

Office of Corporate Communications, Director

Paul R. Weise

Internal Communications Branch, Chief

Louis J. Brune

Editor

Jason K. Michas

Managing Editor

Jennifer J. Harris

Graphic Designer

Carmella E. Bender

Contributing Authors

Tom Cooke

Neil Hartbarger

Juanita Hartbarger

Glenda Jones

Kelly Kemp

Kensey Liebsch

Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence

Tom Millman

Lt. Col. Scott C. Poole, U.S. Army

Dr. Eileen M. Preisser 

Cheryl Southworth

Mary Sullivan

Shawn Usman

Dr. Gary E. Weir

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. 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

Unifying the Intelligence Profession

Each member of the Intelligence Community 

(IC) has a specific charge, an essential role to 

play in providing the best information possible to our nation’s leaders, enabling them 

to pursue the courses of action deemed most 

effective to secure the safety of Americans and 

the interests of our country. This issue’s theme, 

“unifying the intelligence profession,” intimates 

the essential pursuit by all members of the 

IC to discover new ways to better integrate 

our disciplines. NGA has sought vigorously to 

implement the goal of greater IC integration.

The Pathfinder invited Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, to share his vision 

of closer IC collaboration. In his guest column, McConnell discusses several ways 

in which integrated relationships have developed among members of the IC and 

its mission partners, including the introduction in March 2008 of the online Classified Pathfinder, accessible by members of the IC, to complement and expand 

the informative work accomplished by this publication. McConnell also reiterates 

DNI initiatives that will unify the community even more.

NGA has led the community in instilling closer cooperation by reaching out to 

our mission partners and providing dedicated NGA Support Teams (NSTs) that 

reside within their footprints. To coordinate the GEOINT needs and resources of 

the IC to ensure the greatest impact, NGA practices Unified GEOINT Operations 

(UGO), exemplified by the NST at the Defense Intelligence Agency, as you will 

read in this issue. In another feature article, we explore NGA’s collaborative 

partnership with CIA.

A discussion of an important joint program of NGA and the National Security 

Agency amplifies the value of a multi-intelligence approach in “Integrated Collection Management Accelerates Interagency Cooperation.” The community can only 

benefit as this program expands throughout the IC.

Several articles explore the application and development of technology. The 

transfer to NGA of functional management of a significant collection tool demonstrates the DNI’s commitment to aligning the IC for optimum efficiency, as indicated in “NGA Integrates ONIR Into the Mainstream.” “Photogrammetry Team Models 

Cloud Formation” and “Advanced Geospatial Intelligence Enhances Commercial 

Imagery” examine different but ultimately complementary methods by which NGA 

scientists are expanding the tools available to the IC and the military services.

Apropos of NGA’s designation as a combat support agency, the July/August 

issue of the Pathfinder will illuminate the agency’s support to the warfighter.

Paul R. Weise

Director, Office of Corporate Communications
Guest Column

Collaborate, Cooperate, Integrate

By Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence

3Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Importance of Collaboration...

The world today is more interconnected, complex and 

dynamic than ever. The advance of globalization has 

enabled, amplified and accelerated threats stemming from 

international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, 

failed states and illegal drug trafficking. These threats, 

among others, move at increasing speeds and across 

geographic and organizational boundaries, blurring the 

distinction between foreign and domestic threats and 

between strategic and tactical events. 

Our old intelligence construct must adapt to this new 

environment. For example, intelligence analysis must 

now be multi-INT, cross-discipline and multidimensional 

in order for it to be complete. We must make it easy to 

bring more minds together to think about the hardest 

intelligence problems. We must also make sure we have 

recruited and developed a diverse workforce, one that 

reflects the current global environment and that brings the 

linguistic, cultural, political and other relevant experiences 

to the thought process.

One way to help meet this new challenge is through 

collaboration. Collaborating around critical mission 

areas—counterterrorism, counterproliferation and avoiding strategic surprise—will help close the gaps and provide 

higher quality, more relevant and timely intelligence to our 

customers, whether on the front line or in the White House. 

We all know that we achieve significantly more when 

we work together. The Intelligence Community (IC) must 

achieve what the Department of Defense (DOD) did 

through the Goldwater-Nichols reform in the 1980s when 

they realized that “jointness” was a necessary step to 

achieving a higher level of excellence. Similarly, once we 

achieve “jointness,” we will collaborate naturally as a 

basic way of doing business in the IC. NGA is one of the 

community leaders working toward “jointness.” Through 

the National System for Geospatial Intelligence and the 

commitment to embedding personnel in mission partners’ 

battle rhythms, Vice Adm. Murrett and the NGA leadership 

team are making great strides to reduce the overlap of 

efforts and eliminate information gaps.

...Across the IC

To better share insights and opinions, the senior leaders 

needed to set the stage for collaboration. As a first step, 

I established the first Executive Committee (EXCOM) for 

the directors of the various IC agencies to meet regularly. 

This forum goes a long way toward breaking down old 

stovepipes and in so doing allows for better decisionmaking. Additionally, the Joint Duty Program is now in full 

swing and will do more for collaboration at the working 

level than most other efforts. As individuals with joint 

experience rise through the ranks of the organizations, 

the custom will be to reach out and collaborate as the rule 

rather than the exception. Every initiative is being driven 

by some form of agency working group. For example, 

the Deputy Director of National Intelligence (DDNI) for 

Analysis has established a Coalition for Collaboration that 

meets with members of the IC agencies to work as change 

agents within the Community for greater collaboration.

At the working level, there are some great collaboration 

success stories. Take Intellipedia for example. Its use is 

growing exponentially, with little formal planning or oversight. Groups of analysts are forming communities of interest every day. They reach out to other analysts with similar 

geographical or problem areas and they share information. 

They are blogging with one another, asking questions, 

Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence
4Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Devastation in Indonesia attests to the destruction of the 2004 Southeast 

Asian Tsunami. DIGO analysts assisted Australia’s response to the disaster.

sharing information and collectively reaching solutions. NGA 

is one of the IC leaders in using and adopting this social 

software. The number of NGA self-identified Intellipedia users has jumped more than 81 percent in the last six months 

with over 400 distinct article pages posted in the NGA Intellipedia category. Additionally, NGA’s decision to stand up 

the first Classified Pathfinder in March received significant 

attention from across the Community with over 1500 hits 

and 500 unique visitors in the first week of publication.

...with DOD

Our DOD members represent some of the largest 

agencies in the IC. The symbiotic nature of our working 

relationship and information sharing benefits everyone. 

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and I worked to identify 

ways to better integrate DOD into the national intelligence 

system. Jim Clapper, the Under Secretary of Defense for 

Intelligence (USD (I)), was asked to serve as the Director 

for Defense Intelligence, which enables him to be a full, 

collaborative partner on intelligence issues. I have assigned a member of my staff to work as a liaison with the 

USD(I) staff, attend their staff meetings and serve as an 

interface on key issues. The USD(I) has done the same 

with a reciprocal liaison who has an office in our spaces.

...with Foreign Partners

Collaboration with our foreign partners has become 

increasingly more important due to the growth of coalition 

activities in response to changing world events, evolving 

international threats and the ongoing Global War on Terror. If you think about burden sharing and the best way 

to use scarce resources, collaborating with our foreign 

partners makes a great deal of sense. Sharing information 

allows us to reduce duplication of effort and maximize our 

quality output for the good of all involved. This also gives 

us insight into areas we would not normally access and allows us to benefit from analysis from differing viewpoints 

and gain expertise from diverse subject matter experts. 

Additionally, through collaboration our foreign partners 

are better prepared to assist the United States in a crisis 

or in a coalition environment. NGA’s efforts as an international leader for geospatial intelligence are commendable. 

...with Industry

Our industry partners are at the forefront of research and 

development, making collaboration vital to our ongoing 

success as a Community. By demonstrating genuine interest 

in learning best practices that have already been developed, 

applied and tested, we do not have to make the same 

mistakes our predecessors made. Congress appreciates this 

efficient collaboration because we are being good stewards 

of the funds that the American people entrust us with.

The Way Ahead

We still have some work to do before we fully realize 

“jointness” and establish collaboration as our basis of 

operation. The following are IC reform priorities that are 

requiring our focus:

» Significantly enhance intelligence collaboration

across the IC

» Improve analytic tradecraft through more rigorous 

standards, alternative analysis and greater IC analytic 

collaboration 

» Enhance collection by establishing the NIC-C—

National Intelligence Coordination Center—for 

all-source intelligence collection, coordination, 

customer service and tasking deconfliction

» Integrate and coordinate the IC budget process

» Resource the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)

for integration of all counterterrorism intelligence

» Support and enable implementation of the national

Cyber Security Plan

» Establish civilian joint duty for the IC (to emulate U.S. 

Joint Military Operations)

» Implement information sharing with the United Kingdom, Australian and Canadian partners via the Secret 

Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet)

» Establish IC EXCOM to provide decision-making 

support for Community-wide issues

» Transform the security clearance process to be more 

rapid, cost-effective and efficient

» Modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 

(FISA), which is essential for our future IC effectiveness

When individuals and agencies actively form communities 

of interest, work together, and share information with a common belief that the collective wisdom will satisfy the intelligence consumer, I call that “collaboration.” Collaboration 

invokes an active willingness to share. It also manifests itself 

as common language, common understanding and a common set of goals. What we all need, to meet today’s threats 

and opportunities, is a willingness to cooperate and an eagerness to collaborate. That is how we will move the IC from “a 

culture of ownership” to “a culture of collaboration.” P
Up Front

Clapper Inducted Into the NGA Hall of Fame

By Kelly Kemp

5

Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Former NGA Director and current Under 

Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, retired Air 

Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr., was inducted 

into the NGA Hall of Fame during the Director’s 

Recognition Ceremony at NGA headquarters on 

March 25, 2008. “Today we welcome you into the 

NGA Hall of Fame for all the tremendous work you 

have done to support NGA and our mission and for 

your long history of service...” said NGA Director 

Navy Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett as he presented 

the award. 

Clapper was honored for his many exemplary 

contributions to the Intelligence Community (IC) 

and the United States between September 2001 and 

June 2006. On Sept. 13, 2001, two days after the terrorist attacks and the declaration of a global war on 

terrorism, Clapper was announced as the second, 

and first civilian, director of the National Imagery 

and Mapping Agency (NIMA), succeeding geospatial 

pioneer Army Lt. Gen. James C. King. 

Immediately recognizing that new threats could 

occur at any time or place, Clapper began to promote 

products that emerged from a variety of new initiatives. 

He moved to embed analysts throughout the combat 

support and IC networks, and established an NGA element 

to provide support to the newly organized Department of 

Homeland Security. Clapper pioneered the new discipline 

of geospatial intelligence, known today as GEOINT, by 

directing that the previously separated imagery and 

geospatial analysis tradecrafts operate within a common 

collaborative environment. His concept of a unifying 

discipline and doctrine guided the transformation of 

NIMA through congressional legislation into the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in 2003. The new name 

represented the maturation of the GEOINT discipline and 

the increased unification of the agency’s parts.

As NGA Director, Clapper also assumed the role of 

GEOINT functional manager. He set about composing 

plans and policies that would govern GEOINT resources 

within a National System for Geospatial Intelligence. 

Creating a series of formal communications and directives, 

Clapper published a working doctrine for GEOINT—the 

first ever Geospatial Intelligence Basic Doctrine, which 

appeared in July 2004.

At the induction ceremony, Clapper thanked and 

expressed his appreciation to colleagues: “It’s great to 

be home; I am honored and touched by this recognition.” 

The NGA Hall of Fame Award was established to recognize 

employees from all levels who have contributed notably 

to the unfolding mission of NGA and its predecessor 

organizations in advancing imagery, imagery intelligence 

and GEOINT. P

Kelly Kemp

works as a Staff Officer 

in the Office of Corporate 

Communications, Internal 

Communications Branch.

Photo by Larry Franklin

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett welcomes former NGA Director retired Air Force 

Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr. into the NGA Hall of Fame.
NGA Support Team Exemplifies Unified GEOINT Operations

By Tom Cooke

As the functional manager for geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT), NGA has the primary responsibility for ensuring 

that GEOINT is fully and appropriately integrated into 

analysis throughout the Intelligence Community (IC), 

reflecting the Director of National Intelligence’s (DNI’s) 

mandate for increased collaboration. This effort is being 

realized partly through a systematic approach, known as 

Unified GEOINT Operations (UGO), designed to assess, 

align and execute GEOINT across the IC. The NGA Support 

Team (NST) supporting the Defense Intelligence Agency 

(DIA) has adopted UGO as its business model.

Unlike most NSTs, which provide direct product support 

to regional or functional organizations such as the Combatant Commands or the military services, the DIA NST is an 

agency-to-agency support team, as are teams supporting 

CIA, the National Security Agency, FBI, the Department of 

State, and the Department of Homeland Security. Since 

DIA’s all-source analytic portfolio encompasses the gamut 

of the intelligence process, NGA analysts within the DIA NST 

must be fully cognizant of all NGA GEOINT analysis and production and serve as a conduit to ensure that NGA products 

are appropriately integrated into DIA all-source products.

The UGO model recognizes that NGA cannot unilaterally support all the geospatial requirements of all-source 

analysts. The director of the DIA NST, who also serves as 

the DIA UGO Manager, and a DIA counterpart who serves 

as a UGO Officer, form the local UGO team. Together, they 

work to synergize each agency’s intelligence production 

and limit redundancy. 

Much of DIA’s production effort complements NGA 

GEOINT analysis; it is the job of the DIA NST to coordinate 

these efforts to effect positive collaboration. For example, 

DIA is currently exploring immersive analytic techniques 

that include projecting 3-D geospatial products in such a 

way that an analyst can literally stand inside them. Using 

the UGO structure, the DIA NST is working diligently to 

bring DIA and NGA analytic elements together to share 

insights into this emerging capability. 

Historically, DIA has maintained the capacity to produce 

geospatial graphics to support its mission. To avoid 

duplication, the DIA NST, employing UGO, works closely 

with senior analysts at both agencies to ensure that they 

are aware of the others’ work and, as needed, help align 

production capabilities.

By incorporating UGO into its business practices, the 

DIA NST exemplifies the effort to implement the DNI’s 

mandate for collaboration. Analysts from DIA and NGA 

collaborate frequently on joint products and now routinely 

share bylines—a source of pride for both DIA and NGA and 

a result in large part of applying the UGO model. 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.

6Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008
NGA and CIA Build Collaborative Partnerships

By Cheryl Southworth

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, NGA Director, recently 

commented, “The NGA Support Team (NST) to the Central 

Intelligence Agency is one of the quietest NSTs, but in 

their own way, one of the most effective.” Although this 

NST’s work is not widely publicized because of the CIA’s 

mission, the team has been a powerful force in assimilating CIA into the National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG), integrating geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

into the CIA’s processes, building collaborative partnerships, increasing NGA–CIA developmental opportunities 

and facilitating cross-training programs. 

To enhance CIA’s ability to function as part of an integrated element within the NSG, NGA has embedded a technical 

director and geospatial analyst within CIA operations and 

assigned geospatial process consultants to assist the CIA 

with defining and shaping strategic technology roadmaps 

consistent with the NSG and identifying the appropriate 

level of engagement with NSG forums. They also open up 

opportunities to combine substantive NGA and CIA efforts. 

The primary mission of the NST is to ensure that 

GEOINT is effectively used whenever and wherever it is 

needed to enhance the quality of intelligence. Applying 

GEOINT to the CIA’s collection, analysis, operations and 

technical development through the building of collaborative partnerships is the day-to-day task of the NST at CIA. 

The NST links the CIA’s evolving GEOINT needs with NGA’s 

evolving capabilities, engaging CIA leaders to demonstrate for them how GEOINT methodologies, techniques, 

data, products, analysis and services could be applied 

to the CIA’s missions. As NGA and CIA develop new processes and policies, NGA-CIA partnerships are enhanced 

and established.

While the CIA workforce learns about GEOINT, so too 

does the NGA workforce learn about the CIA. Career development opportunities include cross-training and visits that 

span from the junior analyst level through mid-career and 

senior leadership levels. The NST coordinates exchange 

visits that provide opportunities for face-to-face interactions between offices of similar responsibility and are 

intended to increase interagency collaboration. In addition, 

as part of the Intelligence Community Walkabout Program, 

CIA provides NGA analysts with beneficial enrichment on 

the mission of CIA and their relationship with NGA.

In order to complement in-depth interagency experiences, the NST facilitates the NGA–CIA Internship Program 

for junior analysts. This program is responsible for creating 

a “two-way street” between NGA and CIA analysts. NGA 

analysts work in CIA spaces with their CIA counterparts for a 

two-week substantive assignment, while CIA analysts fulfill 

a five-week rotation requirement alongside the NGA analysts as part of their career development. Furthermore, NST 

liaison officers support CIA’s training programs by educating CIA officers on NGA’s mission, services and products. 

As NGA’s team at the CIA, the NST maximizes NGA’s 

impact on CIA’s analysts, operations and technical 

developments. The one-on-one relationship assists NGA 

in integrating world-class, one-of-a-kind GEOINT into 

the CIA’s products, providing policymakers and the Intelligence Community with robust, integrated intelligence 

that is enhanced by the strong collaborative partnership of 

these two agencies. P

Cheryl Southworth

is the Executive Officer 

for the NGA Support Team 

to CIA.

7 Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008
8Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

As a joint program of NGA and the National Security 

Agency (NSA), Integrated Collection Management (ICM) 

synchronizes these agencies’ collection and exploitation efforts through all phases of the intelligence 

cycle—tasking, collection, production, exploitation and 

dissemination—with a vision to do so across all intelligence disciplines. Integrated Collection Management 

(ICM) promises diverse benefits as it expands the depth of 

discussion from analysts to collectors among Intelligence 

Community (IC) partners.

Beginnings

The advantages of using ICM to address increasingly 

complex and nuanced intelligence issues might seem 

obvious, but ICM’s adoption took the intervention of two 

visionary leaders. In 2003, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James 

R. Clapper Jr., then-director of NGA, and Air Force Lt. Gen. 

Michael V. Hayden, then-director of NSA, began to build 

bridges connecting their organizations’ previously stovepiped disciplines. They encouraged collaboration between 

their agencies and among their analysts, forging an alliance in hopes of expanding their efforts throughout the IC.

Through a number of preliminary tests, they secured the 

support of the Director of Central Intelligence for an ICM 

pilot project called the Source-Overhead Collection Management Center Horizontal Integration Pilot. Subsequent 

funding and support have come through the Director of 

National Intelligence’s Office of Collections, and personnel 

from NGA and NSA have been integrated into each other’s 

organizations, including strategic leadership roles.

Expansion

The initial ICM pilot grew with the steady development 

of the program’s fundamental methodology, the Collaborative Collection Strategies (CCS) process. CCS is a joint collection strategy based on customer intent, implemented to 

proactively plan collection across two or more intelligence 

disciplines, and executed in a manner that maximizes the 

unique capabilities of each. CCS operations seek to equip 

analysts, collectors and customers with timely, relevant 

and actionable data to create a more complete understanding of intelligence problems.

With the formal standup of ICM in March 2006, the ICM 

Program Office was established to further develop the 

concept. Currently resident in NGA’s Source Operations 

and Management Directorate, the office promotes the collaborative nature of ICM throughout the IC, reaching agencies, collectors and analysts even at operational levels.

Collaborative Collection Strategies

Although similar to traditional multi-intelligence 

collection, Collaborative Collection Strategies (CCS) 

actively engage collectors and analysts from agencies 

to formally collaborate throughout the intelligence cycle 

to support precision cross-discipline collection and 

analysis operations—from identification of the problem 

through the development and execution of the specific 

strategy. CCS operations are seeking to grow beyond 

the initial SIGINT–GEOINT proving ground to include the 

other IC disciplines.

A specific CCS encompasses actions at all phases of the 

intelligence cycle as necessary to allocate sensors from 

two or more disciplines against a specific intelligence 

problem. A CCS coordinator facilitates collaboration 

between disciplines to implement the operation within 

a team that includes one analyst and one collector from 

each intelligence discipline involved in the strategy. 

Collection managers translate CCS objectives into instructions for collectors and analysts regarding specific 

requirements, tasking and guidance systems.

Different strategies can be applied depending on 

requirements. A sequencing CCS sets up collection 

from one discipline to invoke collection in another 

discipline, purposefully staggering collection for greater 

persistence of coverage. A convergence CCS improves 

collection fidelity by combining sensors to collect on 

a target simultaneously. A separation CCS reduces unwanted redundant collection by placing assets from one 

discipline on a specific area and assets from another 

discipline elsewhere. P

Integrated Collection Management Accelerates 

Interagency Cooperation

By Lt. Col. Scott C. Poole, U.S. Army
9Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Lt. Col. Scott C. Poole

is the Program Manager 

for Integrated Collection 

Management in NGA’s 

Source Operations and 

Management Directorate.

NGA Integrates ONIR Into the Mainstream

By Tom Millman

Whether supporting military operations or homeland 

security, overhead non-imaging infrared (ONIR) collection 

provides invaluable data for our nation’s warfighters and 

decision makers. In 2005, the Office of the Director of 

National Intelligence transferred functional management 

of ONIR from the Defense Intelligence Agency to NGA. As 

part of this transition, geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

was redefined to include ONIR, making it an integral component of the mainstream GEOINT discipline.

ONIR has been around since the 1960s. It has the capability to passively detect energy in the infrared portion of the 

electromagnetic spectrum and characterize that data to 

produce intelligence information.

ONIR integration into the National System for Geospatial 

Intelligence (NSG) is a major driver for NGA. Working 

across the Intelligence Community (IC), NGA’s Acquisition 

Directorate has put together the ONIR Acquisition Plan, 

which lays out a strategy to correct deficiencies in the current sensor architecture, prepare for future sensors, and 

integrate ONIR into the NSG, of which the director of NGA 

Tom Millman

is the Chief of Staff for 

the ONIR Program Office.

New ICM methodologies will synchronize operations 

involving two or more disciplines—currently signals intelligence (SIGINT) and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)—to 

fully leverage their capabilities. ICM will eventually cross 

all intelligence disciplines by:

» Integrating collection and tasking of GEOINT, SIGINT, 

human intelligence (HUMINT), measurement and 

signatures intelligence (MASINT), and open source 

intelligence (OSINT) sensors against common intelligence problems

» Providing new collection methods by combining or 

alternating sensors from two or more disciplines to 

satisfy intelligence needs

» Formulating multidiscipline sensor allocation schemes 

to employ new collection methods

» Equipping customers and analysts with a multidiscipline collection capability that uses the right sensors 

to best satisfy an intelligence problem

ICM represents a major change, requiring the IC to reengineer its business practices, magnify the best it has to 

offer, and challenge previous norms and boundaries.

The Way Ahead

ICM is the transformational program underpinning the 

work of the IC toward realizing the vision of multidiscipline 

collection. Therefore, the ICM Program Office will seek to 

impel members of the IC to provide incentives to achieve 

multi-intelligence integration goals. With the mostly 

manual ICM process proven over the past three years, it is 

now a short step to automate ICM to optimize the allocation of sensors across disciplines and further instill ICM 

throughout the IC. To extend and mature ICM’s capabilities, the program will continue to promote programmatic 

and operational initiatives and seek out and engage 

agents of change within the IC. P

is the functional manager. Additionally, similar integration 

efforts by other data sources, including commercial remote sensing and airborne, will collectively provide easier 

and more rapid access to GEOINT data for customers. 

The ONIR Acquisition Plan focuses on sustaining and 

modernizing current ONIR capabilities and will ensure 

continuity in NGA’s core GEOINT mission, address key 

capability gaps, and prepare for future sensors. ONIR’s 

ability to monitor events in troubled areas of the world 

provides the nation with another level of defense. 

Ultimately, NGA’s ONIR acquisitions will result in better 

access to ONIR data and better tools to exploit it. P
10Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Photogrammetry Team Models Cloud Formation

By Shawn Usman

In late 2007, several months of research and planning came to fruition on the sunny shores of the Florida 

panhandle. Fulfilling a request by the U.S. Navy’s Naval 

Warfare Development Command (NWDC), the photogrammetric team in NGA’s Sensor Geopositioning Center (SGC), 

Basic and Applied Research Office, InnoVision Directorate, 

obtained sufficient data to begin rigorously reconstructing 

a 3-D photogrammetric model of cloud behavior over the 

open ocean under varying weather conditions. The design, 

analysis and outcomes of this project are contributing 

important tools to the warfighter and the Intelligence 

Community (IC).

Photogrammetry, the main focus of the SGC, includes 

platform and sensor design and modeling, and the acquisition, processing and extraction of geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT) from sensor-derived data. When NWDC personnel began planning their experiment—the Naval Obscurants Limited Test Evaluation (NOLTE) 2—they sought out 

SGC’s expertise.

In order to meet NWDC objectives, SGC scientists planned 

a combined airborne and terrestrial collection strategy. 

Photogrammetry requires strict geometric constraints on 

sensor positioning, making coordination and placement 

of the imaging sensors extremely important in the success 

of the analysis. SGC positioned and oriented the sensors 

so that the collected rays would intersect at adjacent 60-

degree angles resulting in the generation of high quality 3-D 

data from the original 2-D sensor-derived data.

SGC scientists were challenged with the unique problem 

of modeling cloud formation under various atmospheric 

conditions at sea. By collaborating with numerous experts 

in the GEOINT community, the team developed a robust 

solution to accommodate the dynamic characteristics of 

clouds. NGA’s GEOINT Sciences Division, in collaboration 

with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), developed a 

plan using GPS receivers on a variety of airborne and landand sea-based collection platforms, greatly enhancing the 

accuracy of the model. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

calibrated the platforms’ imaging sensors in an effort to 

ensure accurate standards for the model.

Sensor positioning was of paramount importance 

due to the strict geometric principles needed to obtain 

accurate imagery. The unpredictable nature of cloud 

propagation directly hampered this requirement. A robust 

computer program developed by SGC provided an automated interface solving the requirement of strict sensor 

positioning in a dynamic environment.

A primary challenge for the photogrammetry team 

was the development of a system of aerial control points 

required by the multitude of collection platforms. The 

team developed a system of weather balloons tethered to 

anchored boats, aiding in the registration of imagery. This 

innovative system of air control points, together with sea 

and land control points, contributed greatly to the ongoing 

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 Diagram compiled by the Sensor Geopositioning Center

Stereo images intersect with known ground control points to collect data on 

cloud formation as demonstrated by this illustration.
11Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Shawn Usman

is a Project Scientist 

in the Sensor Geopositioning Center, Basic and 

Applied Research Office, 

InnoVision Directorate.

Photo by Shawn Usman

Images gathered off the Florida coast are aiding the development of 3-D cloud models.

analysis of the collected data. SGC scientists are currently 

reviewing the over 19,000 images collected to determine 

which will be used to support georegistration for the 

development of the cloud model.

Once their analysis is complete, SGC scientists will 

have provided a 3-D geometric cloud model overlaid with 

electro-optical imagery that will serve as a basis for future 

cloud modeling. Additionally, the cloud model will provide 

a one-of-a-kind methodology for photogrammetric modeling that can be applied to dynamic characteristics other 

than cloud formation. Indicating the significant interest in 

this project, the American Society for Photogrammetry and 

Remote Sensing accepted a proposal for a research paper 

on the cloud model for its spring 2008 conference.

In addition to NGA, DIA, the U.S. Navy and USGS, 

representatives from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force 

have contributed to the overall success of this project, 

illustrating the strength that collaboration brings to solving difficult problems. The project demonstrates the value 

that GEOINT plays in solving complex warfighter problems 

and how NGA leverages one of its core disciplines—photogrammetry—to achieve IC objectives. P
NGA’s Gateway Expands Virtual Community

By Glenda Jones and Mary Sullivan 

12Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

From its modest beginnings responding to a single 

set of users, the NGA Gateway has made its mark on 

collaborative efforts across not only the Intelligence Community (IC) but internationally as well. It now resides on approximately 500 servers and functions as the entryway into 

a virtual world of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) products 

and data available across multiple secure domains.

Development

The Gateway came to life when one of NGA’s predecessors, the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), responded 

to a Department of Defense (DOD) integration initiative 

(Command, Control, Communications, Computers and 

Intelligence for the Warrior). DMA’s initial response resulted 

in the Global Geospatial Information and Services (GGI&S) 

system. GGI&S provided its users access to DMA products 

through a secure Internet. This “gateway” was a single, 

user-friendly, electronic interface between the IC and 

DMA’s geospatial libraries and data holdings. As its 

popularity grew, so did IC requests to make data 

available on additional secure domains. After the 

1996 standup of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (now NGA), the electronic dissemination function expanded to include products 

from the National Photographic Interpretation Center, another NGA predecessor.

The Gateway is operated and managed 

by a team from NGA’s Enterprise Operations Directorate Content Management 

and Services Branch. Available on 

several secure domains, the Gateway’s 

primary users include DOD customers, 

Combatant Commands (COCOM) and 

mission planners, and the IC. On average, the Gateway 

disseminates 175 GEOINT and safety of navigation products 

each day. In addition, it provides access to nearly 1.2 million 

Web pages with the number growing daily. The Gateway 

also features the NGA Portal, which provides a tool for 

analysts to share imagery and geospatial products and 

collaborate in virtual 

meeting rooms.
Glenda Jones and Mary Sullivan 

Glenda Jones is Chief of Content Management and Services 

within the Enterprise Operations 

Customer Engagement, Mission 

Management Office. Mary Sullivan 

serves as Deputy Chief of Content 

Management and Services.

13Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

The NGA Gateway intelligence product dissemination 

process begins with the Consolidated Products Database in 

which NGA analysts can prepare and publish GEOINT briefs. 

After products are finalized, the database automatically 

transfers them to the appropriate Gateway server, ready for 

dissemination. The Gateway team initially provides GEOINT 

products on the lowest appropriate security domain, then 

reviews and migrates them to higher domains. 

Evolution

The Gateway team has 

partnered with the Defense 

Information Systems 

Agency to develop 

a Content Discovery and Delivery Program through the 

Gateway. This program provides NGA data in searchable 

form through appropriate search engines to mission partners, including other agencies and COCOMs. This program 

is also driving the Enterprise File Delivery effort to synchronize data holdings from the IC or COCOMs with the 

Gateway on a daily basis, allowing IC and DOD customers 

to receive GEOINT data from NGA in a timelier manner. 

The Gateway is also helping to galvanize the popularity of Intellipedia, the Office of the Director of National 

Intelligence’s (ODNI’s) wiki environment. The Gateway 

is accessible from Intellipedia and uses this IC wiki as 

an open forum for collaboration on ideas and projects 

relating to the discovery and dissemination of GEOINT. 

The Gateway contributes to Intellipedia topics and issues 

relating to Web services development, including a variety 

of GEOINT exploitation and collaboration tools.

The team also strives to keep all Web pages on the 

Gateway current and accessible through an active quality 

program. Before new pages are activated on Gateway 

servers, the team reviews them for NGA style guide 

compliance and verifies the links for accuracy. Subsequent 

reviews identify broken links and ensure that Web content 

remains current, keeping the Gateway accessible and 

relevant to the IC.

As the demands of GEOINT increase, it is vital 

that users have access to the full array of GEOINT 

products and data. The NGA Gateway provides this 

access by using a variety of collaborative tools to 

deliver timely and relevant GEOINT to the DOD 

and the IC. It also leverages ODNI tools to take an 

active part in the virtual community and enhance 

collaboration. The Gateway inherently embodies 

collaboration as a fusion of interdependent 

technologies and teamwork that advance information dissemination and discovery. P
Partnerships

Commonwealth Partners Learn GEOINT With U.S. 

Counterparts

By Juanita Hartbarger

For the first time, imagery and geospatial analysts 

from NGA’s Commonwealth partners Australia and the 

United Kingdom are learning intermediate-level geospatial 

intelligence (GEOINT) tools and analytical techniques side 

by side with GEOINT tradecraft specialists from the U.S. 

Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps in 

NGA’s 59-week Community Geospatial-Intelligence Analysis Course (CGAC). The course is held at the Navy and 

Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center at Dam Neck, Va.

CGAC is part of NGA’s National Geospatial-Intelligence 

College’s (NGC’s) standard curriculum. Until now, CGAC 

has been offered exclusively to mid-career non-commissioned officers, along with U.S. Department of Defense 

(DOD) civilians.

Course content ranges from critical thinking to geographic information and systems, sensors and multi-intelligence analysis. Along the way, activities—referred to as 

“mini-Capstone exercises”—simulate real-world GEOINT 

tasks, requiring trainees to integrate the lessons learned 

during specific modules. The course culminates in a final, 

two-day-long Capstone event, with deliverables including 

a graded briefing before a panel of senior members of the 

Intelligence Community (IC).

Providing such joint GEOINT training to U.S. and 

Commonwealth partners illustrates NGA’s leadership in 

building a unified training framework across the National 

System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG), including U.S. 

member organizations, military services and commands, 

and international partners.

NGC Leads in Looking Outward

NGC’s mission is to coordinate, develop and deliver 

GEOINT training and education to the IC, the DOD, other 

government agencies and international partners in support of U.S. national security.

The locus of NGC’s GEOINT education and training is 

The School of Geospatial-Intelligence (TSG). In fiscal year 

2007, TSG offered more than 180 courses. A look at its 

overall training and education program, including resident 

and non-resident offerings, reveals that 25 percent of its 

students are non-NGA employees. This indicates how seriously NGA takes its mission of providing GEOINT training 

across the entire NSG.

In addition to developing and delivering GEOINT training, NGC is charged with the long-term task of establishing standards for that training. As part of that mission, 

the Director of NGC serves as chair of the Community 

Geospatial-Intelligence Training Council (CGTC).

An NGA Partnership

The CGTC is mandated by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to work with NGC to provide a forum 

for moving the IC, the DOD, the military services and NGA’s 

international partners toward a unified system of GEOINT 

education and training, as well as to develop a set of 

GEOINT training standards.

The joint U.S.–Commonwealth GEOINT training program 

is one indication of how effective this partnership is becoming. The program was actively pursued by NGC and by 

the CGTC, according to CGTC Executive Director Benjamin 

F. Cumbo. He sees the joint training as an extension of 

an earlier internal NGA initiative: NGC’s decision to blend 

imagery and geospatial analysis in the agency’s entry-level 

Geospatial-Intelligence Training Program (GITP).

14Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

“GEOINT training to U.S. and 

Commonwealth partners 

illustrates NGA’s leadership in 

building a unified training 

framework.”
“This revolutionary training program [GITP] had imagery 

analysts alongside geospatial analysts in the same class-

room being taught the same curriculum,” said Cumbo. 

“This exposed the skills of each tradecraft to each 

student. The imagery analysts and geospatial analysts 

would go back to their operational environments with 

a clearer understanding of what the IA or GA can do for 

each other.”

The same template is being followed in the joint training 

program, with U.S. military imagery analysts and geospatial 

analysts training with analysts from Australia and the 

United Kingdom, both civilian and military.

In Cumbo’s view, NGA is leading 

the way in transforming GEOINT 

“from the stovepipe model 

to the collaborative model. 

GEOINT is truly an example 

of working collaboratively 

vice the singular focus 

of the traditional tra-

decrafts.”

The joint U.S.–Com-

monwealth GEOINT 

training program is one 

example of how NGA 

is translating that idea 

into action. P

Juanita Hartbarger

 is a Public Affairs 

Staff Officer in the 

Office of Corporate Com-

munications, Internal 

Communications Branch.

15Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008
16Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

21st Century

Advanced Geospatial Intelligence Enhances Commercial 

Imagery

By Kensey Liebsch

The application of advanced geospatial intelligence 

(AGI) to commercial imagery has many practical uses. Imagery scientists, for example, may apply AGI algorithms to 

a commercial image of a chemical spill and then look for 

damage to vegetation to assess the destruction caused 

by that spill. AGI has also been used track the spread of 

avian flu outbreaks by mapping the location of poultry 

farms using feature extraction algorithms. These unclassified products can be distributed to local, federal and 

non-governmental emergency management agencies to 

assess and mitigate danger in situations where geospatial 

intelligence (GEOINT) adds an incredible amount of value.

AGI comprises the techniques used by GEOINT analysts 

and imagery scientists to process an image to paradoxically 

look beyond the visual information depicted in the image. 

Meanwhile, commercial imagery presents a promising path 

for GEOINT analysts, providing the basis for unclassified 

NGA products that may be widely shared and distributed 

with NGA’s partners in many domestic and international 

endeavors. When AGI and commercial imagery are used 

together, the potential to enrich NGA’s contributions to intelligence, humanitarian and defense missions is boundless.

Essentially, AGI attempts to make nonliteral information visual through the application of advanced computer 

processes and algorithms. AGI incorporates methods of 

collection beyond traditional panchromatic electro-optical 

imagery. Information gathered by AGI methods includes 

infrared, spectral, thermal infrared, synthetic aperture radar 

and multispectral data. The development of these tools amplifies the criticality and usefulness of GEOINT in emergency 

situations when imagery must show what cannot be seen.

Moreover, despite its intimidating name, many of the 

concepts in AGI seem more common sense than advanced. Indeed, some of the most widespread techniques 

currently used in imagery analysis were at one time considered the domain of AGI, which was once called “image 

processing.” Like these past concepts, the end goal with 

all AGI methods is full integration into GEOINT production 

cells throughout NGA and the wider National System for 

Geospatial Intelligence. Furthermore, as the technology 

behind commercial nonliteral sensors advances, the skills 

of imagery scientists will become more incorporated and 

essential within the analytical GEOINT community.

When AGI techniques are applied to commercial imagery, potential applications for NGA’s products multiply. To 

ensure the continued partnership of AGI and commercial 

imagery, imagery scientists work with commercial satellite 

vendors to help guide the next generation of collection 

systems that contain more bands in the electro-optical 

spectrum, allowing the satellites to have greater spectral 

coverage. DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 satellite, slated to 

be launched later this year, will have an expanded set of 

bands with which to capture sophisticated imagery. Imagery scientists will study and exploit this imagery to gather 

data that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. 

As commercial sensors become more advanced, AGI will 

become more innovative. Tools, software and processes 

currently used by imagery scientists will mature into standard GEOINT tradecrafts and raise AGI expertise throughout 

the analytic community. Increasing the capability to gather, 

exploit, and disseminate data benefits the culture of collaboration promoted among NGA and all of its partners. P

Kensey Liebsch

 is an NGA Staff 

Officer in the Analysis 

and Production Directorate, Office of Plans, 

Resources and Metrics.

©2004, DigitalGlobe licensed under Clearview

AGI techniques applied to multispectral commercial imagery of the Darfur 

region reveal healthy vegetation as red and burned areas as blue and gray.
New Campus East

NGA Constructs a GEOINT Center of Excellence

By Dr. Eileen M. Preisser 

Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) embraces a relatively 

new construct within the Intelligence Community (IC). The 

challenge of the New Campus East (NCE) is to create an environment that showcases NGA’s GEOINT mission in an exciting 

building that reinforces the role of GEOINT.

NGA is increasingly challenged by diverse and rapidly 

changing threats from around the world. Concurrently, 

the growing demand from policymakers, warfighters and 

law enforcement entities for accurate, relevant and timely 

GEOINT strains the resources available to process and 

report on an explosion of available information. Increased 

collaboration within NGA and the IC is essential for NGA to 

capitalize on its aggregate strengths to effectively tackle 

challenges in GEOINT tasking, collection and exploitation.

The design of NCE emphasizes NGA’s investment in 

workforce ownership; employees in its Washington, D.C. 

area locations will consolidate at one facility to build a 

single GEOINT community of practice where all will work, 

learn and grow their expertise together. Additionally, 

NCE’s design strives to transform some of NGA’s older 

systems and processes. The effort will create a foundation 

through which NGA can communicate, coordinate and 

share requirements, expertise, products and feedback 

among consumers, collectors, analysts and private sector 

experts across time and distance, 24 hours a day, seven 

days a week.

To date, most of the initiatives within the IC have 

focused on the technical requirements supporting interagency collaboration. Although the NCE’s active information technology (IT) effort will update NGA’s IT connectivity 

and tools to provide the infrastructure for collaboration, 

it is the ongoing and planned transformation of business 

processes and organizational culture that will ultimately 

determine the effectiveness of NGA’s success in creating 

a GEOINT center of excellence that fosters collaboration 

among multiple intelligence disciplines.

The adoption of the cultural values of ownership and 

collaboration are part of NGA’s transformation. The agency 

has embraced the concept of e-business and is actively 

using portals, collaborative tools, Intellipedia (the IC wiki 

environment), blogs and chat sessions. For this reason, 

collaboration influenced the NCE design significantly. 

The design organizes work areas to support people and 

their mission functions; those who collaborate and work 

together will be collocated. The design integrates team 

members based on mission by means of neighborhoods—

open, flexible, inviting work spaces that cluster expertise 

within the wings of the building. The neighborhood design 

provides for a variety of meeting, teaming and gathering 

places that are more than just conference rooms with 

doors; many sizes and types of work areas are scattered 

across each neighborhood. NGA will also have the largest 

conference space in the IC—a 552-seat classified venue 

with numerous large breakout rooms where interagency 

conferences and working groups can meet to share ideas 

and educate one another.

The NCE project is all about consolidation and creating 

a collaborative future for GEOINT within the IC. Although 

the key guiding principle for the design was to enable 

mission success, the design facilitates the agency’s organizational change and transition. The NCE seeks to inspire 

the workforce and the customer, unify the agency and 

meet the needs of NGA’s future high-tech workforce. P

Dr. Eileen M. Preisser

 an NGA Geospatial 

Intelligence Officer, 

is assigned to the New 

Campus East Program 

Management Office to 

direct the NCE Advocacy 

effort.

17Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

Construction advances on NGA’s New Campus East.

Photo by Larry Franklin
Our Heritage

IC Senior Historians Panel Nurtures the Human Network

By Dr. Gary E. Weir

If we wish to achieve success in our mission, we 

must develop and nurture a productive human network 

to complement our very capable technological networks. 

Allow me to expand on this theme just a little. I spent a 

considerable portion of my pre-NGA career as a historian 

working with submariners and writing about the science 

and technology of undersea warfare. It makes sense then 

for me to begin these comments at General Dynamics’ 

Electric Boat Division (EB) in Groton, Conn. In spite of the 

irregularities in institutional and personal relationships 

that make their history fascinating, the U.S. Navy has 

had, by any standard, a productive relationship with this 

submarine builder. Since the turn of the 20th century, they 

have argued over design matters, set production records 

after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and, with then-Capt. 

Hyman G. Rickover, created the first true submarine, harnessing nuclear power to drive a ship.

When we ask ourselves how they managed this level of 

mission success, the thoughts that immediately leap to 

mind include everything from people to electrons to seamless stainless steel tubing. Much like the nuclear activity 

that first generated steam for the USS Nautilus in 1955, human activity unfolds as a chain reaction with all of the players and variables having some influence, but others more, 

and for reasons only the context of the time can explain.

Looking historically for insight into this dynamic situation and the resulting high level of mission accomplishment, I found most illuminating the words of the general 

manager of EB when he searched for the best way to 

describe the reasons for the swift construction of the USS 

George Washington, the first fleet ballistic missile submarine. In a 1973 oral history with the U.S. Naval Institute, 

Carleton Shugg of EB explained, 

My man responsible [for placing orders] came over to 

my house on Christmas Day with all of the mill orders 

for steel, which were based on an estimate of what 

we would need, and we got the steel on order before 

even seeing a piece of paper [ie. a contract]. And we 

made other heavy commitments, and that was the 

way the relationship was between EB and the Bureau 

[of Ships]...it’s the way business should be done 

more often. I mean, we each knew the other. 

They knew one another. Shugg and his staff at EB prized 

this personal knowledge. They knew the Bureau of Ships’ 

supervisor of shipbuilding resident at EB and the officers 

responsible for the various aspects of construction at 

18Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008 

An HH-46A Sea Knight helicopter hovers over a fleet nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.

DOD photo by PH2 James Bishop
the bureau. Indeed, 17 EB engineers actually worked at 

the bureau with the Navy engineers in 1957 and at times 

sent instructions from Washington to bureau personnel in 

Groton with full Navy authority.

Historically, a human network made USS Nautilus and 

USS George Washington possible. It permitted Carleton 

Shugg to trust the Navy commitment. This professionally 

intimate communication system gave access to Navy 

spaces and systems to EB engineers because the mission 

demanded it. Without an effective human network, collaboration in the shipyard, creating a weapons system, 

doing intelligence analysis, or composing geospatial intelligence will not happen.

Even among historians in the Intelligence Community 

(IC), the need for this human network holds true. In his 

Director of National Intelligence Instruction number 180, 

Dr. Gary E. Weir

 is the NGA Historian.

issued late in the summer of 2007, Director Mike McConnell mandated that all 16 member activities of the IC 

should have a professionally driven, agency-supported 

history and heritage program. With that instruction, he 

also placed the weight of his authority behind the IC 

Senior Historians Panel created only a few years earlier. 

This past February, the History Program at NGA hosted 

the panel meeting for the second time in as many years. 

Anyone in the room observing would have realized the 

growing familiarity among the participants, their readiness 

to step forward and assist one another, their interest in 

projects all over the IC, and their willingness to share technology, techniques, insights and methods. This growing 

professional intimacy will ensure productive results across 

the community and generate new applied history tools 

that will reach the warfighter. With representatives from 

all over the IC, this group has accomplished many things, 

but the late Carleton Shugg would understand its most 

important achievement. It has reached the same stage of 

integration and mutual knowledge that made great undertakings possible: “I mean, we each knew the other.” P

19Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008
Working for NGA

 Visual Media Artists Capture ICy Awards

By Neil Hartbarger

The Media Excellence Awards were judged by teams 

from across the IC. In this year’s inaugural running, the 

awards drew more than 500 entries in overall categories of 

Video Production, Print Graphics, Photography, and Interactive and Motion Graphics. First-, second- and third-place 

award winners received a sleek, transparent trophy with 

the project name and the ICy logo engraved on it.

The conference center was overflowing with cheering 

participants who enjoyed a full-blown production, complete with two guest speakers, a red carpet and moving 

spotlights. NRO’s Media Production Center sponsored the 

event and is already at work on next year’s ICy Awards. P

Neil Hartbarger

 is a Senior Multimedia Developer with 

an NGA contractor supporting the Analysis and 

Production Directorate’s 

Scene Visualization and 

Multimedia Branch.

The “ICy” Award recognizes exceptional media throughout the Intelligence 

Community.

20Pathfinder ›› May/June 2008

To NGA’s Web and motion media experts, nothing is 

more fun than developing new ways to deploy and show 

off geospatial intelligence using a 3-D world of movement 

and interaction. Their success was rewarded recently 

when two creative products won recognition at the first 

annual Intelligence Community (IC) Media Excellence 

Awards, known as the “ICys,” held in February at the 

National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO’s) Jimmie D. Hill 

Conference Center.

A six-member team from NGA’s GEOINT Simulations 

Branch won first-place recognition in the Interactive and 

Motion Graphics, Computer Based Training (CBT) and Web 

category for PlotR, an interactive multimedia collaboration 

tool that allows users to explore, create, edit and comment on geospatial data. PlotR makes up-to-the-minute 

information available to anyone in the IC with a Joint 

Worldwide Intelligence Communication System connection. Because the data points are stored and updated 

in a database and served out “live” to users over a Web 

connection, any updates, including comments, uploaded 

media and brand-new data points, are instantly available 

throughout the IC. PlotR was officially rolled out to the IC 

on March 22, 2008.

NGA Office of Corporate Communications’ Kipling Williams earned third place for his inspired 3-D animated 

fantasy portrayal of Santa Claus using NGA geospatial 

datasets to plan his delivery route. Developed as a public 

affairs initiative for the NGA Web site, the animation ends 

with Santa Claus “activating” his lead reindeer Rudolph’s 

nose to start the trip. This two-minute clip was recognized 

in the Interactive and Motion Graphics, 3-D Models and 

Animations category.
� Look outward and be the most collaborative and integrated partner

 with the IC and warfighter

� Invest in our people, with a commitment to diversity, to preserve

 our nation’s GEOINT advantage

� Strengthen quality of analysis in concert with other IC partners

� Develop and execute a comprehensive commercial imagery strategy

� Integrate airborne with NTM and other sources

� Implement an information technology structure to improve access

to and discovery of GEOINT

� Advance basic and applied research and development of leading

 edge science and technology

� Achieve front-end/back-end alignment extending from collection platforms,

 to building a foundation knowledge base, to providing comprehensive access

 to and assimilation of NGA products and services

� Build new and enhance enduring international partnerships

� Provide a multi-INT environment at the New Campus East and

 NGA West that advances collaboration across the IC

� Maintain the highest standards of conduct

� Strengthen governance and performance management
www.nga.mil