Geospatial intelligence Geospatial intelligence , GEOINT ( GEOspatial INTelligence ) , GeoIntel ( Geospatial Intelligence ) , or GSI ( GeoSpatial Intelligence ) is intelligence derived from the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information that describes , assesses , and visually depicts physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth . GEOINT consists of imagery , imagery intelligence ( IMINT ) and geospatial information . Amplified definition . Here Geospatial Intelligence , or the frequently used term GEOINT , is an intelligence discipline comprising the exploitation and analysis of geospatial data and information to describe , assess , and visually depict physical features ( both natural and constructed ) and geographically referenced activities on the Earth . Geospatial Intelligence data sources include imagery and mapping data , whether collected by commercial satellite , government satellite , aircraft ( such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle s < nowiki > [ UAV ] < / nowiki > or reconnaissance aircraft ) , or by other means , such as maps and commercial databases , census information , GPS waypoints , utility schematics , or any discrete data that have locations on earth . There is an emerging recognition that " this legal definition paints with a broad brushstroke an idea of the width and depth of GEOINT " and “ GEOINT must evolve even further to integrate forms of intelligence and information beyond the traditional sources of geospatial information and imagery , and must move from an emphasis on data and analysis to an emphasis on knowledge . ” Geospatial data , information , and knowledge . It should be noted that the definitions and usage of the terms geospatial data , geospatial information , and geospatial knowledge are not used consistently or unambiguously further exacerbating the situation . Geospatial data can ( usually ) be applied to the output of a collector or collection system before it is processed , i . e . , data that was sensed . Geospatial Information is geospatial data that has been processed or had value added to it by a human or machine process . Geospatial knowledge is a structuring of geospatial information , accompanied by an interpretation or analysis . The terms Data , Information , Knowledge and Wisdom ( DIKW ) are difficult to define , but cannot be used interchangeably . Quite simply , geospatial intelligence could be more readily defined as , data , information , and knowledge gathered about enemies ( or potential enemies ) that can be referenced to a particular location on , above , or below the earth ' s surface . The intelligence gathering method could include imagery , signals , measurements and signatures , and human sources , i . e . , IMINT , SIGINT , MASINT , and HUMINT , as long as a geo - location can be associated with the intelligence . Relationship to other " INTs " . Thus , rather than being a peer to the other " INTs " , geospatial intelligence might better be viewed as the unifying structure of the earth ' s natural and constructed features ( including elevations and depths ) — whether as individual layers in a GIS or as composited into a map or chart , imagery representations of the earth , AND , the presentation of the existence of data , information , and knowledge derived from analysis of IMINT , SIGINT , MASINT , HUMINT , and other intelligence sources and disciplines . The Intelligence , Defense , Homeland Security , and natural disaster assistance communities would all benefit from this unifying structure of foundation feature data , current and historical imagery , and the data , information and knowledge that each intelligence discipline gathers , analyzes , assesses , and presents on a globe . This unifying aspect of geospatial intelligence can be viewed as a global extent Geographic Information System ( GIS ) to which all community members contribute by geo - tagging their content . Other factors . It has been suggested that GEOINT is just a new term used to identify a broad range of outputs from intelligence organizations that use a variety of existing spatial skills and disciplines including photogrammetry , cartography , imagery analysis , remote sensing , and terrain analysis . However , GEOINT is more than the sum of these parts . Spatial thinking as applied in Geospatial Intelligence can synthesize any intelligence or other data that can be conceptualized in a geographic spatial context . Geospatial Intelligence can be derived entirely independent of any satellite or aerial imagery and can be clearly differentiated from IMINT ( imagery intelligence ) . Confusion and dissension is caused by Title 10 U . S . Code § 467 ' s separation of " imagery " or " satellite information " from " geospatial information " as imagery is generally considered just one of the forms which geospatial information might take or be derived from . It has also been suggested that geospatial intelligence can be described as a product occurring at the point of delivery , i . e . , by the amount of analysis which occurs to resolve particular problems , not by the type of data used . For example , a database containing a list of measurements of bridges obtained from imagery is ' information ' while the development of an output using analysis to determine those bridges that are able to be utilized for specific purposes could be termed ' intelligence ' . Similarly , the simple measurement of beach profiles is a classical geographic information - gathering activity , while the process of selecting a beach that matches a certain profile for a specific purpose is an analytical activity , and the output could be termed an intelligence product . In this form it is considered to be generally used by agencies requiring definitions of their outputs for descriptive and capability development purposes ( or , more cynically , as a marketing strategy ) . Geospatial intelligence analysis has been light - heartedly defined as “ seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought ” or as " anticipating a target ' s mental map . " However , these perspectives affirm that creating geospatial knowledge is an effortful cognitive process the analyst undertakes ; it is an intellectual endeavor that arrives at a conclusion through reasoning . Geospatial reasoning creates the objective connection between a geospatial problem representation and geospatial evidence . Here one set of activities , information foraging , focuses around finding information while another set of activities , sensemaking , focuses on giving meaning to the information . The activities of foraging and sensemaking in geospatial analysis have been incorporated in the Structured Geospatial Analytic Method . De facto definition . An emerging de facto definition of geospatial intelligence is vastly different than the " de jure " definition expressed in U . S . Code . This new " de facto " definition is : This has been suggested as an operational definition of Geospatial Intelligence which might use the moniker of GeoIntel so as to distinguish it from the more restrictive definition offered in U . S . Code Title 10 , § 467 .