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BAE Systems analyses from the ground up
BAE Systems' Rob Stout describes how a team of analysts detected the level of destruction caused by the tsunami in Banda Aceh using BAE Systems' SOCET GXP software
When a devastating tsunami hit Bandah Aceh, Indonesia, and the surrounding area a few years ago, the destruction was unprecedented. Eyewitnesses compared the disaster to that of Hiroshima, Japan, after it was hit by an atomic bomb during World War II.
The Pacific Air Command Air Force Operations Support Center and the Hickam Air Force Base air operations center in Hawaii were contacted to staff around-the-clock emergency recovery operations. Before relief efforts could begin, the damage had to be assessed. A team of analysts detected the level of destruction in Banda Aceh by observing views using BAE Systems' SOCET GXP software, along with commercial satellite imagery.
Several images depicting the Bandah Aceh coastline and inland areas were loaded into the SOCET GXPsoftware The data derived from these images was used to identify changes in terrain and landscape, with exact geographic coordinates, so the team could focus its recovery efforts.
SOCET GXP is a geospatial-intelligence tool that is used for image exploitation and features identification. It enables analysts to scan large images to extract layers of data for change detection and before-and-after site comparisons. The information is used to coordinate operational missions and to designate transportation and evacuation routes, helicopter landings, and troop maneuvers.
Following the Bandah Aceh tsunami, the goal was to pull together a team that could provide support to the stricken area quickly. When responding to a disaster of this magnitude where entire coastlines and roads have disappeared, one of the first priorities is to establish reliable primary and secondary transportation routes.
In October 2008, BAE Systems released a new version of SOCET GXP which combines comprehensive image analysis and geospatial production tools into a single application for diverse uses — from finding beach landing sites for combat troops to helping land the Mars Rover. The new software facilitates interoperability and collaboration among users and decision-makers at all levels and provides direct connectivity with other mapping software and databases to create, store, and share data.
SOCET GXP fuses raw images automatically to form a complete picture of a large geographic area, unifying the scale, which can be skewed from images derived from planes or satellites. This feature allows field analysts to make precise measurements of distance and direction for intelligence reporting and further analysis. SOCET GXP operates in real-time to correct inconsistencies in image data. Previously, image analysts were required to manually search hard-copy reports to obtain this level of information.
SOCET GXP's portability includes synchronized viewing with Google Earth™ and direct connectivity to the ESRI® geodatabase. For quick, 3-D color visualization, SOCET GXP interacts with Google Earth in real-time and gives geospatial context to objects of interest, resulting in enhanced intelligence for operational planning. It also provides a direct connection to the ESRI geodatabase, the Environmental Systems Research Institute's common data storage and management framework. Analysts don't have to spend time looking for things that have already been catalogued because they can update their database using archived information. Connection with the database allows users to work with data over secure networks for accurate, timely analysis.
The application also supports the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Spatially Enabled Exploitation initiative to standardize image data formats for optimal information sharing across global networks. The application produces image graphics — such as roads, buildings, and targets — using a ground coordinate system that records latitude, longitude, and elevation data, eliminating the need for manual registration. In addition, the application has conversion tools that generate standard file formats.
The U.S. Army has procured SOCET GXP for Army-wide implementation into its Imagery Workstation baseline for operational units, establishing the software as its primary GEOINT exploitation tool. It is currently used in the global war on terrorism by front-line analysts to perform a trend analysis over a designated period of time. Images of a suspected terrorist's home are collected over months. When they show a van parked outside the home where it wasn't parked before, analysts notice the change and forces are put on alert.
Analysts in a deployed situation rotate in and out frequently, and different people are doing the work from one week to the next. Analysts pulling images from the same database can use someone else's work and continue to be productive without having to start from scratch. In-field analysts create intelligence through satellite and tactical means for use in site comparisons, battle damage assessment, and to detect potential improvised explosive devises and ambush sites. SOCET GXP has also been used by many organizations for critical operations such as Hurricane Katrina recovery and evacuation, and the Iraqi Reconstruction.
Based on more than 20 years of research and development, the SOCET GXP system architecture is built to provide high-performance image processing from commercial hardware. It has a common software baseline, look, and feel for both UNIX® and Windows® operating systems. A robust API eases integration of the application into larger system architectures and provides a solid prototyping tool and third-party development platform. This gives customers and systems integrators the capability to create complex commercial and government off-the-shelf solutions for specific programs and missions. SOCET GXP v3.0 is available on Microsoft Windows and UNIX Solaris™ 8, 9, and 10 operating systems.
A large number of systems integrators working on National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency programs use SOCET GXP to produce geospatial intelligence products. In addition, the U.S. Army has procured SOCET GXP for Army-wide implementation into its Imagery Workstation baseline for operational units, making the software its primary geospatial intelligence exploitation tool.
BAE Systems is a global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. It has been a trusted supplier of imagery, geospatial products, and services to the defense and intelligence communities and commercial markets for more than 40 years. Its software, services, and innovations improve operations and long-term planning to ensure that decision-makers have the information they need.
Rob Stout
Product manager, Geospatial eXploitation Products
BAE Systems, San Diego
