Intelligent Defense

By Liam P. O’Brien

Bringing the power of geospatial intelligence to Homeland Security.

“GEOINT analysts provide information and data required to create the common operating picture that enables informed decisions for combat”
-Liam P. O’Brien

During the flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota in March and April 2009, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) provided critical geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of the Lead Federal Agency for response, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other federal, state and local organizations.

NGA provided analysis that assisted in the planning and movement of resources to mitigate the impact to lives and property. It also supplied GEOINT from multiple imagery and geographic information system (GIS) sources for all rivers in the area to identify critical infrastructure and affected population centers.

NGA analysts sat side by side with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) colleagues to monitor levees and gauge data for areas of potential impact. The versatility and responsiveness of GEOINT uniquely support a wide range of missions including analysis and protection of the nation's critical infrastructure and other key resources to enhance crisis and consequence management. This is one of hundreds of examples where GEOINT adds a critical perspective.

NGA is a Department of Defense combat support agency and a member of the Intelligence Community. It provides timely, relevant, and accurate GEOINT to policy makers and federal agencies in support of the nation's homeland security and homeland defense initiatives.

GEOINT analysts provide information and data required to create the common operating picture that enables informed decisions for combat, national and homeland security, including floods, wildfires, hurricanes and special security events.

GEOINT is the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth. It has become a critical component of our country's military, intelligence and homeland security operations, providing a foundation for visualization and decision making from the Oval Office, to the warfighter on the battlefield, to the first responder on site at a domestic disaster.

NGA, in coordination with DHS and other domestic civil agencies, supports efforts for domestic preparedness, infrastructure protection, border and maritime security, national special security event planning, disaster preparation and recovery, and global humanitarian relief efforts.

We play an important role in providing, integrating and analyzing critical geospatial information and imagery to understand the world in which we live and operate. For domestic operations, we only work in support of a Lead Federal Agency when specifically asked and always in accordance with intelligence oversight and other laws governing our activities in the United States.

NGA leans forward to be a collaborative and integrated partner through the Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Database (HIFLD) Working Group (WG) and the Programs Partnership Working Group, in cooperation with the Department of Defense/Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Homeland Defense), DHS, the Department of Interior/US Geological Survey (USGS) and others.

The HIFLD WG was established in February 2002 to identify, share, and protect homeland infrastructure geospatial information used for visualization and analysis. Currently, the HIFLD WG has approximately 3,000 members and contributing partners focused on identifying and facilitating acquisition of authoritative homeland infrastructure geospatial data, enhancing awareness and sharing processes and technology.

HIFLD WG partners are involved in a wide range of functions including critical infrastructure protection; emergency preparedness, response and recovery; risk management; decision support; crisis and consequence management; threat analysis; antiterrorism/force protection; defense support to civil authorities; man-made and natural hazard modeling; continuity of operations and continuity of government planning; and government facilities management.

As a result of HIFLD WG coordination, NGA and the USGS collaborated to create a strategy to address the geospatial data requirements for common operational infrastructure data for the homeland. The data collection effort is part of the Homeland Security Infrastructure Program (HSIP), a clearinghouse of mission-critical geospatial and remote sensing information designed to help decision makers and operational planners develop a common frame of reference for daily threat assessments, critical infrastructure vulnerability analysis, domestic crisis response, strategic planning and consequence management.

Specifically, the HSIP contains high-resolution imagery, vector and elevation data that provide a common operational picture of the nation's infrastructure and key resource asset information within the United States. The HSIP data provides the user with locations and contacts for local information about specific infrastructure elements or resources from sectors such as domestic utilities, finance, and energy.

This database also enables federal, state, local and tribal decision makers to improve their readiness and knowledge about potential threats and vulnerabilities by providing situational awareness and an understanding of the terrain and associated infrastructure.

Over the past eight years as partnerships matured, HSIP continued to grow and be refined. NGA leads the geospatial data brokering efforts called HSIP Gold and HSIP Freedom. HSIP Gold serves federal-level decision makers, providing them with the information necessary to support readiness, response and recovery planning for natural or man-made disasters.

NGA disseminates HSIP Gold data on DVD and Web-based services. DHS provides the majority of HSIP Gold on the Web via its Integrated Common Analytical Viewer (iCAV) and DHS Web-based services to homeland security mission partners that have access to the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN).

To date, the success of the HSIP has relied heavily on license-restricted commodity data to build and maintain the HSIP Gold foundation. Procurement of existing commercial-off-the-shelf data has helped accelerate the build-up of HSIP data holdings; however, some of this data cannot be shared outside the federal government due to licensing restrictions.

As a result, the HSIP Freedom Initiative was developed with a two-pronged approach: first, make more of the national infrastructure databases available to a wider number of homeland security users, including state, local, tribal and industry partners, and second, help move the HSIP toward more license-free open standard-compliant data.

The first initiative of the program involved analyzing the 340 data layers included in the HSIP database to determine which layers could be distributed beyond the federal community to the state, local, tribal and other homeland security community partners.

The partnership's technical evaluation determined approximately 190 current layers were license-free and consistent with federal, state, local and tribal government access and use constraints. These layers have been posted on the HSIN GIS Community of Interest for access by all approved homeland security mission partners. They have the ability to download the consolidated HSIP Freedom data set to use in their state, local or tribal emergency preparedness or response efforts. Previously, these were not available until a declared emergency.

The second objective of HSIP Freedom is under way. Data gathered from across the country is being integrated and aligned into a seamless national data set. Seven layers of the Emergency Services Sector are presently being enhanced and then provided to the states.

The HSIP is improved by a reduced number of licensed data sets, thus reducing long-term costs and restrictions on data sharing and distribution. The states have benefited tremendously by receiving these improved data sets at no cost. Plans to continue this program include more layers being developed in cooperation with the states and could be expanded to include infrastructure sector partner information.

As authorities planned for the security of the Major League All Star game in St. Louis, federal, state and local authorities already had access to hundreds of layers of critical data including maps of critical infrastructure and vulnerabilities in various jurisdictions. The HSIP information was in place to enable better collaboration and cooperation between stakeholders. GEOINT provided that common operating picture, enabling many stakeholders to operate with the same baseline and operate far more effectively.

NGA is committed and dedicated to using the power of GEOINT to enable our federal, state, local, and tribal partners to protect our homeland, our nation's infrastructure, and our citizens. Ensuring the security of the U.S. homeland requires collaboration between hundreds of local, state, federal and industry partners.

HSIP continues to improve as a critical resource for homeland security professionals, improving our capacity to prepare and respond to national and local crises. NGA is proud to contribute to the vital homeland security mission by working with our partners at every level, enabling them with the power of our GEOINT resources.

Liam P. O'Brien is Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Office of the Americas.

For further information see www.nga.mil.

Recent activities of the NGA

Olympic Support
NGA provided substantial support to the Olympic games in Athens, Greece in 2004 and Torino, Italy in 2006. A team of analysts was deployed to assist each event with force protection and security issues. NGA employed its geospatial knowledge to help officials create maps of the locations used for the events and surrounding infrastructure.

Hurricane Katrina
NGA supported recovery efforts for hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. It sent a team of analysts to the region to support the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other first responders. NGA provided imagery from commercial and U.S. government satellites and from airborne platforms. It created the NGA-earth.org web site to show residents the extent of the damage and progress of the recovery efforts.

California Wildfires
In the fall of 2007, NGA provided over 150 geospatial intelligence products to FEMA to lend support in combating the California wildfires. It supplied damage assessments of major infrastructure in the area, assessments of areas still on fire and areas where the fire had been extinguished. This information was uploaded to the nga-earth.org website as a way for the public to see the damage without returning to the area. NGA greatly assisted firefighters and other first responders with relief efforts.

Safety of Navigation
NGA provides support to mariners through its NGA Maritime Watch Desk. In 2007, the NGA Maritime Watch Desk celebrated the 100th anniversary of the nation's first radio broadcast of a navigational warning to ships at sea. The Maritime Watch Desk provides immediate 24/7 safety warnings through electronic messages regarding navigation safety hazards, such as obstructions in the water, shifting river channels, buoys off station, closure areas, and military exercises.

Midwest Flooding
In spring 2008, NGA partnered with FEMA to provide direct support to those affected by the Midwest floods. NGA used geospatial information and commercial imagery to determine the extent of the damage. It posted imagery and mapping products on the NGA-earth.org website for residents and first responders to see the damage and watch recovery efforts.