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| Uh-oh, GPS and Social Networks doing more to keep you connected. |
New AGE, Old Questions
Information in its myriad of forms is crucial in developing sound frameworks and intelligence gathering practices; as such, the Army has been diligent and steadfast in their approach towards the creation of Geo-Spatial inroads. The impetus for their work came from research on Geo-Spatial opportunities, Data Mining, Social Networking protocols and GPS data gathered from Mobile Smart Devices.
The approach created a continuum of thought which further highlights the inter-related areas of government (read: intelligence and military) where 'Geo-Spat' becomes a serving tray for time sensitive strategic planning. In short, it is the standard framework for Geo-Spatial application(s) and shareable data; A dynamic Geo-Spatial environment will allow for standardized measurement practices, policies, and communications as it pertains to syntax, people activity and topographical geo-proximity to a particular area of interest and or event.
Most applications in the world rely on data in order for individuals to ascertain value and relevance. Applications that produce data develop on two common paths tracked and organic. Certain companies in the digital sphere have grown at viral proportion because of their organic ability and amorphic structure. Twitter, Craigslist, Facebook, E-Bay, MySpace, Price-line and Google all share this same ability to create organic data within a social networking construct; organic information is normally civilian in nature and the technology that creates it is not tracked.
Tracked technology may have certain caveats one of them is they are groomed for military implementation the other, is having the appropriate R&DTE to facilitate their deployment. However, organic information resources which start from blogs, chat and file sharing can develop without the hindrance of having a tracked label associated with their technology’s thrust. This hindrance incurs the weight of the paradigm by developing a technology as both cutting edge and disruptive; Organic data sources normally have a greater aggregate number of users and result in a larger ‘working’ data-set from which to operate from. A more niche example of organic information is VGI or Volunteered Geographic Information. VGI is a form of social media application that impacts Geo-Spatial technology because it can be perceived as a game changer. It is a topographical input that has an organic factor and as such, the data and the mapping experience change with the input (read: contribution) of each user.
Another niche topographical example that combines organic social networking feature(s) with traditional Geo-Spatial functionality is a web enabled VGI called Open Street Maps (OSM). According to a 2010 conference, OSM has supported the development of maps world-wide. In Haiti, thousands of volunteers have input information, from the existence of dirt roads to the specification of qualitative geometric information. Most likely, this phenomenon will increase exponentially and will be in use for years to come. Clearly, for the ‘public’ user, maps and Geo-Spatial information in the future will be largely based on freely-available data that relies heavily on VGI.
These instances highlight that Superrelation is the new fertile ground within a Geo-Spatial framework and that although there are certain paths that applications and data can take, the social networking paradigm yielded an organic informational framework that is robust and militarily sound. The up-sell is that the information provided with regards to intelligence and surveillance is nothing to be passed up. Google’s Ladar and other non-traditional sensing modalities, expand their coverage of ground-based data collection and they will continue to grow the Geo-Spatial sector. Data from the civilian and non-civilian sector is of importance when gathering intelligence, the viral ability for private enterprise to proliferate and generate these correlations is essential—furthermore, the results can be astounding for a free-market economy.
Organic Proliferation of Good Data
The net sum of Superrelation is that it provides Superresolution and is a source of good data and stronger intelligence. Case and point the 2010 KDD Conference the epicenter of metrics and data-mining. The interpolation of mined data resources like the IBM Web Fountain with present day Geo-Spatial topographical networks can produce a tremendous upside for more full-bodied surveillance opportunities in addition to real-time analytics which produce a plethora of interpretable scenarios for analyst and combatants alike. Knowledge discovery, information extraction, and representation are inherent in creating superresolution that is, creating ‘a developing intelligence perception’ that extends beyond previous limitations.
Semantic analysis along with ontology research has already been explored by branches of the military and will act as a filter in future Geo-Spatial intelligence gathering models. The assumption is that these technologies continue to merge and there shall come a point where automated analysis of all media (newspapers, transcribed news broadcasts and other text based information sources) will become standard. This will be a point where meaningful discussions and analysis arise.
In the near to intermediate future, text and audio news information sources can and will be easily (and quickly) assimilated into a Geo Spatial system framework; the data will be appropriately sourced and time-stamped to provide vast new quantities of hybrid-data in formats that are currently unfamiliar and unavailable.
Transforming existing Data into Geo-Spatial surveillance
The interpolation of Geo-Spatial information from within these hypothetical data streams will be as common, if not more common, than previous forms of intelligence analysis. New research shows that it is often possible to infer the identity of people from scant information that might be obtained by combining a few disparate sources of information. In a similar way, GPS technology within the mobile community has been guided towards the same end.
Of course, these technologies have an impact on 'privacy expectations' of the individual, groups, and governments. While individuals might not think twice about providing their birthday on a social media site, this information combined with geo-location data might well reveal significant logistical information about an individual and/or group. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) regulations provide challenges to government entities in this regard, so does the strict European Data Rights (EDR) regulations that require specific use & reporting on member nations and personal data. The pressure will be for Government to ignore public sources of information, or to desist from inference, while at the same time, advertisers and commercial companies can exploit any and all information that can be amassed from an increasingly mobile and ever increasing data-driven society.
Smart Phone Technology- Resource Overlay Opportunities
Well designed mobile telephones and smart devices include GPS receivers and/or location tracking capabilities which highlight resource overlay opportunities. They use either GPS devices built into the phone, or assisted GPS that make use of the respondent’s location via cell towers or rabbit transmitters. As a result, there is a convergence of functionality in cell phones that takes advantage of “location-aware services,” which may include personal navigation, tracking of family members, and alerts to when specific users are in proximity to the given device or location in question.
Beyond cell phones, we know convergence of functionality to include location-aware services in mobile platforms of all types. Location-aware services on poly-hydra devices allow one to record the location when pictures, video or other data is acquired (and perhaps even the direction in which the device was pointed) at the time of interaction. This resource overlay then becomes a potential source for Geo-Spatial imagery. Similarly, mobile services are now bundled with navigational aids and dynamic travel schedulers that also provide information about atypical motion patterns and anomalous movements.
Movement data derived from location-aware services might become available to information gathering services through two different means. On the one hand, people might become concerned about the privacy issues in making available location information, and they might well encrypt and otherwise attempt to privatize much of the information. In this case, intelligence services will become privy to data sources, and anonymize the information in a way that prevents the source from knowing that they have contributed to a data-store, either through holding the information in channels, or by developing plausible identification methodologies.
More likely however, an alternative counterpoint can suggest, that people will not care if the information is largely accessible, and will tacitly permit the accumulation of imagery and movement information into data stores that contribute to Geo-Spatial topographical data-sets and equations.
What say you?
special thanks to Dr. Robert Hummel, PhD.
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