COM-SUR Complement Imagery Intelligence Initiatives
What is IMINT (Imagery Intelligence)
IMINT is a defense intelligence discipline that utilizes imagery from sources such as satellites, aerial photographs, drones, and UAVs. Its main objective is to identify and evaluate objects/entities within the images. Defence forces use IMINT for surveillance, detecting changes on the Earth's surface, mission planning, and analyzing combat results. It also helps to evaluate the military and industrial capabilities of the enemy. IMINT is also used by international bodies to maintain peace, verify treaties, and control arms proliferation.
COM-SUR complements IMINT initiatives by assisting Imagery analyst to analyze still images and videos captured by drones and UAVs. For video analysis, COM-SUR converts videos into images to reduce volume while minimizing information loss, which is particularly useful for post-facto analysis.
How does COM-SUR achieve the above?
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Converting Live Video to Images
COM-SUR converts live drone and UAV video feeds into images at every 'one second' when deployed on a PC. For example, if a video is viewed at 25 frames per second, COM-SUR captures the consolidated 'moment' of every second, reducing the data size to just 86,400 images per day (corresponding to 24 hours @ 3600 images per hour) for analysis by the imagery analyst or mission supervisor.
Converting live video feeds into images with COM-SUR enables instant post-facto analysis, helping the imagery mission supervisor detect missed events during live monitoring. This is critical for supporting combat operations and taking necessary corrective and preventive action.
When an imagery analyst views multiple live video feeds, RAND CORPORATION suggests in its paper for the U.S. AIR FORCE (on page 14 of 'The Future of Motion Imagery Exploitation') grouping and structuring images and cross-cueing between related areas. COM-SUR seamlessly achieves this by capturing each monitor's feed in a specific window with a meaningful description. This helps the imagery mission supervisor to carry out post-facto analysis of each monitor's video feed by aggregating relevant screenshots and taking appropriate action.
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Converting Recorded Video to Images
COM-SUR can help the Imagery analyst analyze external recorded drone and UAV videos by using 'RIP-IT', a batch video frame extractor. It can also display multiple videos in a side-by-side dashboard view that's frame-synced, allowing the Imagery analyst to analyze and connect the extracted frames easily. This makes it very easy for the Imagery analyst to 'join the dots' faster.
Aggregating Images from Live or Recorded Video
COM-SUR simplifies the process of aggregating relevant scenes from multiple live or recorded video sources and converting them into PowerPoint reports.
COM-SUR simplifies the process of capturing important moments from recorded videos. Instead of pausing a video, pressing the screenshot key, then playing, then pasting, then doing this all over again, the imagery analyst (IA) can simply press F6/F7 keys while the video is playing, which captures the scene and aggregates it in COM-SUR's collection dialog box. This saves time and allows for greater focus on the video. The collection dialog box also offers various quick next steps such as creating reports and tagging important images. Keys F8 and F9 capture multiple items of interest from a single source or snip items of interest from multiple sources. All four keys also work with live video.
COM-SUR offers tools like false colors and filters which are very useful in forensics and detection. It can also re-create a video from relevant images and embed it into a PowerPoint presentation. During the audit process, COM-SUR offers various playback mechanisms along with the flexibility to zoom, pan, etc.
Military is Awash in Data from Drones, Article published in the New York Times (2010).
Key Points
- Military drones are producing huge amounts of video intelligence making it difficult for analysts to keep up.
- Analysts watch the video live and pass warnings about insurgents to troops in the field, but only a small fraction of the stored video is retrieved for intelligence purposes.
- The military is turning to the television industry to learn how to quickly share video clips and display a mix of data to make analysis faster and easier.
- Video feeds are used to catch insurgents and find their houses or weapons caches. Commanders are reluctant to send convoys without drone surveillance.
- Air Force officials have managed to keep up with the most urgent assignments and can correlate video data with still images and phone conversations to build a fuller picture of threats.
- Reaper drones will be able to record video in up to 65 directions, creating even more data.
- The Air Force is adding analysts to help handle the growing volume of data and funnelling feeds directly to ground troops to avoid overwhelming intelligence centers. Automated systems are limited, and human judgement is still needed.
- The value of human judgement in recognizing people and situations is highlighted as the best tools are still the eyeball and the human brain.
Conclusion
While advancements in technologies like AI, ML, and DL have improved the way imagery data is analyzed in the field of IMINT, the final decision always rests with human image analysts.
COM-SUR is a tool that complements IMINT initiatives by simplifying the process of aggregating, analyzing, and presenting imagery data. Its features like converting live and recorded video to images, false colors, filters, and creating PowerPoint reports make the analysis of large volumes of imagery data faster and easier.
Finally, the value of human intervention cannot be underestimated, and it is crucial for making the decisive call on the data collected. COM-SUR is a powerful tool that streamlines the analysis of IMINT data, and its utility is enhanced when human judgment and expertise are applied to make critical decisions.
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