DGI EUROPE 2014

<table> <tbody> <tr> <td><em>Strategies and Technology for the Defence Community</em><br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>North America and Arctic Focus</strong><br /> Deliberations provided an opportunity for identifying user’s futuristic requirements and solutions that could meet the security challenges. A number of case studies were presented illustrating how complex problems, specific to this region, could be solved. These included studies on Activity Based Intelligence, Big Data and Cloud technology. Maritime safety and navigation challenges, environmental matters and real-time surveillance, particular to the northern polar ice infested regions were discussed.<br /> <br /> <strong>Return to Contingency in Defence</strong><br /> The plenary sessions were dedicated to the main theme of the conference – Return to contingency in defence and homeland security. Participants discussed strategies for providing geospatial and intelligence support for contingency operations, both for urban environment and theatre operations. In the openingguest address, General Sir Richard Barrons, KCB,CBE,ADC, Commander, Joint Forces Command, UK MoD, spoke about the future role of geointelligence in defence and contingency planning. Sandra Williams, Chief of Europe Support Team, NGA, described the progress of integrating different environments into a single operational picture. Underpinning security on a global scale and creating an assured geospatial capability was the theme of the talk of Vanessa Lawrence, CB Director General and Chief Executive, Ordinance Survey. AVM John Rigby, CBE, UK MoD, talked about using intelligence, data and geospatial to ensure maximum security and operational capability.<br />   <div align="center"><img src="images/40pic_1.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/40pic_2.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/40pic_3.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/40pic_4.jpg" /></div> Other highlights of the day were a panel discussion on how to collaboratively manage future challenges to homeland and defence intelligence on a global level. Technical sessions were organised in six separate parallel tracks focussed on contingency planning, ISR, national, maritime and littoral security. In the national security stream, Admiral Robert B Murrett described the global defence and intelligence challenges, prioritising the hotspots into three tiers. Speaking about NATO’s requirement to have an enduring Joint ISR capability, Ludwig Decamps of NATO Headquarters said that it was necessary to have coordinated collection, processing, dissemination and sharing of information from all national ISR assets. The three key focus areas of the NATO JSIR Project, scheduled for completion by 2015, were training, doctrine and networking. Air Cdre Chris Jones, RAF, Head of Capability of CE4ISR, JFC, stressed that information superiority is the enduring and key requirement for defence and security forces for which a multi-int, enterprise wide, service oriented approach is critical. Citing the support provided to the ISAF in Afghanistan over the last 10 years as a high priority area for UK, Col Mark Burroughs, JFC, emphasised the growing demand for effective information management and exploitation. “Geo must help commander’s and staff to move from data to information, to knowledge, and finally to understanding”, he said. Presenting a Maritime Operations Overview, LCdr Troy White of NATO’s Maritime Command (MARCOM) described the maritime environment and listed the trade choke points. He gave details of MARCOM’s anti-piracy and anti-terrorist initiatives — Operation Ocean Shield and Operation Active Endeavour. Brian Parish, JFC, UK, explained the need, benefits and strategic objectives of NSDI for UK and the present status.<br /> <br /> <strong>Intelligence, Cyber and the Big Data Challenge</strong><br /> A panel discussion on effectively managing defence intelligence resources of different countries and agencies attracted considerable audience participation. Air Cdre Mark Neal, OBE, CTO,JFC, gave an introduction to the use of centralised cloud for big data management in the context of defence ICT strategy. He emphasised the widespread defence applicability of big data in enterprise performance management and cyber defence. Graham Pearson, HP, described the impact of advances in technology and consumption of big data on multi-int architechture. The future of multi-int would be defined by approach to risks, security policy, procurement strategy, funding priorities, govenance and not by technology, he summarised. Brig Gen Dato Zaharin Bin Din, Director of Defence Geospatial Division, Malaysia, gave a presentation on the progress of the geospatial master plan for Malaysia and the NSDI. He emphasised the need for information sharing between various government organisations and the support of industry partners. Other discussions included the challenges of big data storage, real-time analysis and exploitation in intelligence and defence operations, procedure for development of IT architecture to support an interoperable and scalable intelligence function and one parallel track dedicated exclusively to maritime security. Cyber threats and suggested solutions to tackle them formed part of another technical track. This was the 10th edition of DGI Europe. The conference and exhibition has grown over the years, both in participation and content, covering a wide variety of geospatial and associated technologies. It provided an excellent opportunity for discussions and networking for the geoint community.<br />   <div align="center"><img src="images/5_no.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/11.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/10.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/6_no.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/7_nos.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/9_nos.jpg" /></div> <div align="center"><img src="images/8_nos.jpg" /></div> <br />  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1. General Sir Richard Barrons, KCB,CBE,ADC<br /> 2. Vanessa Lawrence CB<br /> 3. VAdm Robert Murrett (Retd)<br /> 4. Col John Kedar (Retd)<br /> 5&6. Session-in-progress<br /> 7&8. People at the exhibition<br /> 9&10. Participants interacting with each other<br /> 11. The conference witnessed an interactive Q/A s</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>