The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has launched a new pilot program to examine the viability of exploring the use commercial radio frequency (RF) data to augment existing geoint activities. NGA is also working closely with its partners at the combatant commands to explore how data from this pilot can improve maritime awareness and cooperation with regional allies through shareable unclassified data and analytics.
“We are pleased with the pilot’s progress so far and the initial results associated with the commercial RF data and analytics have been positive,” says NGA’s Scot Currie, Director, Source operations group, which is responsible for overseeing GEOINT collection from current and emerging data sources. “This pilot is an example of NGA’s commitment to exploring how we can integrate new and emerging commercial data sources into our analytic platforms to better support our mission partners’ needs.”
NGA is leveraging a National Reconnaissance Office’s commercial integration study contract with HawkEye 360, a pioneer in commercial space-based RF analytics, to access commercial RF data. The data is then integrated via NGA’s Predictive GEOINT Prototype, which supports an agile development approach for exploring new commercial sources and analytics that can support NGA’s partners.
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As part of the program, which was launched in September, HawkEye 360 will deliver the data from its constellation of formation flying satellites to the agency and combatant commands so analysts can explore how this new source of commercial data can augment intelligence activities.
HawkEye 360 is the first company to deliver commercial RF data and analytics using formation flying satellites. HawkEye 360 launched its initial three satellites in December 2018 to globally identify and geolocate a broad range of RF signals. HawkEye 360 is growing the constellation to improve capacity and revisit rate, starting with the planned launch of HawkEye Cluster 2 this January 2021. Cluster 2 provides over four times the collection capacity as Cluster 1.
“This pilot program is placing our RF signal data and analytics into the hands of end users, so they can leverage this powerful resource to fulfill mission needs,” says John Serafini, Chief Executive Officer, HawkEye 360. “Commercial RF GEOINT complements traditional government systems by offering analysts a readily accessible layer of RF knowledge. The large regions we cover, the range of signals we collect, and the accuracy of our results all contribute to forming a richer analysis.”
The pilot
Commercial RF data collected as part of this initiative is being examined to support a variety of geointelligence applications, such as using RF geolocations for mapping and tipping and cueing of other data sources such as electro-optical and radar imaging satellites.
One of the challenges is to explore how non-traditional data and services that are not pixel-based – like RF geolocations – can be made to respond to the needs of defense and intelligence partners. According to NGA’s Dave Gauthier, Director, Source commercial business and operations group, “Moving forward, we want commercial industry to develop automated imagery exploitation algorithms, bringing multiple sources together, including RF geolocations, so we have a stream of information and activity updates feeding our national security algorithms.”
