Geospatial Informational Security Risks and Concerns of the U.S. Air Force GeoBase Program

Technological advancements such as Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and the Internet have made it easier and affordable to share information, which enables complex and time sensitive decisions to be made with higher confidence. Further, advancements in information technology have dramatically increased the ability to store, manage, integrate, and correlate larger amounts of data to improve operational efficiency. However, the same technologies that enable increased productivity also provide increased capabilities to those wishing to do harm. Today’s military leaders are faced with the challenge of deciding how to make geospatial information collected on military installations and organizations available to authorized communities of interest while simultaneously restricting access to protect operational security. Often, these decisions are made without understanding how the sharing of certain combinations of data may pose a significant risk to protecting critical information, infrastructure or resources. Information security has been an area of growing concern in the GeoBase community since, by definition, it is required to strike a balance between competing interests, each supported by federal policy: (1) the availability of data paid for by tax dollars and (2) the protection of data as required to mitigate risks. In this research we will explore the security implications of the US Air Force GeoBase (the US Air Force’s applied Geospatial Information System) program. We examine the rapid expansion of the use of GeoBase to communities outside of the civil engineering field; examine the intrinsic and extrinsic security risks of the unconstrained sharing of geospatial information; explore difficulties encountered when attempting to rate the sensitivity of information, discuss new policies and procedures that have been implemented undertaken to protect the information, and propose technical and managerial control measures to facilitate sharing geospatial information sharing while minimizing the associated operational risks

Final Report: Sensorpedia Phase 3

This report is a summary of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory s (ORNL s) Phase 3 development of Sensorpedia, a sensor information sharing platform. Sensorpedia is ORNL s Wikipedia for Sensors. The overall goal of Sensorpedia is to enable global scale sensor information sharing for scientific research, national security and defense, public health and safety, emergency preparedness and response, and general community awareness and outreach

Mapping Arizona: 2005 report on geographic information systems

tableOfContents: 1. Introduction -- 2. GIS in action -- 3. AGIC overview -- 4. AGIC initiatives -- 5. Appendixabstract: This report is divided into five major sections. The Introduction provides a brief overview of this document, its contents and purpose. It offers insight into the various Arizona organizations that play key roles in the efforts to improve the use of GIS technology. GIS in Action offers a look at GIS technology, how it works and how it is being used daily around Arizona to solve complex problems and improve the lives of citizens. AGIC Overview explains the history of the Arizona Geographic Information Council (AGIC), reviews AGIC accomplishments to date, and offers a look at what's to come. It outlines the council composition, mission, and how AGIC serves Arizona. AGIC Initiatives describes AGIC's plans and what members are doing to accomplish six major initiatives: Core Data Resource; Arizona Preparedness; AGIC GeoData Portal; the Arizona Map; Arizona Height Modernization; Education and Outreach. The Appendix includes additional information about AGIC committees and contact

Bridging the Gap Between Silicon Valley and the Capital Beltway: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Government's Venture Capital and Startup Engagements in Intelligence and Defense

The speed with which technological innovation occurs in the commercial sector has outpaced the U.S. government’s in-house innovation capabilities in the past few decades. In order to safeguard national security, the United States is largely reliant on access to superior information and defense technology, and it cannot afford to fall behind in scientific advancements. Thus, the federal government has sought out partnerships with the startup community in order to match the agility of commercial technology innovation. By 1999, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) leadership recognized that the Agency could not compete in innovation with the same speed as others in the commercial marketplace. This led to the creation of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s own venture capital arm. Other government agencies realized the need to identify areas of strategic alignment between startup technology and national security requirements and have followed in the CIA’s footsteps. It is important to examine these innovative acquisition strategies as they are still developing but will without a doubt continue to burgeon as the U.S. engages in the 21st century technological race. This thesis extracts and analyzes lessons learned and best practices from federal intelligence- and defense-related investment vehicles.Strauss Center for International Security and La

Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

The Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms sets forth standard US military and associated terminology to encompass the joint activity of the Armed Forces of the United States. These military and associated terms, together with their definitions, constitute approved Department of Defense (DOD) terminology for general use by all DOD components

THE SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT OF DHS GRANT FUNDING

Every year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allocates billions of dollars to preserving the safety of the United States. The traditional view of homeland security suggests that fighting terrorism is the key to success, but what does DHS do to carry out its other mission areas and impact the human security of this country? How does DHS leverage these billions of dollars to impact the economic prosperity and resilience of communities? This thesis sought to determine to what extent grants administered by DHS had a socioeconomic impact on communities. It also examined whether socioeconomic vulnerability should be factored into DHS’s grant funding distribution decisions. Using a geospatial analysis of publicly available grant data and the American Community Survey, this research found that between 2011 and 2020, there were no substantial impacts on the socioeconomic demographics in areas where DHS grant-funded activities were performed. The data analysis found that, overwhelmingly, DHS obligates its non-disaster grant funds to a very small number of zip codes throughout the homeland and that most communities do not see consistent investments in their areas. Executive Order (EO) 13985 answers the question of whether DHS should consider using its grants to advance equity and access to its programs, and this research presents areas in which DHS could further the goals of this EO by implementing the use of socioeconomic indicators in the allocation of some of its programs.Civilian, Department of Homeland SecurityApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

The STEM Workforce Challenge: The Role of the Public Workforce System in a National Solution for a Competitive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workforce

[Excerpt] Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields have become increasingly central to U.S. economic competitiveness and growth. Long-term strategies to maintain and increase living standards and promote opportunity will require coordinated efforts among public, private, and not-for-profit entities to promote innovation and to prepare an adequate supply of qualified workers for employment in STEM fields. American pre-eminence in STEM will not be secured or extended without concerted effort and investment. Trends in K-12 and higher education science and math preparation, coupled with demographic and labor supply trends, point to a serious challenge: our nation needs to increase the supply and quality of “knowledge workers” whose specialized skills enable them to work productively within the STEM industries and occupations. It will not be sufficient to target baccalaureate and advanced degree holders in STEM fields. Our nation’s economic future depends upon improving the pipeline into the STEM fields for sub-baccalaureate students as well as BA and advanced degree holders, for youth moving toward employment and adults already in the workforce, for those already employed in STEM fields and those who would like to change careers to secure better employment and earnings. The seriousness of this challenge has penetrated public and opinion-makers’ consciousness—and government, industry, and education and training providers have begun to respond. NIH, NSF, and the Department of Education have been leading the federal effort. Industry associations, individual firms, foundations, and other organizations have identified and tried to fill gaps. State governments, too, are working to strengthen the STEM workforce pipeline. Much remains to be done, though, within government and across diverse sectors, to ensure that U.S. education, workforce, and economic systems rise to the STEM challenge. The U.S. Department of Labor is already an important partner in federal efforts to strengthen the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pipeline. The U.S. Department of Labor invests about $14 billion a year in the nation’s workforce system and in increasing the skills and education of our current workforce. In addition, the Department of Labor has begun investing regionally in ways that overcome typical fragmentation in planning and action among industry, government, non-governmental organizations, and education and training institutions. The Department of Labor has the potential to play an even more important role in addressing gaps in the nation’s approach to strengthening the STEM pipeline in three areas: 1) building the gateway to STEM careers; 2) enhancing the capacity of talent development institutions to produce more and better skilled STEM workers; and 3) catalyzing and supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The leadership of the Employment and Training Administration is committed to—and stands ready to— contribute and collaborate to develop an overall national strategy around the STEM workforce pipeline and to improve coordination across federal agencies

Unmanned systems interoperability standards

Over the past several years, there has been rapid growth in the development and employment of unmanned systems in military and civilian endeavors. Some military organizations have expressed concern that these systems are being fielded without sufficient capabilities to interoperate with existing systems. Despite recognition of this requirement, interoperability efforts remain diverse and disjointed across the United States and internationally. The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey, California, was sponsored by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE) in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) to explore (1) enhancement of robotics education; (2) improved representation of robotic systems in combat simulations; and (3) interoperability standards for military robotics systems. This report discusses work performed in FY16 to identify current and emerging interoperability standards for unmanned systems, including interactions of robotic systems with command and control (C2) and simulation systems. The investigation included assessment of the applicability of standardization activities in the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) in its development of the Phase 1 Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML) and currently in-progress Command and Control Systems - Simulation Systems Interoperation (C2SIM) standardization efforts. The report provides a recommended approach, standards, activities, and timetable for a cross-system communications roadmap.Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise, 3090 Defense Pentagon, Room 5C756, Washington, DC 20301Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

PROPOSED DESIGN OF A LOW-COST, COUNTER–RADIO-CONTROLLED IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE FOR THE PHILIPPINE MARINE CORPS’ RAPID EQUIPAGE

The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), a significant command in the Philippine Navy, is equipped to perform a wide range of tasks in support of various operational defense missions. Most PMC units are stationed in areas where local insurgent and terrorist activity is prevalent and frequently involve improvised explosive devices (IED) triggered by a signal from a terrorist’s mobile phone. Given the PMC’s limited resources, its current counter radio-controlled IED (RCIED) inventory is inadequate to secure the country’s critically impacted areas. Hence, this study designs a low-cost counter-RCIED to bolster the PMC’s counter-IED capability. Built from commercially available components, the prototype is a lightweight, portable mobile phone signal jammer designed specifically for front-line PMC units operating in conflict-ridden areas. The study’s development process also suggests improvements to the combat systems and facility development programs within the Corps’ successful research and development programs within the modernization program. Thus, adopting this device can promote a culture of innovation in the PMC and throughout the Armed Forces of the Philippines. If a design for the counter-RCIED is achieved, then what? Therefore, it is important to implement the design successfully and for users to adopt it along with a culture of innovation. Hence, the first step in embracing that culture is to address critical challenges.Colonel, Philippine Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited