Advances in unmanned aircraft, micro-technologies, biometrics, robotics and processing hardware have resulted in an unprecedented flood of operational intelligence data. Forces in the field have access to more information about their enemies and their environment than ever before. Intelligence analysts face a veritable embarrassment of riches.
Unfortunately, this means that analysts are faced with a herculean task: Deriving meaning from huge bodies of data before the information contained in the data goes operationally stale. Advances made by and solutions developed in industry to solve the Big Data problem can be leveraged by government acquisition managers to produce timely and cost effective solutions for the civilian and military components of the Intelligence Community.
This white paper explores the nature of the intelligence Big Data problem, posits an architectural solution that leverages well-vetted and established tools and demonstrates how this solution can be implemented in cost-effective and timely manner through the use of open source software.
