New visualization technologies are driving changes in the way both Image and Geospatial
Analysts interact with their data. Pliable Display Technology is one such emerging technology
that has recently caught the attention of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
PDT can result in significant
efficiency and accuracy gains when integrated within an Electronic Light Table (ELT)
environment. There are a number of imagery-based intelligence activities where PDT is
directly applicable:
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Change Detection
Chain multiple PDT lenses together to track changes over time, while still maintaining complete
situational awareness. The PDT lens has its own unique in-place user interface that makes it precisely
controllable by the analyst. PDT's unique
folding
capabilities bring localized regions of interest
being compared over multiple image sets next to each other for side-by-side comparison.
Original satellite images courtesy ©SpaceImaging.
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Auto Dynamic Range Adjustment
Optimize image processing with PDT, by selectively adjusting image properties within a localized region.
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Ground Control Point Inspection
Line up imagery with known reference points using PDT to quickly locate Ground Control Points.
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Mosaicking
PDT is an ideal tool to check for errors in registration or scaling in mosaicking. Move a PDT
lens along the seams of a mosaic to inspect for flaws and misalignments and perform corrections without losing
awareness of location. In the screenshot at left, the arrows indicate a misaligned mosaic tile visible in the PDT lens.
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Snail Trails
Use the real-time PDT lens to perform image exploitation across a large image. Turn on the
snail trail
option to leave a lens trail as well as save and replay searched ones. In the
screenshot at left, the PDT lens has followed a snail trail over multiple ground control points.
Original satellite image courtesy ©DigitalGlobe.
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Precision Chipping, Annotation, and Mensuration
PDT's Undisplace functionality increases the efficiency and accuracy of tasks such as
measurement and annotation. Measurements spanning a large extent of the visible exploitation
area can be performed at high precision, without zoom and pan steps.
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Filtering
The PDT lens is an excellent metaphor for visualizing multi-layer information from a multitude of
data sources. For example, filter multi-spectral data that incorporates an infrared layer, and check
for suspicious hot areas in the mountains. The PDT lens provides visualization of the processed detail
in the local region of interest, while also displaying the situational context.
In the screenshot at left, active filtering in a PDT lens shows suspicious "hot spots" in a mountainous
region.
Original satellite image courtesy ©SpaceImaging.
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Once integrated into your ELT environment, PDT's unique user interface and detail-in-context
functionality will enhance and extend the existing set of tools used for precise inspection and
adjustment. In one NGA Imagery Analyst's words, "PDT would enable me to perform data collection,
data extraction, and editing more efficiently."