PDT for Imagery Intelligence

Sensor technology providing imagery intelligence is improving rapidly...

Advances in sensor technology are providing government agencies such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) with an unprecedented amount of data and detail in imagery for multi-sensor image exploitation. While the resolution of acquired imagery has continued to increase, technologies for advanced visualization of these images have lagged. As a result, current investments in commercial imagery are not being fully utilized while image & geospatial analysts are unable to optimize their time and productivity during image exploitation.

Currently, broad area search and exploitation of images require an analyst to continuously zoom-in, zoom-out, and pan across an image or mosaic to view details spanning the entire image. The very act of zooming into a region of interest requires the operator to pay a price: zooming into a localized region of interest pushes surrounding contextual information off the display, and causes the operator to lose the big picture understanding that is critical for cognitive analysis and complete situational awareness. This impairment of situational awareness can have catastrophic consequences.

PDT for Imagery Intelligence - Adding Efficiency and Accuracy to Imagery Interaction

Pliable Display Technology is an emerging technology driving changes in the way both image and geospatial analysts interact with their data. PDT can result in significant efficiency and accuracy gains when integrated within imagery and data intensive applications such as an Electronic Light Table (ELT) environment. There are a number of imagery-based intelligence activities where PDT is directly applicable:

	Change Detection Chain multiple PDT lenses together to compare side-by-side time-lapsed imagery and track changes 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.
	Auto Dynamic Range Adjustment Optimize image processing with PDT by selectively adjusting image properties within a localized region.
	Ground Control Point Inspection Line up imagery with known reference points using PDT to quickly locate Ground Control Points.
	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.
	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 previous trails. In the screenshot at left, the PDT lens has followed a snail trail over multiple ground control points. Original satellite image courtesy ©DigitalGlobe.
	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.
	Filtering The PDT lens provides an intuitive interface for visualizing multi-layer information from multiple data sources. For example, filter multi-spectral data that incorporates an infrared layer. In the screenshot at left, active filtering in a PDT lens shows suspicious "hot spots" in a mountainous region. Original satellite image courtesy ©SpaceImaging.

Once integrated into a software application, 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."

Find out more

William L. Miller discusses the importance of geospatial intelligence and interoperability in Military Geospatial Technology. For more detail on PDT, see the PDT Products section.