USGIF Workshop Series

The USGIF Workshop Series brings together the GEOINT Community to discuss relevant issues in tradecraft, innovation and the community. Ranging in size from less than 25 to more than 100 participants, the workshops tackle topics that span the defense, intelligence and homeland security communities. If you are interested in proposing or organizing a topic for a USGIF Workshop Series, please email workshop@usgif.org with your idea.

Upcoming Workshops

USGIF Workshop Series Presents: The Future of U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing
Monday, June 4
Hyatt Regency Reston
1800 Presidents St., Reston, VA 20190

Registration Required
USGIF Members: $249; Government/Military $99; Non-Members $349

Ongoing budget discussions and investigating studies of the future of commercial remote sensing have injected a great deal of uncertainty into the market. As the United States contemplates scaling back its investment in commercial imagery assets, a handful of other nations are accelerating their capabilities. Join us for this installment of the USGIF Workshop Series to hear from and ask questions of industry and government as we discuss the future of U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing.

More details about this event will be provided soon!

Interested in sponsoring this workshop?

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Previous Workshops

Open Source Software Initiatives ETS Luncheon with NGA’s Bert Beaulieu & Keith Barber
Sponsored by IBM
Thursday, July 28

photos from the event

On Thursday, July 28, 2011, the USGIF Emerging Technologies Subcommittee hosted an ETS Luncheon as part of the USGIF Workshop Series. A sellout crowd of more than 130 people attended this exclusive USGIF-member-only event. USGIF’s interns also attended to hear about advances in open source software.

This installment of the ETS Luncheon focused on Open Source Software Initiatives with Mr. Bert Beaulieu, Director, InnoVision, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and Mr. Keith Barber, Implementation Lead for Online On-Demand Services, NGA, both of whom are leading fundamental technology changes within the agency.

Due to budget pressures and intelligence needs constantly changing, technologies require innovation and evolution of the acquisition process. In response to this, NGA introduced a significant open source software initiative to embrace open technology solutions, practices and procedures. These approaches combined with external hosting, cloud based implementations and the latest internet collaboration tools have the potential of dramatically reducing life cycle costs and improving technical agility.

After lunch was served, Mr. Beaulieu led discussion on this topic. The luncheon concluded with a Q&A session featuring both Mr. Beaulieu and Mr. Barber, where audience members put their questions to both NGA leaders.

Please check back often to this page to learn more about future events.

Friday, May 13: Analytic Transformation
8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Reston
1800 Presidents Street, Reston, VA 20190
Sponsored by BAE Systems and DigitalGlobe

photos from the event

Concluding the 2011 GEOINT Community Week was a workshop focused on exploring Analytic Transformation and what it means to the community, as part of the USGIF Workshop Series.

Analytic Transformation Workshop Agenda

0800-0805: Workshop Introduction

0805-0810: Morning Welcome – Christopher G. Bellios, General Manager, BAE Systems

0810-0845: Keynote – Ed Mornston, Director, Joint Intelligence Task Force-Combating Terrorism (JITF-CT), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

0845-0945: Session I – Tradecraft & Analytic Methods
Moderator – Lynne Puetz, Technical Director, BAE Systems
• John Goolgasian, Implementation Lead for Analytic Depth, Vision Implementation Team, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
• Dr. Denise D. Royle, Physical Scientist, Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
• Stephen Wood, Vice President, Analysis Center, DigitalGlobe

0945-1045: Session II – Training & Education
Moderator – Dr. Mark M. Lowenthal, President and CEO, Intelligence & Security Academy
• Dr. Robert E. Morris, Chief, Analysis Training Branch, Joint Military Intelligence Training Center, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
• Reese Madsen, DoD Intelligence Chief Learning Officer, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSDI)
• Dr. Cathryn Quantic Thurston, Director, Center for Strategic Intelligence Research, Editor, NDIC Press, National Defense Intelligence College (NDIC)
• Dr. George L. Tanner, Chief Learning Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Elek (Lex) Szkalak, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

1045-1115: BREAK

1115-1200: Keynote – Robert Cardillo, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Intelligence Integration (DDNI/II)

1200-1300: Networking Lunch – Sponsored in part by BAE Systems and DigitalGlobe

1300: Afternoon Welcome – Jack Hild, Vice President of U.S. Defense Strategy, DigitalGlobe

1300-1400: Session III – Enabling Technology
Moderator – Jack Hild, Vice President of U.S. Defense Strategy, DigitalGlobe
• Keith Barber, Implementation Lead for Online/On-Demand Services, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
• Lt. Col. William D. Casebeer, U.S. Air Force, Ph.D., Program Manager, Defense Sciences Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
• LTC Al Di Leonardo, U.S. Army, Former SKOPE Director, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
• Michele R. Weslander Quaid, Chief Technology Officer (Federal) and Innovation Evangelist, Google

1400-1500: Session IV – Analysis in the Information Age
Moderator: Air Commodore Mark Ashwell, UKRAF (Ret.), Vice President for International Strategy and Business Development, DigitalGlobe
• Dr. Peter Highman, Office Director, Intelligence Analysis, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
• Jonathan Hutson, Director of Communications, Enough Project/Satellite Sentinel Project
• Allison Puccioni, Senior Image Analyst, IHS Jane’s
• Eric Zitz, Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton

1500-1600: Session V – Future of Analysis
Moderator: Dr. Robert R. Tomes, Director, BAE Systems
• Ted Cope, Director, GEOINT Research, InnoVision, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
• Jeff Jonas, Chief Scientist, IBM Entity Analytics Group, and IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM
• Dr. Bill Lahneman, Assistant Professor, Towson University
• Matt Pollard, Professional Staff Member, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI)

1600: Final Thoughts and Closing Comments

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Emerging Technologies Luncheon
Sponsored By IBM
Wednesday, January 26, Herndon, VA

photos from the event

NGA Chief Scientist and Deputy Director of InnoVision Dr. Gregory Smith dove right into current events at Wednesday’s Emerging Technologies Luncheon, part of the USGIF Workshop Series. He began by discussing two studies he briefed NGA Director Letitia A. Long on earlier in the week and how these studies parallel her online/on-demand vision for the agency. The first study asked RAND Corp., an independent research group, to look at the geo-political scene 20 to 30 years into the future and determine potential opportunities for the Intelligence Community and NGA. The second study asked the National Academy of Sciences to examine the course of the geospatial intelligence science discipline and how it’s changing and evolving to engage and recruit. The results of both studies were remarkably similar.

The RAND study found that the GEOINT Community needs to look at new sources such as unconventional sensors like web cams, smart sensors in infrastructure, which can provide rich data. It also highlighted standards, ability to ingest data, and storage as areas that present both challenges and opportunities for the community. The results of the National Academy of Sciences study validated the core competencies on which NGA and the GEOINT Community focus. It also identified other areas the community should focus on such as visual analytics, fusing and integrating sensors, participatory sensing, and human terrain as it relates to space and time.

Dr. Smith emphasized these two studies are important as their results could be the catalyst to move away from legacy programs and projects and toward challenges on the horizon. He also informed the audience of the director’s satisfaction with these studies and that she is willing to consider moving forward with some of these new focus areas.

Dr. Smith’s speech was followed by a Q&A session with audience members, where questions ranged from micro-sensors, research and development, to NGA’s relationship with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. To conclude the event, attendees were provided with a complimentary lunch and the opportunity to network.

Learn more about Dr. Harold Gregory Smith

The History of CIA’s A-12 OXCART Spy Plane Program
Monday, Sept. 27, 2010, Herndon, VA

photos from the event

USGIF, in cooperation with the Advanced Technical Intelligence Association (ATIA) and the Association of Old Crows (AOC) hosted a 2-hour presentation on the CIA’s OXCART program. As part of a series of public and private discussions from the members of Road Runners Internationale and the Blackbird Association, this unique event featured presentations from the CIA chief historian, a Lockheed Skunk Works industrial manager from the A-12 and U-2 programs, a test pilot from the A-12, YF-12 and SR-71, a Pratt & Whitney mechanical engineer, statistician, a jet engine designer who’s been in the business since 1955, a Special Projects radar cross-section specialist at Groom Lake during Blackshield and a CIA OXCART pilot who flew from 1963 to 1968.

Motion Imagery Workshop
Friday, May 21, 2010, Reston, VA
Thank you to our Sponsors
GEOINT Community Week wrapped up on Friday, May 21 with the Motion Imagery Workshop, part of the USGIF Workshop Series. Attendees came to hear keynote speeches from Maj. Gen. James O. Poss, U.S. Air Force, Director, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Strategy, Integration and Doctrine, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C; CW5 Thomas R. Dostie, U.S. Army, Chief, GEOINT and Commanding General Advisor, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence; and Stephen Long, Oversight Executive for Motion Intelligence, ODUSD/TCA, Science and Technology Advisor, ISR-Task Force, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Three sessions on Operational View, Intelligence Perspective and Strategic Vision also took place during the workshop, providing another opportunity for the audience to engage with panelists on critical topics affecting the aerial motion imagery community.

Emerging Technologies Luncheon
March 25, 2010, Herndon, VA
The USGIF Workshop Series: Emerging Technologies Luncheon featuring Ms. Vonna Weir Heaton, Director, InnoVision Directorate, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency was sponsored by IBM and the USGIF Emerging Technologies Subcommittee. This workshop quickly filled to capacity, as attendees were eager to hear Ms. Heaton discuss the future of GEOINT R&D.

Applications of Commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar
June 5, 2009, Oracle Conference Center, Reston, VA