GEOINT's Future is in the Cloud

Recently, Geospatial Intelligence Forum Magazine asked me for my thoughts on the role of cloud computing in the future of geospatial intelligence.My response was recently published in their December 2010 print issue and online.

"In my opinion, Cloud computing is the future of geospatial intelligence. Through the processing, exploitation and dissemination process, GEOINT links data about a specific place to a specific time. The goal of this linkage is to create actionable information, and success is often a matter of having sufficient information technology resources. While cloud computing is not a revolution in technology, it does represent a step change in how IT resources are provisioned, accessed, manipulated and consumed. If leveraged properly, this new approach will greatly enhance our ability to create actionable GEOINT.

Cloud computing also represents an inevitable transition that some have likened to the Industrial Revolution. During that time, society developed from an environment where products were handmade in cottages to mass production on assembly lines powered by the steam engine. That transition represented a revolution not just to society, but also to the economy and to many other different domains."

Please read the rest of my answer at their website.

You should also read the answer from Mr. Dan Rice, Lockheed Vice President for spatial solutions. 

"First, the cloud must be accessible to a wide range of stakeholders, from traditional GEOINT consumers to a new generation of troops, analysts, state and federal agencies, coalition partners, first responders, and international relief organizations. That means that the cloud architecture must balance security with far-reaching collaboration. A hybrid cloud approach—one that includes both a private, government-run cloud and a public Internet-based cloud— could be a preferred approach, but it is not without challenges.

In an era of increasing concerns over unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, a comprehensive security approach including policies, architecture and cross-domain security services is of paramount importance. The cloud’s security capabilities must provide complete situational awareness of where critical information exists throughout the cloud, and who is accessing it."

He also writes about the work being done by the Net-Centric Operations Industry Consortium to help develop a cloud roadmap for the geospatial community. He agrees with me in seeing the NCOIC as an outstanding forum for bringing together the key players from government and industry to tackle important issues like these.

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eTechSuccess: Patterns of Success - Kevin Jackson

 My sincere appreciation to John Baker for the eTechSuccess: Patterns of Success interview. John and I worked together IBM as part of the Wireless Emerging Business Organization. His team and mine collaborated often in the delivery of customer solutions around the world. Through his current company, eTechSuccess, John offers his clients assistance in business development, program management, and solution analysis/design for emerging technologies. He also reviews existing software processes and/or help set up new processes to effectively implement the chosen technologies. John has a proven record of successfully using emerging technologies to solve real world business problems.

In the interview, john and i have a wide ranging discussion on the importance of cloud computing to government. As John has so eloquently put it:

"Over the years the technology has changed but the experience of successfully delivering an application into production based on a new idea or platform or product has been the same."

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USBE&IT Winter Issue Focuses on Cyber Security

Thank You USBE&IT Publisher Mr Tyrone Taborn for such an inspiring issue and my sincere appreciation to Mr. Frank McCoy for my inclusion in his list of Cyber visionaries!

The Homeland Security, Government and Defense Edition of US Black Engineer Information Technology inspires as much as it informs. An awesome publication, from the interview with President Obama's cyber security coordinator, Mr. Howard A. Schmidt, through the cover story "Top Blacks in the Military & Defense" (which highlighted my fellow "Variations" bandmate and USNA alumni Admiral Andy Winns), to the Cyber Security Visionaries article (in which I am honored to be included).

As Mr. Taborn stated on his page, "We need a dynamic, diverse and driven cyber security workforce primed to stand guard for government and commerce, healthcare and global media." In this issue you have provided just a sampling of the many excellent role models working today.

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Publisher Software from YUDU

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Global GovCloud with Cisco and VCE

Last week I had the awesome experience of participating in a global telepresence conference on government cloud computing. Joining me as presenters were Blake Salle, Senior Vice President of VCE, who shared a roadmap which focused on goals and objectives to better serve goverment organizations and their constituents, and Joshua McCloud, Public Sector Solutions Architect for European Markets at Cisco who facilitated the conversation amongst the global Public Sector participants.

For those not familiar with The Virtual Computing Environment Company (VCE), it was formed by Cisco and EMC, with investments from VMware and Intel, to accelerate the adoption of converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models.  VCE, through the Vblock platform, delivers the industry's first completely integrated IT offering with end-to-end vendor accountability. VCE's prepackaged solutions are available through an extensive partner network, and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings, and application development environments, allowing customers to focus on business innovation instead of integrating, validating and managing IT infrastructure.

Focusing on international GovCloud, the event linked participants from Amsterdam, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Rome, San Jose, and Washington. Presentations from
EDV-Centrum fur Kirche und Diakonie (ECKD), one of Germany's leading IT providers for churches, and Junta de La Mancha (Toledo Spain) highlighted cloud computing's value to the public sector. The discussion also touched on GovCloud activities in UK and Mexico. A key takeaway for me was that pre-integrated cloud infrastructure solutions like Vblock have actually been credited for greatly reducing the non-recurring engineering cost associated with the deployment of private clouds.

Thank you to all for organizing this important event.

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