Homeland security is an untapped market for satellite imagery and analysis

ST. LOUIS Commercial imaging satellites and change sensing analysis have emerged as powerful tools increasingly used by national security agencies. But the potential of this technology has yet to be tapped for US homeland defense, officials said May 23.

There are still technology barriers to adopting new commercial geospatial technologies, including a shortage of skilled analysts, said Tom Madigan, senior requirements manager at the Department of Homeland Security, at the 2023 GEOINT symposium.

Madigan oversees satellite imagery collection for DHS and previously worked at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

He said there is growing interest in using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in areas such as border security, natural disaster response and the protection of critical infrastructure such as power grids, transportation networks and systems of communication.

DHS also sees a demand for tools that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze data from a multitude of sources, including satellites, drones and ground-based sensors.

Madigan said DHS is observing emerging commercial global monitoring services in domestic emergencies to quickly assess the extent of the damage, identify areas most in need of assistance, and facilitate the deployment of resources.

A major challenge is the testing and deployment of many of these commercial systems, he said, especially at the state and local levels.

There are some real snags, Madigan added, once an area requiring collection has been identified where it is mandated and then ultimately collected, processed and transferred. Processes create delays and this can be problematic during emergencies, she said.

Appetite for the RAS

DHS wants to leverage the more widely available commercial SAR data, Madigan said. Radar satellites can peer through darkness, clouds, bad weather, smoke and other conditions that compromise electro-optical imaging satellites.

The combination of SAR and change detection analysis could be very effective in hurricane response, he said. With flood detection products, you know where the water levels are. It is huge.

DHS gets significant support from NGA, Madigan said. The challenge with SAR is that it requires a lot of experience in exploitation, she said. So this is where things like change tracking analytics and value-added type production really come in handy for informing state and local personnel, especially in search and rescue operations.

The US Coast Guard, an agency under DHS, is starting to use ship and aircraft type sensing technologies that were completely new to us for many applications such as monitoring illegal and unregulated fishing, he said. We have tested some algorithms and validated some of the commercial images.

Madigan’s office is keeping a close eye on the commercial geospatial industry, he said.

I’m personally excited to see all the competition in the commercial market, whether it’s resolution, sensor diversity, he added.

I think hyperspectral is going to be a really exciting technology when it’s available to us and we can apply it particularly to things like critical infrastructure. DHS has partnerships with the energy sectors to ensure the safety of pipeline structures and chemical infrastructure.

During major public events, Madigans’ office works with state and local officials to manage the installation of overhead sensors to ensure we have regularly updated satellite imagery of such locations.

Combining satellite imagery with Geographic Information System (GIS) datasets, he said, is a truly powerful tool for planning, from dog teams to explosives detection teams, site security and control, and all sorts of behind the scenes stuff at events. .

Border security applications

Also speaking to GEOINT, Assistant Chief at US Border Patrol Headquarters Dan Steadman said there is a need for commercial geospatial technology for border security.

Steadman said Border Patrol officers rely on mobile devices to get the data. Most devices run so-called Team Awareness Kits known as TAKs to intercept geospatial, navigational and situational awareness data.

A key challenge for TAK users is that they often have to rely on off-grid communications. The units are equipped with goTenna mobile radios, he said, but connectivity is difficult in many areas near the southern border. Offline precision mapping is one area where Border Patrol agents face challenges. Offline mapping capabilities, this is great, Steadman said. We need up-to-date satellite images, and that’s something we don’t always have.

TAKs run on many types of mobile operating systems and could benefit from increased access to satellite imagery to help track agents in the field, Steadman said.

We would like to see predictive analytics, Steadman said, for example, that looks at Border Patrol mission patterns to help gauge effectiveness and assess where resources should be allocated.

Government agencies don’t necessarily know where to find these technologies, he said. Our organization depends on the industry to come to us and say, Hey, we have a solution for this problem.

Sometimes people in the law enforcement and security industry believe that big brother technologies seen in movies and TV shows have real-life equivalents, he noted.

They assume you can zoom in with a satellite and read a license plate. This is one of the biggest questions we always get when trying to explain just resolution expectations and how often you can see a collection and keep an eye on the lens all the time.

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