Military intelligence analysts face the monumental and escalating task of analyzing massive volumes of complex data from multiple, diverse sources such as physical sensors, human contacts and contextual databases. These analysts consume and process information from all available sources to provide mission-relevant, timely insights to commanders. To enhance this largely manual process, analysts require more effective and efficient means to receive, correlate, analyze, report and share intelligence.
Military intelligence analysts face the monumental and escalating task of analyzing massive volumes of complex data from multiple, diverse sources such as physical sensors, human contacts and contextual databases. These analysts consume and process information from all available sources to provide mission-relevant, timely insights to commanders. To enhance this largely manual process, analysts require more effective and efficient means to receive, correlate, analyze, report and share intelligence.
DARPA initiated the Insight program to address the need for new tools and automation to enhance analyst capabilities and performance. Insight aims to create an adaptable, integrated system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) information to augment intelligence analysts’ support of time-sensitive operations on the battlefield.
The system would receive, index and store incoming data from multiple sources. It would then analyze and correlate that information, and request and share other relevant information with analysts and data providers. Insight's automated backend processing capabilities would include behavioral learning and prediction algorithms to help analysts discover and identify potential threats and explore hypotheses about those threats’ potential activities.
The program envisions numerous benefits, including:
An integrated system that operates across intelligence systems
Optimized automation of lower-level analytical tasks that frees analysts to focus on more sophisticated information collection and analysis
Mission- and sensor-agnostic capabilities across dynamically changing missions and theaters of operation
An open, standards-based, plug-and-play architecture that enables rapid integration of existing and nascent ISR technologies and sources
Tools and automation to increase analyst efficiency and effectiveness
An intuitive, multi-user interface that would enhance understanding, collaboration and timely decision-making
The program is developing these capabilities and technologies in the context of realistic operational scenarios both in physical test environments with live sensors and training units, and in virtual test environments with simulated sensors, information sources and models of operational scenarios. In addition, the program has established a repository of collected, simulated and processed data generated from both physical and virtual tests. The repository’s multi-modality, high-fidelity data sets provide an unparalleled resource for hundreds of ISR researchers across government, industry and academia.