The Central Imagery Office, an agency of the Department of Defense, has
introduced the first in a series of innovative, computerized imagery libraries.
Called the Image Product Archive, the first library was opened at USACOM's
Atlantic Intelligence Command in Norfolk, Va.
This archive is the first significant system element fielded under the Central
Imagery Office's Accelerated Architecture Acquisition Initiative (A3I). It is
designed to improve the speed at which high-quality imagery is disseminated to
the warfighter.
The archive, developed at the Air Force's Rome Laboratory, will enable deployed
military users to access an electronic inventory of imagery and imagery-derived
products using commercial, off-the-shelf computer systems. Other IPAs are
being installed at the U. S. Central, Pacific and European Commands, as well as
in the Washington, D. C. area. By the end of l996, the IPA will be fielded
worldwide.
At that time, operational users will be able to pull original imagery and
imagery-derived products from standardized libraries at the national, theater
and Service intelligence organization levels, and use or manipulate these
products to satisfy their own requirements.
These IPAs will be accessible through INTELINK and the Joint Worldwide
Intelligence Communications System (JWICS). By employing common workstation
technology, such as the Joint Deployable Intelligence Support System (JDISS),
operational elements at and below the joint task force level can tap into these
IPAs as well. Plans also call for making the IPA available through additional
workstation technology, including the Global Command and Control System.
The initiative's two-year phase one, dubbed Pilot A3I, focuses on improving the
ground-based infrastructure of the U. S. imagery system. The overall
initiative will extend into the next century and concentrate on upgrading
existing imagery systems, and deploying new ones, as a way of enhancing
services for customers worldwide.
