KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is making a significant effort to utilize commercial technology for tracking maritime dangers around the globe, the agency’s director said May 6.
At the GEOINT Symposium, Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth revealed the agency's first-ever request for commercial solutions focused on maritime domain awareness.
A new “Commercial Solutions Opening” aims to establish partnerships with private companies to create AI-powered analytics that can automatically identify illegal shipping activities such as smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal fishing.
“We think teaming up with our commercial industry partners will unlock promising solutions to some of our customers’ most difficult needs,” Whitworth said.
NGA, part of the U.S. intelligence community, serves as a combat support agency that collects, analyzes and shares data related to the Earth’s geography, imagery, and mapping. The data is used for military operations, policy decisions, navigation safety and disaster relief efforts. NGA’s work also provides policymakers with insights into global geographic issues, threats, and geopolitical dynamics.
Additionally, NGA creates nautical and aeronautical charts essential for safe air and maritime travel.
Monitoring hotspots
The Commercial Solutions Opening maritime initiative is part of a broader strategy at NGA to rely more heavily on commercial satellite imagery, data services, and artificial intelligence capabilities. Whitworth said the demand for geospatial intelligence has been heightened by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, increased tension with Russia and Iran, and other global crises requiring “warning, situational awareness, targeting, safety and humanitarian assistance.”
To meet these requirements, NGA is “turning more and more to commercial analytics. This to free up our exquisite capabilities and analysts for deeper intelligence and defense work,” the director said.
In the Indo-Pacific region alone, Whitworth said, NGA wants to leverage commercial analytics to automatically “track every ship, every day” as part of efforts to ensure free and open waters.
The new maritime solicitation joins other major contract opportunities NGA has released recently.
These include a $490 million “Luno A” and “Luno B” programs for commercial GEOINT analytics services. The agency is reviewing bids for “Luno A” and recently issued a request for bids for “Luno B.”
Tsunami of data
Satellite imagery and other geospatial data are expected to triple over the next decade, Whitworth said, adding that NGA is turning to commercial tech to handle the “tsunami of data” that will be critical for maintaining decision advantage over rivals like China and Russia.
Mark Munsell, NGA’s director of data and digital innovation, said the agency is closely following development in commercial analytics and how they apply machine learning and artificial intelligence.
“We are big fans,” he told SpaceNews. “The commercial market is going to invest in stuff that maybe we’re not focused on. And so much good can come from that.”
Munsell stated that they are encouraging companies to come up with new and interesting ways to use computer vision and artificial intelligence for analytics.
Multiple vendors were looking for something.
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit often issues processes called Commercial Solutions Openings to acquire commercial technologies from non-traditional vendors.
Devin Brande, NGA’s director of commercial operations, said that the CSO vehicle gives the agency more flexibility to work with the commercial sector on projects.
NGA wants to create a strategy to work with multiple vendors to develop a commercial sensor architecture for tracking illicit maritime activity. Vendors would collaborate to establish tasking algorithms for sensors, conduct analysis, and provide intelligence on illicit maritime activities.
Chosen vendors will be asked to present their capabilities at the Defense Innovation Unit’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, in late June.
Those who qualify will be invited to take part in a $1.5 million trial program to test capabilities. If successful, the project could become a major acquisition.
The Commercial Solutions Openings opportunity comes just two weeks after NGA issued a separate request for commercial solutions. NGA is looking for commercial solutions for maritime domain awareness in the Persian Gulf and South China Sea regions.
The solicitation states that the Persian Gulf, especially the narrow Strait of Hormuz, is crucial for global energy supplies. NGA aims to use commercial data to quickly identify potential threats from Iranian naval forces or proxy militias to freedom of navigation.
Doubling down on commercial data
Whitworth explained in a recent interview that the agency is increasing its use of commercial satellite imagery to provide analysts with a broader perspective on monitoring global security threats. SpaceNews in a recent interview that the agency is dialing up its use of commercial satellite imagery, aiming to equip analysts with a wider lens to monitor global security threats.
According to him, NGA’s platform for accessing commercial satellite imagery, known as the Global Enhanced Geoint Delivery (G-EGD), has more than 400,000 users across government agencies and authorized partners. He added that there is a lot of excitement about the use of commercial imagery.
The G-EGD system was first introduced in 2011 as a platform that only accessed imagery from Maxar Technologies, formerly DigitalGlobe. But it’s evolved into a one-stop shop for electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from a growing constellation of private satellites, Whitworth said.
He mentioned that it now includes Maxar, Planet, Iceye, Blacksky, Capella Space and others.
NGA aims to combine commercial and government space-based sensors and analytics to maintain an information advantage as geopolitical tensions increase worldwide.
Supporting safe maritime navigation has become a key focus, with NGA using commercial satellite data to keep an eye on the world’s oceans, seas, and chokepoints like straits and canals. The purpose is to detect “anomalies,” such as activities that violate international sanctions, illicit movement of people and weapons, and illegal or unregulated fishing.
Increased demand for Search and Rescue (SAR) services
Industry executives said that a stronger focus on understanding activities at sea is generating a need for SAR data.
According to Eric Jensen, CEO of Iceye US, a U.S.-based subsidiary of SAR satellite operator Iceye, SAR satellites are valuable for maritime uses because they can spot ships against the dark ocean surface.
He told that there are growing security worries, from blockades in shipping routes to cheap drones posing a threat to commercial ships. SpaceNews“We are beginning to see insurance companies for shipping companies considering commercial SAR as a way to monitor waterways for dangers,” Jensen explained.
Most shipping routes between major ports worldwide are often covered by clouds, and typically “bad things often happen at night,” making radar a highly desirable sensor that isn't hindered by clouds or bad weather.
