Army asks industry for data fusion of open-source information to ease workload on intelligence analysts
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – U.S. Army intelligence researchers are asking industry for data fusion analytics technologies to ease the workload on intelligence analysts who are piecing together open-source information from available open-source information and from captured devices.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., have issued a request for information (W56KGU-18-R-X0004) for the Fusion Analytics project to provide enhanced data fusion analytics using information from all-source, human, geographic, and other intelligence sources.
The Army has multi-sensor platforms like the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) and Vigilant Pursuit that can capture several sources of intelligence data for tactical operations.
Adding open-source information to these intelligence-analysis systems could deepen the body of available information, but also could place heavy workload demand on Army intelligence analysts. the Fusion Analytics project seeks to use new data-fusion algorithms to ease analyst workload and improve the system ease of use.
The Army Contracting command is issuing this request for information on behalf of the Intelligence And Information Warfare Directorate of the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development And Engineering Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Army experts are asking industry for ways to automate data fusion, including normalization for all data; correlation for single or for all intelligence disciplines; relationship detection and aggregation; and pattern discovery and exploitation.
Army experts are interested in developing an application programming interface (API) with a data construct containing a central hub that supports data-fusion capabilities to blend information on entities like military units, facilities, pieces of equipment, individual persons, significant events, organizations, personas, and networks. This API also will help point out relationships between the entities.
From industry, the army wants to know about new, existing, or enhanced data-fusion capabilities in extracting entities, as well as relationships among entities; correlating entities and relationships among entities; uncovering relationships among entities; pattern recognition; pattern detection and analysis; courses of action; general data analytics; and accuracy of data.
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The Army is asking industry for cost estimates to install, test, and demonstrate data-fusion capabilities; affordable commercial software licensing approaches that capitalize on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products; risk areas; and descriptions of how solutions apply to the tactical enterprise at various domains and echelons.
Companies interested should email 10-page white papers no later than 25 May 2018 to the Army at [email protected], with Fusion Analytics RFI in the subject line.
For questions or concerns contact Contract Specialist Shanin Johnson by email at [email protected], or by phone at 443-861-4673; or Contracting Officer Nicholas Martin by email at [email protected], or by phone at 443-861-4681.
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/efcbe083f37f7f7ebacb96f59959e839.
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John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
