Aircraft
Activity-Based Intelligence Comes of Age in Modern Warfare
Geographic intelligence has emerged as a key tool as states battle new types of enemies.
This screenshots shows how data from Esri’s ArcGIS product – in this case, of the Straits of Hormuz - can be leveraged to provide additional intelligence on factors such as the distance that a submarine could travel underwater in a given time, from its previously-confirmed location. [Image: Esri]
This screenshots shows how data from Esri’s ArcGIS product – in this case, of the Straits of Hormuz - can be leveraged to provide additional intelligence on factors such as the distance that a submarine could travel underwater in a given time, from its previously-confirmed location. [Image: Esri]

Today’s military aircrew are guided to their objectives--such as strike targets, drop zones, reconnaissance orbits--by increasingly advanced onboard mapping displays. Those objectives have been identified by intelligence analysts, approved by the command chain, and then refined by mission planners and weapons targeting specialists. The whole process has benefitted from the ever-more sophisticated science of geospatial intelligence (GeoInt).    

U.S. company Esri is the market-leading supplier of geographic information system (GIS) software, web GIS and geodatabase management applications. Although defense sales are only a small proportion of its revenues, the company always makes a major contribution to the annual Defence Geospatial Intelligence (DGI) conference in London. And when Esri talks, it tends to get the attention of defense GeoInt specialists.