Too Much Information: Taming the UAV Data Explosion

TMI! That’s what US military commanders are saying about the explosion of data being collected and processed (or not) by thousands of UAVs. Because UAVs provide valuable information, the US military has been asking for more and more of them to be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. All that information needs to be processed so that it is useful for the commanders in the field. Software that can archive and retrieve information when needed and display it on a user-friendly interface is available in the commercial sphere. But the technology is not being developed and deployed fast enough in the military sphere. As Lt. Gen. Deptula, USAF deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, said recently, “We are going to find ourselves in the not too distant future swimming in sensors and drowning in data.” This free-to-view DID Spotlight article examines the problem of the UAV data explosion, some possible solutions, and future challenges. * Proliferation of UAVs: The Stats * The Deluge: Breaking Down Barriers * The Madden Effect: Tagging and Retrieving Video * Data Fusion: Telling a Story * Googling the Enemy: Intelligent Search * […]