Why the Intelligence Community needs Big Data

The Intelligence Community relies heavily on collecting and analyzing big data. Without big data for IC, intelligence efforts would come to a standstill. However, the ever-changing technological innovations like smartphones or modes of communication like social media are making data collection increasingly challenging for the Intelligence Community. Infinit.e makes data collection and analysis a much more streamlined process in line with the quick turnaround needed by today’s Intelligence Community.

Security Situations

Analysts who are responsible for providing security at high levels are confronted constantly with big data at high volumes. A significant amount of time is wasted trying to sort relevant data from white noise traffic. Existing tools require an impractical amount of manual review, effectively limiting collection capability of big data for IC. Massive amounts of raw data contribute to complex and ever-changing situations, making relevant analysis and timely action almost impossible. In order to act with confidence in this high-pressure environment, security analysts require access to discovery capability and research tools which are fast, comprehensive, and deliver reliable enough results to trust in life or death situations.

Combining Data Types

Collecting big data for IC may be a challenge in and of itself, but the wide spread of sources present an even greater obstacle. Infinit.e makes data mapping easy, facilitating the analysis of both structured and unstructured data. Relevant information from social media, blogs, news feeds, chat rooms and forums can be used in tandem with data from standard file systems and traditional relational databases.

Refined Analysis

Regardless of the source, Infinit.e can be utilized to analyze, visualize and map every aspect of big data collection. For example, information from various local blogs and news feeds is combined with more structured departmental crime reports and official statistical data into a single unified data presentation for any given area. Through the use of Infinit.e, collecting big data for IC can be used to show crime incident patterns either by statistics, crime type or location. Advanced query capabilities are included to cross-reference and compare any or all of these results. This process allows law enforcement officials to develop more effective strategies against crime prevention, as well as better resource allotment and more intelligence as to why different crime patterns may appear. The data environment presented is highly customizable, easily navigable and simple to understand.

Raw Data Becomes Meaningful

Through the combination of structured and unstructured data sources, information can be harvested with greater agility, and results presented in an immediately accessible visual platform. Analysts are better able to recognize how seemingly unrelated bits of big data do in fact form significant patterns. Plus, Infinit.e uses changes in big data input to further refine results and more accurately filter the end analysis. The correct information is collected more quickly, and understood more easily.

Finally, since Infinit.e is open source, the architecture is capable of easily incorporating different platforms and custom-built visualization widgets. These widgets are designed to integrate with existing methodology, or Intelligence Communities can build customized widgets for their unique needs. Extraction engines and plug-and-play technologies provide the kind of adaptability and flexibility needed to bring true mission agility to the big data collection needs of today’s Intelligence Community.

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