's Blog

Our lessons learned from the OFT/NRL development of VMOC is that Responsive Space will only take place when space data/assets can be made available to end users in a responsive manner.

The truth is that data exist. It is simply not available to end users in a timely for many reasons ranging from political to technical. Distributing data across organizations is an interoperability challenge. Tasking space assets across organizations is even more of a leap of faith.

These capabilities are desperately required for Maritime Awareness programs (Tactical Maritime Awareness, Maritime Domain Awareness, or Comprehensive Maritime Awareness…) or even closer to home for Emergency Response/Disaster Relief Efforts. Hurricane Katrina disaster proved, after the fact, that data could have been made available to NORTHCOM from many military or civil organizations.

Funded initially by OFT and NRL, GeoBliki rose from those emerging needs as a generic data node integrating all the standards defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium for Sensor Web Enablement. The first instantiation is at eo1.geobliki.com. With the support of NASA Goddard, this server will allow for the first time transparent access to space including data and tasking of a civilian satellite (EO-1) from any military or civil organizations prior to TACSAT-1 launch.

This capability can easily be cloned to thousands of space/ground/sea nodes generating data feeds for subscribers interested in satellite imagery, AIS ship tracks or pictures/videos taken by first responders. Aggregators like VMOC will be able to offer transparent tasking to civil or military assets in case of emergencies. Other assets such as UAV, field cameras could be tasked in a similar manner.

This coming December, the OGC will showcase an interoperability demo with more than 40 organizations/vendors. This will be the place to show responsiveness!