Innovations & technologies

NGA sharpens its focus on research

It’s been less than a year since Peter Highnam took over the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s high-tech research office, InnoVision, and already the former intelligence community official is shaking things up. Highnam is ushering in a new era with the NGA Research and Development Directorate, focusing research on seven “pods” or core areas: radar, automation, geophysics, spectral, environment and culture, geospatial cyber and anticipatory analytics.

The research pods join NGA’s renewed relationship with In-Q-Tel, its Pathfinder unclassified data program and its new NGA Outpost Valley office as examples of how the agency is transforming its approach to future technologies. As the nature of combat changes and increasingly relies on intelligence in warfare, NGA too is morphing how it supports the missions of today and tomorrow.