Geospatial Intelligence

Abstract

Place a map of proper scale and orientation over a scatterplot and several things happen that allow for an entirely unique set of analytics, which will be referred to in this book as geospatial intelligence. More precisely, a map can be used as the basis of a scatterplot in which individual observations are plotted in a manner that defines both the location where the observation was made as well as the time the observation occurred. There are a variety of software programs available specifically designed to analyze this type of information already available not only for military use, but also for use by private companies. From this data, information can be derived using not just regression analysis, which was discussed in greater detail in chapter 8, but also a best-of-fit analysis using something called abductive reasoning. In addition, important patterns have been found in the analysis of the geographic movement of people and resources that allow for specific types of geographic information not only predictable, but can even be proactively managed to directly alter the actions that opposition forces perform. People, it turns out, natural follow many of the same laws and models found in nature, such as those observed in animals, and even fundamental constants such as gravity.