INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
Geospatial Intelligence Forum
Tom Sheridan Vice President, National Security Space The SI Organization, Inc. Tom Sheridan has over 35 years of government and military experience in space-related acquisitions, operations and requirements development. He has served as commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Air Force program executive officer for space. He retired from the Air Force in 2011 with the rank of lieutenant general. Q: At a time when most federal agencies are dealing with budget cuts, how can the Department of Defense and intelligence community benefit from investing in systems engineering and integration [SE&I] services? A: The expertise and activities associated with systems engineering and integration enable everyone involved to understand systems as a whole. Once you know what makes a system tick, you can identify weaknesses or shortcomings. This is the case for very complex systems, like a space system, as well as simpler systems, like a scheduling system. When it comes to an era of budget-cutting, SE&I provides a detailed knowledge base from which to make educated decisions. Systems engineers and integrators understand the mission-critical components of a system and can pinpoint opportunities to drive cost savings. By leveraging SE&I expertise, customers can better determine where the cuts should come from and how to optimize systems for better performance or enhanced utility. Q: It seems that more and more contracts are procured using a lowest price, technically acceptable [LPTA] approach, but is LPTA an effective source selection process? A: It depends on what the customer is buying. If it’s fuel oil or copy paper, as a taxpayer, I’d hope the LPTA approach would be used. But, as a procurement becomes more complex, especially when there is research and/or development involved, a best-value approach becomes more important, and more appropriate, in my view. A very well-defined 28 | GIF 11.3
product, such as fuel oil or copy paper, doesn’t require engineering ingenuity to make a decision. Conversely, developing a brand-new set of intelligence product analysis tools or a new spacecraft does require critical thinking and innovation. If we step back and grade our procurements with respect to difficulty and risk, that would be a good way to help decide whether an LPTA approach makes sense or not. Q: What integration and analysis challenges do agencies face as they add new data sources to their multi-INT operational picture? A: Whether data sources are satellites, aircraft, ground-based sensors or databases of existing information, as we move forward in the “connected age,” all sources become nodes on a network. Interfaces are no longer just point-to-point; they become a mesh of activities and connectivity. As we head in this direction, more and more things will tend to “bump into each other.” These issues need to be sorted out and arranged so all the data sources can work together seamlessly. A request for information may never take the same path twice, and the integration of dissimilar systems will require more advance planning to ensure systems and people can successfully work together. Q: Do “big data” solutions play a role in multi-INT analysis? A: Anyone who has bought a digital SLR camera is familiar with the big data problem. Now, instead of rationing your pictures,
you take pictures of everything—in high quality. That is the issue today, the ubiquity and availability of data. Unlike the past when there was a dearth of data, our challenge today is to extract both value and intelligence from the terabytes and petabytes of structured and unstructured data. At the SI, we are engaging our mathematicians and engineers to extract value from the volume, variety and velocity of data collected by leveraging our advanced analytics capabilities. In addition, we are helping our customers address another big data issue— how to manage the storage, retrieval and archival of data. Q: What is the SI doing to provide customers mission assurance in a budget-constrained environment? A: We are examining each system or system-of-systems where we have responsibility and advising customers if and where they might be able to trim activities without hurting their mission. Our vantage point as systems integrators helps us know the details and interrelationships of programs and enables us to provide critical thinking and advice. Q: How does collaboration between government and industry play a role in the future of national security space systems? A: Just the same as it always has. I’ve been a part of national security space for over 30 years. I’ve always viewed it as a partnership between industry and government. No one sector can be successful on its own. We have to collaborate and rely on each other– it’s in our DNA. Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add? A: National security space remains a bellwether series of capabilities to provide the U.S. and our allies incredible access and insight into world situations as they arise. This type of rapid global insight is critical to defending our freedom in the complex world in which we live. O www.GIF-kmi.com