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(U//FOUO) Portals: The Door to Better SIGINT? Just Ask the People in
S2B33
FROM:
TRAILBLAZER Mission Element (S21T)
Run Date: 06/29/2005
Drawing on expertise from across the Intelligence Community, with the help of portal
technology. (S//SI)
(U//FOUO) Technology is quickly changing the way we get information, the amount of
information, and how we communicate. The pressure to do more with more -- which sometimes
feels like less -- is a constant challenge. Portal technology is the latest and greatest solution, but
does it work? More importantly, will it help you with your work?
(S//SI) Just ask the people in S2B33, in NSA's Office of China and Korea. They have worked
with a portal called eDoc Exchange. The following is one of their portal success stories:
(S//SI) When the following Chinese language graph was obtained by the PRC Nuclear Weapons
Team, none of the NSA analysts had the technical background to interpret its meaning and
determine its intelligence value. With the exception of the Chinese language title, NSA analysts
could not gather any additional information regarding this graph on their own, and were not
even sure if it related in any way to PRC weapons development.
(S//SI) Chinese Graph of an Unidentified Curve
(S//SI) Using the eDOC Exchange Portal, the graph was posted for DoE (Department of Energy)
experts to examine. After reviewing the graph, the experts provided NSA analysts with the
following response:
(S//SI) "This graph is pretty certainly someone designing an anechoic chamber. One
frequency of interest is 8.15 GHz where the attenuation is the strongest. The pyramidal
reference indicates the "pyramids" on the wall of the chamber and the material is some
microwave-absorbing material." (NOTE: This type of chamber can be used for weapons
and radar-related testing.)
(S//SI) From this DoE response, the SIGINT analysts were sure that the graph did relate to
their target and the intelligence gained from the content would be useful to the Intelligence
Community. When the final report was issued, instead of merely stating that NSA obtained a
graph of an "unidentified curve," it was reported that the Chinese are designing an anechoic
chamber.
(S//SI) The SIGINT analysts identified an additional benefit of using this portal. Prior to the
eDOC prototype, this type of intelligence would have simply been e-mailed to one DoE
counterpart at one DoE location. Since the eDoc Portal exists on an Intelligence Community-wide
location (Intelink), NSA analysts are able to post the graph in the portal, allowing many DoE
experts in many locations to view the document and offer more information. The information
gathered regarding this graph was provided to NSA analysts from an unexpected source, which
may not have been otherwise consulted.
(U) What is a Portal?
(U//FOUO) If you are familiar with the internet, you have probably encountered a portal without
really knowing it. Customized information on a Yahoo page, an AOL page, or any other page that
provides local weather information, news, movie schedules or even a horoscope, are provided
through portal technology. Portals provide the capability to customize, on a single web page, a
host of local and geographically dispersed data, tools and interactive elements which allow the
user to customize the content and resources displayed. Portals promise a more dynamic and
customized experience, bringing the "things" people need to do their job together in one
location.
(U//FOUO) Portals also facilitate communities of interest in which individuals can collaborate to
deliver results faster. These communities can be a closely held set or they can stretch across an
enterprise or even the world. In real time situations, portals have brought experts together to
support the Iraq warfighter from DC, Denver, and Ft. Gordon. Portals integrate voice, video and
data collaboration through a virtual meeting regardless of distance or geography. Instant
messaging, white boarding, screen sharing, and text chat and many other capabilities facilitate
interaction. The ability to discuss projects, share information, and modify documents allows
users to significantly improve team communication and accelerate the decision making process.
(U) Why Use a Portal?
(U//FOUO) In a resource-challenged environment, having easy access to the right information
and expertise at the right time can help you translate that information into customer-satisfying
intelligence. By delivering critical intelligence information to customers, you can move beyond
mere information transactions to discovering new ways to collaborate, analyze, and build
stronger intelligence reporting.
(U//FOUO) I tell people, "The portal is about a better and smarter way of exchanging information
and simplifying the business communication infrastructure on both sides of the
customer/supplier relationship." Portal technology is fast becoming mainstream. If you are
interested in learning more about the portal, or getting your team on the portal, please email
)
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108