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Analysts: A New Tool for Researching Telecommunications Infrastructure is Now Available

SUMMARY

QUARRYGEM is an application created by the Environmental Analysis Branch to give analysts and other users enhanced access to NSA's data on telecommunications infrastructure systems. It currently only contains data on undersea cable systems but was designed to handle other telecommunications infrastructure data, potentially including satellite, microwave and terrestrial data sources. 

DOCUMENT’S DATE

Dec 04, 2006

PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

May 29, 2019

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Page 1 from Analysts: A New Tool for Researching Telecommunications Infrastructure is Now Available
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL (U//FOUO) Analysts: A New Tool for Researching Telecommunications Infrastructure is Now Available FROM: Environmental Analysis Branch (S33241) Run Date: 12/04/2006 (TS//SI//REL) QUARRYGEM is a single, searchable application for accessing information about undersea cable systems -- and potentially other types of telecommunications infrastructure, too. (U//FOUO) After many years of painstakingly searching through file cabinets, reference books, archived disks, etc., the Environmental Analysis Branch within Special Source Operations (SSO) finally has a state-of-the-art application to assist with their analysis -- and the tool is now available for others to use, as well. (U) What Does It Do? (U//FOUO) QUARRYGEM is to telecommunications infrastructure what GOOGLE is to the World Wide Web. QUARRYGEM enhances access to telecommunications infrastructure data by aggregating geospatial, analytic and other reference data sources into a single, searchable application. QUARRYGEM is comprised of geospatial and data warehouse applications: The geospatial application allows analysts to search, modify and update or create views of the logical and physical characteristics of telecommunications infrastructure systems. The data warehouse provides for the indexed storage and retrieval of documents and metadata related to these systems. (U//FOUO) The QUARRYGEM system uses NSA's CASPORT authorization service for logon, so there are no userids and passwords to remember. QUARRYGEM also has a published web service that allows data to be sent directly from external data sources into the QUARRYGEM system. The AGILITY system is the first of those external data sources to make use of this web service. (TS//SI//REL) While the QUARRYGEM system currently contains infrastructure data only for undersea cable systems, the system was designed to be infrastructure-independent and can leverage any telecommunications infrastructure data e.g., satellite, microwave, terrestrial, etc. (U) How Can I Get More Info or Apply for an Account? (U//FOUO) Go to the QUARRYGEM homepage ("GO QUARRYGEM") or contact: at at , or (C) Please note that QUARRYGEM is available only to NSAers at this time. However, it will be available for Second Party access by early next year. "(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
Page 2 from Analysts: A New Tool for Researching Telecommunications Infrastructure is Now Available
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108