The GEOINT 2020 Innovation Tradecraft Competition Has a Winner

Four finalists demonstrate the best practices in data discovery and alignment for addressing mission problems—Cesium wins the 2020 Innovation Tradecraft Competition

Herndon, VA (August 4,2020) — The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) and The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), on Wednesday, July 29, held the final round of the 2020 GEOINT Innovation Tradecraft Competition propelling forward a conversation on the evolution of the nascent mission analytics tradecraft and the importance of discussing new challenges and strategies to achieve mission success. 

In the first round, 17 presentations from 15 companies  on the best practices in data discovery and alignment to address mission problems through visualization, data sharing, and interoperability. Concluding round one, the judges selected Cesium, Deloitte, HawkEye 360, and Sandia National Laboratories to move on to the final round. Pixia and Presagis were selected as runners up.

The four finalists shared their innovative ideas for the final round of the competition, held on USGIF’s GEOConnect Virtual Main Stage. 

In a very close race, Cesium won the GEOINT 2020 Innovation Tradecraft Competition. 

 “I am very excited to represent Cesium today, and this victory is a reflection of the work that the Cesium team has put in. We always like to push the boundaries. Everyone on the team has put in a lot of effort into making Cesium the best it can be,” said Youssef Victor, 3D Graphics, Cesium. 

Victor discussed how to automate interoperability of 3D geospatial data and analytics on mobile devices in disconnected environments with on-device analytics using Cesium JS and 3D Tiles to not only empower warfighters but also enhance their decision-making and situational awareness in his presentation “From Disk to Disconnected.”

“Interoperability is core to our platform because we believe it is paramount to realizing the potential of geospatial intelligence,” said Cesium CEO Patrick Cozzi. “It is an honor to be recognized for our work advancing interoperability with 3D Tiles.”

About USGIF

USGIF is a nonprofit educational foundation dedicated to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and developing a stronger GEOINT Community among government, industry, academia, professional organizations, and individuals who develop and apply GEOINT to address global security challenges. USGIF achieves its mission via its strategic pillars: Build the Community | Advance the Tradecraft | Accelerate Innovation.

For more information, please visit www.USGIF.org and follow USGIF on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About OGC

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international consortium of more than 500 businesses, government agencies, research organizations, and universities driven to make geospatial (location) information and services FAIR – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. OGC’s member-driven consensus process creates royalty free, publicly available geospatial standards. Existing at the cutting edge, OGC actively analyzes and anticipates emerging tech trends, and runs an agile, collaborative Research and Development (R&D) lab that builds and tests innovative prototype solutions to members’ use cases. OGC members together form a global forum of experts and communities that use location to connect people with technology and improve decision-making at all levels. OGC is committed to creating a sustainable future for us, our children, and future generations. Visit www.OGC.org for more info