Geospatial Intelligence, Technological Development, and Human Interaction

In today’s steadily mutable era, threats and hazards are increasingly expanding. In addition to terrorism, asymmetric conflicts and social unrest are endangering international security while technological knowledge and defensive tools symmetrically respond. With this interpretation, it appears clear that the investigative methods require thorough scientific support if they are to be a tool for investigation as well as for decision-making. In contrast, recent worldwide accidents such as the 2001 Twin Towers attack on September 11 in New York City have revealed a lack of intelligence, which cannot be fixed without acknowledging the fundamental value of the human intelligence (HUMINT) contribution. In order to face these issues, it is relevant to characterize the key aspects that allow a suitable interaction among the highly technological geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and the traditional HUMINT activities, with the goal to design the main procedures for a crucial collaboration.