Gorgon Stare
Encyclopedia
Gorgon Stare is the name given to a new video capture
technology developed by the United States military. It is a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone. The US Air Force calls it wide-area surveillance sensor system".
project being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
. Gorgon Stare needs to utilize a system of tagging and metadata
to be fully effective. The Air Force plans to deliver one system in 2011, another in 2012, and a third in 2014, though they will not enter service until accepted by the commander in the theatre of operations. Gorgon Stare has been under development for more than two years and it is designed to down load to 65 different images to a variety of military users for analysis; this is what is refers to as “wide-area surveillance.”
at Eglin Air Force Base
, Florida. with the 53rd Wing. These sensors pods have been in development since 2009 by the Air Force’s Big Safari group and Sierra Nevada Corp.
In January 2011, it was announced that the program wasn't performing to expectations, and included faults such as "a large black triangle moving throughout the image," due to failure to combine the images taken by the multiple cameras, inferior image quality compared to older systems, a problematic night-vision system, inability to track people on the surface, and delays of up to eighteen seconds in sending data to the ground. In response, the Air Force said that several of the flaws had been fixed since the report detailing the issues had been written, that the system was never designed to offer high-resolution imagery over a wide area, and that in some areas the testing was "not sufficiently constructed to objectively evaluate the capabilities of the system," according to an anonymous source involved with the program.
Development costs are in the $15 million range. This sensor will photograh an area with a four-kilometer radius underneath the MQ-9 Reaper. The Reaper can fly both day and night operations from 12 angles; as reported by Robert Marlin, a technical adviser for the Air Force.
The Eglin AFB test revealed numerous problems, one such problem was a faulty coordinate grid for the chipped-out imagery. Another problem was a floating black triangle in the scenes. A third problem was an incompatibility with the handheld Rover 5 computers.
system. Argus is a system of tools developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
(such as Medusa
) is a terrifying monster from Greek mythology
with living snakes for hair. The reference is presumably to the multiple eyes (multiple cameras) and the danger it posed to gaze upon a Gorgon.
, a spy blimp developed for the US Air Force.
In 2006, another similar wide-area surveillance sensor, the Constant Hawk, is being tested by the US Army. Also, in 2007, the Marine Corps
tested an upgrade of the Constant Hawk, called Angel Fire. Both of these sensors were mounted under aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
Video capture
Video capture is the process of converting an analog video signal—such as that produced by a video camera or DVD player—to digital video. The resulting digital data are computer files referred to as a digital video stream, or more often, simply video stream...
technology developed by the United States military. It is a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone. The US Air Force calls it wide-area surveillance sensor system".
Background
The system is capable of capturing video of an entire city, can then be analyzed by humans or an artificial intelligence, such as the Mind's EyeMind's Eye (US Military)
The Mind's Eye is a video analysis research project using artificial intelligence. It is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency....
project being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military...
. Gorgon Stare needs to utilize a system of tagging and metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
to be fully effective. The Air Force plans to deliver one system in 2011, another in 2012, and a third in 2014, though they will not enter service until accepted by the commander in the theatre of operations. Gorgon Stare has been under development for more than two years and it is designed to down load to 65 different images to a variety of military users for analysis; this is what is refers to as “wide-area surveillance.”
Development
Gorgon Stare is being developed and tested on the MQ-9 ReaperMQ-9 Reaper
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle , capable of remote controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for use by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the CIA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Royal...
at Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, Florida. with the 53rd Wing. These sensors pods have been in development since 2009 by the Air Force’s Big Safari group and Sierra Nevada Corp.
In January 2011, it was announced that the program wasn't performing to expectations, and included faults such as "a large black triangle moving throughout the image," due to failure to combine the images taken by the multiple cameras, inferior image quality compared to older systems, a problematic night-vision system, inability to track people on the surface, and delays of up to eighteen seconds in sending data to the ground. In response, the Air Force said that several of the flaws had been fixed since the report detailing the issues had been written, that the system was never designed to offer high-resolution imagery over a wide area, and that in some areas the testing was "not sufficiently constructed to objectively evaluate the capabilities of the system," according to an anonymous source involved with the program.
Development costs are in the $15 million range. This sensor will photograh an area with a four-kilometer radius underneath the MQ-9 Reaper. The Reaper can fly both day and night operations from 12 angles; as reported by Robert Marlin, a technical adviser for the Air Force.
The Eglin AFB test revealed numerous problems, one such problem was a faulty coordinate grid for the chipped-out imagery. Another problem was a floating black triangle in the scenes. A third problem was an incompatibility with the handheld Rover 5 computers.
Phase two
Phase two will integrate processes of tracking algorithms from the ARGUS-ISARGUS-IS
The ARGUS-IS, or the Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency project contracted to BAE Systems. According to DARPA:...
system. Argus is a system of tools developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Deployment plans
Lt. Gen. Craig Koziol, the director of the ISR Task Force, reported in a news conference that Gorgon Stare is planned to be deployed in December 2011.Name origin
GorgonGorgon
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a terrifying female creature. The name derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful." While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a...
(such as Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
) is a terrifying monster from Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
with living snakes for hair. The reference is presumably to the multiple eyes (multiple cameras) and the danger it posed to gaze upon a Gorgon.
Similar systems
A similar system is planned to be installed on the Blue Devil blimpBlue Devil (blimp)
The Blue Devil is a proposed reconnaissance airship that will be built for the United States Air Force and for use in the War in Afghanistan. It is designed to capture and process data from onboard sensors before delivering it to ground troops....
, a spy blimp developed for the US Air Force.
In 2006, another similar wide-area surveillance sensor, the Constant Hawk, is being tested by the US Army. Also, in 2007, the Marine Corps
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
tested an upgrade of the Constant Hawk, called Angel Fire. Both of these sensors were mounted under aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.