DISA Improves ISR Video Capabilities

The recent activation of the Unified Video Dissemination System (UVDS) at the Defense Information System’s Agency’s (DISA's) data center in Weisbaden, Germany, has improved the reliable, secure transport of full-motion video (FMV) collected for the purpose of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in support of missions led by all combatant commands, the agency has announced.

The UVDS enables members of the global U.S. intelligence community to view live full-motion video feeds—collected by manned and unmanned aerial platforms—in high fidelity and without imagery dropout, ultimately improving situational awareness, enabling decision-making and improving commanders’ ability to ensure the safety of troops.

Prior to the activation of this UVDS in the European theater, there were only two UVDS sites, located in DISA data centers in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma City. The addition of a third instantiation resulted in reduced latency and improved fidelity, particularly in the European, African, Central, and Special Operations Command areas of responsibility, according to the agency announcement.

The UVDS can support simultaneous FMV feeds from nearly 200 sources and then immediately routes the video to users through DISA’s satellite communication gateways and the Defense Information Systems Network to UVDS server locations for storage and further dissemination to mission partners’ hosting locations. From a Secret Internet Protocol Router Network browser, users are able to select among incoming sources and simultaneously view multiple live or archived videos and images without the need for dedicated point-to-point circuits from each source.

Each month there are more than 64,000 unique visitors to UVDS and more than 250,000 hours of video are watched. DISA’s Infrastructure Directorate plans to expand UVDS into Central Command in calendar year 2018. Long-term plans include expansion into the Pacific theater. DISA also plans to modernize SATCOM Gateways Southwest Asia to improve the capability of receiving multiple FMV feeds and distributing them to UVDS portals for further analysis and distribution.