Edgesource Knowledge Management

The Foreign Service environment requires personnel to move frequently from one post or assignment to another, essentially maintaining a sense of transition at all times. As people move, critical knowledge of post operations, decisions and institutional history can be lost, resulting in duplication at best, and failure of programs or a breakdown in diplomatic relationships, as a worst-case possible outcome. Having reliable knowledge management systems has always been a solution to this problem, yet the technology and the vision were often missing in the creation and implementation of such systems. Recognizing this Departmental challenge, Edgesource has become a major player in assisting the Department of State develop, deploy and manage multiple knowledge management and information sharing portals used globally by DoS employees, contractors and partners. Edgesource manages over 40 highly visible knowledgebase.net portals including Ask Admin, GFS Knowledgebase and Ask HR (recently featured in State Magazine). These knowledge databases serve employees globally, every day, bringing relevant, timely and validated information to the desktops of Department personnel. Ask HR, an outgrowth of Ask Admin, has become a critical tool in the development and deployment of the HR Shared Services new initiative. It provides a combination of federal government and Department specific Human Resources (HR) information, validated and verified by DoS HR experts. In 2008, these knowledgebase portals had over 7.9 million page views and over 19 million hits requested from 51,000+ unique visitors. The increase in use and popularity through the Departments represents a 50% increase in viewership from the previous year. Through its hosting, enhancement and daily maintenance, Edgesource provides the Department with some of its most valuable information sharing tools that have become an integral part of daily operations for thousands in the Department.

Edgesource Military Intelligence

Over the past five (5) years Edgesource employees have worked on a number of Counter Intelligence / Human Intelligence (CI/HUMINT) applications created under the umbrella of the C4ISR and the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) for the US Army. For Human Domain users, Edgesource contributed significantly in developing web-based applications to facilitate real-time intelligence gathering and reduce analysis cycle times. These are systems for information exchange that combine the functionality of a searchable document repository with a data correlation engine and scoring system. The system enables analysts to search and compare reports from tactical missions, as well as other intelligence data sources, and through the correlation of unique identifiers and detailed descriptions of encounters with groups of individuals and their associates, develop a much more comprehensive profile of areas (neighborhoods, apartment buildings, etc) and networks of people than would be otherwise possible from disparate mission and analysts reports alone. It is integrated via a RAIF adapter to DCGS 3.1 and the All Source ACE Block II, and was selected as the best-of-breed correlation engine for DCGS-A V4, where its capabilities integrate with the DIB/MDC, DCGS Content Discovery, Plotting, and MFWS.

Additional contributions Edgesource has made to Military Intelligence include:

• Integration of Software / Web Applications into CI hardware systems
• Development of Artificial and Counter Intelligence applications using .NET, C#, XML, XSLT, HTML, Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic and SQL
• Creation of Computer Based Training (CBT) modules for deployed military personnel
• Full software development life cycle activities in accordance with US Army standards
• Provision of personnel on the ground in Iraq for software deployment