6.3: Information Environment Strategy

Develop a strategy to embrace and exploit the emerging “information environment.”

Other Information:

External research can be considered a “value-added” hybrid somewhere between open source and human intelligence reporting. Numerous private companies are now providing both periodic and ad hoc informational products geared to the specific interests of their customers—some of which are agencies within the Intelligence Community. These companies provide not only tailored information but analysis of that information and estimates of out comes and implications as well. For their input, such companies depend largely on opensource information. Thus, apart from the value of their insights and analysis, these firms could help us mine the vast amount of open source information for the nuggets we both value. The Community needs to develop a corporate strategy to use these external sources more effectively. Welding together these efforts will be critical to maximizing use of our scarce resources. Implementing Actions: • Catalogue and share awareness of current efforts to leverage commercially-available sources of external analysis. Identify best practices. • Develop a strategy that recognizes the role, criteria for use, and capability of external partners to filter/analyze information. • Building on these baseline efforts, develop a funding approach containing a list of options and their fiscal impact—including the possible establishment of a coordinating body to implement a Community-wide strategy for Internet exploitation and purchases from open source data companies.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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