Eye spy - Satellite imagery changes global military strategies

The exploitation of overhead imagery has expanded rapidly in recent years, permitting individuals, organisations and governments to access and exploit overhead imagery on a previously unheard of scale. The expanding range of commercial imagery providers also allows comparative analysis of imagery captured at different dates and times, allowing for more accurate open-source intelligence assessments of a given location.

Countries around the world have responded to this proliferation of overhead imagery by seeking to limit or control what can be seen within their borders. In order to protect information regarding military capabilities, force deployment locations or the functions of sensitive or critical facilities, various denial and deception measures have been employed. Many of these measures do not necessarily represent overt attempts to counter imaging sensors, but are instead designed primarily to protect assets from attack or the external environment.

As it stands, the denial and deception measures that are currently employed represent an obstacle to imagery analysts. However, by identifying the nature of the measures employed, these can often be defeated by fusing multiple sources of imagery. Employing multiple sources of intelligence is the clearest way to ensure counter-overhead imagery techniques do not prevent the gathering of accurate and actionable information.