From left, Air Force Col. Patrick Cobb, Thomas Merrill, Curtis Miller and John Buckley, are presented the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation's Government Achievement Award for the Domestic Operations Awareness and Assessment Response Tool, or DA...
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- One U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command team was recognized for a program to aid responders during emergencies.
The U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, or USGIF, presented the Government Achievement Award to the USASMDC/ARSTRAT's Global Ballistic Missile Defense Prototyping and Experimentation Branch for their Domestic Operations Awareness and Assessment Response Tool, or DAART. The ceremony was hosted at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio June 6.
"I am very proud that we produced a product that can help both the National Guard, Warfighters and civilian first responders help U.S. citizens in times of emergencies," said Curtis Miller, physical scientist, SMDC Future Warfare Center, Prototyping and Experimentation Branch. "I am honored to be a part of our team of engineers and software developers who developed a product worthy of this award.
"The product is a tool used to help local authorities recover from natural disasters and during those times they have been able to share information to provide relief faster," he added.
DAART is a web-based, geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, capability designed, developed and operationalized by the National Guard Bureau Joint Intelligence Directorate in partnership with the SMDC. DAART provides both civil and military first responders the capability to process and share enhanced situational awareness information.
"The award is great," said Derek Redford, general engineer, FWC Prototyping and Experimentation Branch. "The products we produce in this office are being used to protect our citizens, and that is a good feeling to have. I get to witness this program grow from the beginning and it is interesting to see where we came from to where it is now."
The tool provides imagery, video, geospatial information and more to teams at the federal, state and local levels. It offers collaboration within the interagency incident awareness and assessment community supporting National Guard civil missions within the U.S.
Moving ahead, members of the DAART team will provide technical support for an austere communications capability to be exercised as part of National Guard Bureau's Patriot North Exercise and then support to the National Boy Scout Jamboree in July.
"Unwavering commitment to service, inspired innovation, academic rigor, and discipline are just some of the words that define the exceptional accomplishments of this year's awardees," said Kevin Jackson, USGIF Awards Subcommittee Chair. "Their accomplishments will have lasting effects on our nation and the world."
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