Mark Rushton is Global Defence and Security Lead at IP video specialist VITEC. In this article, he talks about the evolving role of IP video capture and distribution across intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance platforms in Ukraine, noting that technological innovations have widely been credited for helping Ukraine even the odds against Russia’s military forces. “Internet protocol-based video systems are increasingly important in getting the best insights to the right people at the right time, especially in the context of C4ISR,” he said.
“C4ISR stands for Command, Control, Communications, Computers (C4) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). Advanced C4ISR capabilities give players in active theatres of operation an opportunity to secure and maintain strategic and tactical advantage through enhanced situational awareness and knowledge of the adversary and environment by shortening the time between sensing and response.”
Changing the Role of Video
As tragic as it is, we are living through a time when video has become a key asset in wartime. Accessing video-based intelligence at the right time and place is a very effective method for gaining information about the constantly changing military landscape.
Mark said, “As we have seen since the early days of the Ukrainian invasion, video plays a crucial role in showing hostile troop movements and the general disposition of the arena. Beyond simply capturing video, strategic and tactical decision-makers also benefit from the ability to quickly and appropriately share video-based intelligence. It has been critical in optimising the efficacy of a smaller Ukrainian force by coordinating with coalition partners worldwide.
“In the past, video applications have been governed by military specifications that were often unique to individual countries or coalitions, which made sharing sensitive intelligence difficult. However, during the war in Ukraine, NATO has set a standard and has been able to communicate essential video intelligence with the Ukrainian military and first responders. It has enhanced the ability to attack a target while protecting – and recovering – from hostile actions.”
Embedded Value
Interestingly, as important as the video content itself is, there is an even more critical element: metadata. Metadata is the information embedded within video files that allow users to identify the file’s characteristics, making it easier to search, use and manage the video while confirming the accuracy, credibility and utility of the intelligence captured.
Video metadata includes the date the video was created, the creator’s name, location, date of upload, and even the camera ID. Based on these, and other critical data points, staff and leaders can validate data and ensure proper handling and dissemination of information based on policies designed to protect assets, sources and methods.
For this reason, it is important to ensure interoperability at this metadata level.
Critical Codecs
“Streaming companies in the commercial space, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, utilize video standards to compress data into formats that are streamed live or packaged up for efficient data downloads. Minimizing bandwidth while maintaining the best clarity and picture quality is a crucial business and economic factor,” said Mark.
“It is also a critical issue in military theatres of operation. It is important for ISR video intelligence to be shared across a range of devices. Compression standards allow ISR infrastructures to be agnostic to the networking and endpoint environment.
Mark Rushton, Global Defence and Security Lead at VITEC
“As a result, while a wide variety of equipment is deployed in the field, the coalition partners supporting Ukraine can share data in a format that anybody can use. Using the standardised codecs used for streaming video makes this manageable.”
Metadata and Standards in Sharing and Controlling Data
Mark also remarked on the importance of implementing the most stringent security measures in wartime situations. “We can protect video intelligence by securing lines of communication through encryption and other strict security practices, including proper authentication and authorisation.
“IP video encryption is an essential layer of security that ensures data is safe – even if it is intercepted. There are many sources of video intelligence, including data that civilians provide. Citizens who are unable or unwilling to flee are making considerable contributions to intelligence efforts simply by utilizing their cell phones to post videos.
To ensure their safety and ongoing participation in the intelligence-gathering process, measures must be put in place to protect citizens as well as intelligence operatives, drone operators and military positions. It is especially important now as Ukraine’s counter insurgence and offensive gathers steam.” www.vitec.com
