Author of machiavelli.net, proud father of three, interested in shaping network society. Welcome to my blog.War 2.0
What do you call actionable local, real-time knowledge frameworks that arise from the aggregation of tidbits of intended and unintended info? I feel so 2007 to still say 2.0, when I talk about the collaboration that arises from the aggregation of little tidbits of intended and unintended information inputs into bigger mosaics that give us local and real-time knowledge that can be acted upon, but there is no better word at the moment (social media, enhanced collaboration, massive collaboration, peer production, etc. do not capture the idea).
Newsweek has an interesting/speculative article on the topic concerning the use of ipods in the US military (to be taken with a grain of salt):
Since sharing data is particularly important in counterinsurgency operations, the Pentagon is funding technology that makes it easier for the soldier on the ground to acquire information and quickly add it to databases. Next Wave Systems in Indiana, is expected to release iPhone software that would enable a soldier to snap a picture of a street sign and, in a few moments, receive intelligence uploaded by other soldiers (the information would be linked by the words on the street sign). This could include information about local water quality or the name and photograph of a local insurgent sympathizer. The U.S. Marine Corps is funding an application for Apple devices that would allow soldiers to upload photographs of detained suspects, along with written reports, into a biometric database. The software could match faces, making it easier to track suspects after they’re released.
Apple gadgets are proving to be surprisingly versatile. Software developers and the U.S. Department of Defense are developing military software for iPods that enables soldiers to display aerial video from drones and have teleconferences with intelligence agents halfway across the globe. Snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan now use a “ballistics calculator” called BulletFlight, made by the Florida firm Knight’s Armament for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Army researchers are developing applications to turn an iPod into a remote control for a bomb-disposal robot (tilting the iPod steers the robot). In Sudan, American military observers are using iPods to learn the appropriate etiquette for interacting with tribal leaders.
oh all the fun thing you can do with an never-ending pentagon budget. I’m asking myself if they are also funding a commission that will analyse whether all the money they spend ever actually makes a difference. if I was a soldier, I’d care more about bullet-proof armor, smart superiors and exit strategies than iPhones…
oh all the fun thing you can do with an never-ending pentagon budget. I’m asking myself if they are also funding a commission that will analyse whether all the money they spend ever actually makes a difference. if I was a soldier, I’d care more about bullet-proof armor, smart superiors and exit strategies than iPhones…