Providing logistical support under difficult conditions

Logistical support is a critical need for many federal agencies, encompassing defense and civilian agency missions. Especially in contested environments, getting critical personnel into a common location is not always possible within a time limit.

Distance isn’t the only challenge. Proliferation of multiple commercial and government systems across various defense and other government agencies complicates joint operations. Meanwhile, geographic, security and technological considerations—including costs, downtime, response time and the availability of skilled technicians and experts—drive a nebulous and shifting calculus in globalized logistical operations.

Increasingly, government agencies and the commercial sector alike are finding robust collaborative technologies provide a solution for these challenges, However, the commonly-used consumer-level or business-oriented systems are not always adequate. 

Federal agencies need a highly adaptive, video-assisted, secured, collaborative technology solution that combines several tools into a single common operating picture with integrated real-time response– one that affords powerful capabilities to ensure it can be adapted to a wide range of use cases. 

CGI’s Maintenance and Expertise Video Assisted (MaEVA) solution provides that level of capability and security. Consider a couple of scenarios:

Remote maintenance for military operations

Scenario: At a remote military airfield, a mechanic is stymied by a perplexing problem that doesn’t appear to be covered in a maintenance manual. Calling a more experienced technician or field service support engineer on a messaging platform allows some collaboration, but only limited capabilities.

However, using MaEVA-equipped devices, the technician at the airfield and any number of supporting experts can share visual, textual and diagnostic data, and work instructions, in real time with other professionals. Wearing augmented reality glasses, the field mechanic can actually be the eyes and hands of those helping to solve the riddle.

This is a game-changer in contested environments, which limit or even prevent specialized support engineers and technicians from traveling to the base to take on the problem directly. 

Additionally, this technology solution overcomes manpower shortages and reduces operational costs for specialized expert support. By eliminating travel requirements and accelerating response times, it allows a smaller number of technical experts to support more operations and organizations. In an operational landscape that has to reconcile with reduced budgets and manpower, Remote Collaborative Technology brings a decisive advantage.

Crime scene analysis for federal law enforcement and intelligence

Scenario: In the aftermath of terror attack in New York, a joint task force raids two identified safehouses for the terror cell—one in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania. The case covers at least three crime scenes across three states, also spanning multiple state and local jurisdictions, in addition to federal jurisdiction. 

Moreover, some suspects are still at large and there is reason to think another attack is imminent. With three crime scenes, multiple teams on the ground in each location and on the hunt for the missing suspects, a bewildering number of agencies involved, and a ticking clock, quickly coordinating the investigative efforts is imperative. 

However, there are familiar complications: Delayed response times as investigators are frantically multitasking. Data sharing difficulties mount as information and instructions pass through multiple points of contact and relays. Each agency involved has its own ecosystem of equipment and technology that may or may not mesh well with one another. All of this and more contributes to making each crime scene a silo until enough information is gathered and shared to get each operation to the same level. 

Speeding this process is important. Prosecutions sometimes fail because investigators overlook evidence in the field, or the evidence gets lost or contaminated. Witness statements may change over time, and the notes an investigator took during a field interview may omit critical details.

MaEVA’s tools and capabilities allow the entire investigative enterprise not just to collaborate but to overcome and prevent or mitigate some of the most common issues that frustrate these critical phases of an investigation.

Key capabilities: A sampling

MaEVA’s capabilities demonstrate its versatility and adaptability to a multitude of use cases. Some of these are: 

Real-time collaboration with full data and video sharing capability: The system can securely connect every team or agency involved in an operation, removing the barriers to data sharing and cooperation that distance imposes.

Automated transcription and data logging: Enables videography, along with the automatic recording and transcription of verbal and electronic notes, on-scene interviews, and automated workflows for records logging and management. It also facilitates imaging, cataloging and transcription of written or printed notes and materials. 

Integrated AI and augmented reality features: Providing the ability to connect integrated sensors and scanners allows for precise measurements and provides enhanced detection capability for small details, even some that not visible to the human eye. MaEVA’s augmented reality overlays can project sensor imagery or allow interactive collaboration with other participants, whether they’re at the same location or miles away. 

Find out more

To learn more about MaEVA and dive deep into the technical details, read our viewpoint.