PROJECT ARGO EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T01137A000200060044-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 30
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 2010
• Sequence Number: 44
• Content Type: REPORT

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heir opinions with ;analyses of the possible costs of-,acquisition or.,ex_-
iif ica' n'ce to' the operating ag,enc es:,, depending on what: ' these , costs turn, out, to
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LE OF CONTENTS'
GRAPHIC,- MATERIAL IN SUPPORT OF, PHASE II EVALUATION.
GRAPHIC,~MATERIAL IN SUPPORT ' OF"VHASE III EVALUATION
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n"response to this''developitg,need, the Special Assistant' to the President
i Science. and Technology .took action in November 1966 to,begin a formal study
'classified photography: by the civilian. agencies. With' the approvalof the
recto.r of Central Intelligence -and the
cr;;,:)epartrteuts of Agriculture,; Interior
f~ .opment and the Nationsi~ Aeronautics and Space Administration,,a plan etas
r,tliat study.
):ojecti~es and Scope
initiating, the project', the, participating agencies had three objectives, in
evaluate the information content of the existing photography as ?it'.'woul
develop within the civilian agencies a cadre of. people who would:
nderstand; the photography-,and-,the-techniques of - exploitation, and who could then
a-ssist their agency in: making , use: of the photography .and in planning for future
the '',less developed, countries .'.of operational value to '.AID.
e: study' was` performed by a .team of scientists and engineers nominated: ley'
To. facilitate .the'. ev'a,luation, the. full-time participants organized
thet-selves along these- disciplinary -.lines with
or', I''n some cases, ,.-group reports
Secretary of Defense,- and in concert.With,
and Commerce, the:,Agency?,for International.,
'~ir. l 5t'li1 n ~ft'(,'J (~51 fi'S' ' I
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I~Il i.ll C1`il' II
rk.1l~". Jl1V ~.o era R Lnar'" L'T1C CVJLUU.-cca"1Vu3 ??'m.Z;' u vILcu,, ST'nri ?-n .oSr.T???vc nsc'c?n":: - -?
~rvrecoi naijsance satellite.,systems. Examples' of the photography, comparative
v}'c und;' overage and camera chara'cteris'tics are shown in Figure. 2:; ?. As. the. graphic
Ql.,tray i, chow , ?the:`DAf'I, and index cameras of the KIi-4? and M-7.systems? cover large.
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11e 'repor't, these index cameras are referred to as Index-4, Index-7 25X1:,
panoramicJ1 :amera;.provides about 10 feet resolution and overlapping swaths o
Wherever
therphotograpus (Gemini and aircraft). were used by. the participants to compare,,chec
nineer' Topographic' Labora'tories. acted
;iac't monitor to . the
Advice and technical.
the U. S. Azmy'Corps:ofEngineers and the Army, Map'
cared office and.laboratory?'..facilities, technical?support',and consulting services
Administrative
;orini tee comprisod of the senior: members.of:each'agency
f cl ce or ,science` find 2zct ology..
f?" all the systems considered' 'but . photographs a rela-25X1 ' .?'.
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and areas in'the United States~where-good collateral-,
reports,;; personal exper.ien'ce,,anc
the .- CIA and. DoD through' NPIC;
?.tizc ~4.n,,
Zeports that' follow are.the .p.ersona1 work and technical ;judgment; of
~ivi~ci ators In order to. view these report is n their proper :contc .
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which provided fully,25X1.I
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BREAKDOWN, 0F:-`SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHY USED IN PROJECT ARGO
APPROXIMATIIE
'FILM GROUND'RESOLUTION
TYPE ..(IN. FEET)
Figure 3
Top, tlnr~,.Gm
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U L;
-,INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE
u cs .perfoxmad detailed, disciplinary studies on the
using KII-4 panoramic'and KH-7 strip photography:
oj;ect AR;GO was'.. conducted in... three -phases as follows:
~?.ae ,I: :bri^.~: anon 'An orientation period was: conducted to. acquaint the part ci-
file photography, interpretation techniques, and`' L esults of. previous 'stud. e
t-he, project.
II - A r. %:udy'1' T the, photog abhy covering a
a wide variety. of topography, vegetation and climatic conditions - A
onal:Studj, dealing with surface drainage, engineering and structural geology,
surficial; materials, surface configuration and land`-forms, and cliLatolog3,,
aceompl shed by Autometric. (S.helkin, et al.) for the entire 1.2 million square
``aica. Figure 4 shows the area, studied. KH-5 (DAFF)-and index photography
regional study. Concurrently.;..the ARGO investi-
following. representative
Area I-., consisted of about 30,000 square miles that. included parts of
Chile, Peru aid Pdliviia.' Desert, high' plains and two mountain ranges
:ere the mostprominent`features. The participants studied the geology,
drainage, topography, hydrology, geography.-and agricultural conditions...'
of the area.
Area II consisted of'`about 20,000 square miles.of,'eastern Bolivia'-that
included a - part of e. eastern foothills of the Andes, ' an extensive,
area of, tropical .foresa ',; and some recent .land settlement and agricultural,
. dcvt:lo
p_ went'
a J. cl ,wring ,and settlement, ~drainage and, hydrology.
Studies in this area concentrated' on'fores try, agriculture
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'S;ierra Nevada ..'1`ft .' .i ange?
' I:-'lat: 'dead: Lake,
t~'aseo Cou?nty., U0-
state of 'Rhode Island
New i ii-i-dud
G t. ~1 nc
.Petrified'. Pores
1unt;;omer,y Co . Nd
Lower I:io. G'rande Valley-
Lake 14illu} jl,:: nlt.:plano
i`;,chacnicala;. 'Cliuquia,quil.1o
w. Peimsyluaiiia.:
Palisa'd` Colrado;
anta Gritz` '
'SUMMARY.' O.F AREAS AND' SUBJECTS INVESTIGATED
Iquique Chile;.:
Territories
-et Sea'
G~ a 1 !-,'.cumil ':"I'slandBahamas
.No- &',.ern Coast oi Spa3.n
i'Ili tt Buy. Shot cline '
caetle'!'Area14asliistgton'
Land use -trends-''hydro? studies,
comparisons of. conventional. and
satellite photos, land. use, planning:
Snow studies',sea.sonal comparisons
cloud. structure:', runoff estimates.
Crop acreage.measu?reinent, conventional/U-2
comparisons.
Geography.
Land use, land ..patterns. agriculture
use, urban-. dynamics ,,.;.water and ; land
pollution,,..archeology,.
ocean. surf features
Ice and .current ? f lo'w'-,:direction
phenomena
-Current
'Hvdrographic'chartrevision'
Sensor comparison ':1 25X1
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 ~~~rICJ U
eispacci.v of : t1ie~r
and:`f.or, the
who_. ewish: to
p oint,'?o
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sifted satellite. and aircraft photography from
Although the ?investi''4iors._al c a l fret: z
viewed."ttle .information 'content and the potential L-.-,u,inc:,s from
Lae'ti Loam member considered in`detail the information content of the satellite
photogrwtby ac applied to ,his background. In general, as a first step in his evalua
each .author selected= categories' of information. which, his, experience - indicatcd,.c
special, interest- to his .agency's operations..' or' to his li discipline,
evaluated the. ability of the current photography to-provide I
special. interests and experience;' Their results axe. therefore
aid any: attempt to' summarize them p;:esents sc..r difficultie ...
some. -rather explicit points-.-about the us;aand limiter
reader who will Inot be. able. to read more than 'just
_tportant to. bring these to his attention. For the r ader t;;io
paper #oilow' s . tli-_
follow and understand the analyses in detail;`the
provide informatiori at some required
t that' the satellite' materials should' not.
.'be ?c pec,t~ t
need for alternate, sourc.es.of.iniormatio:i';?Now
their judgments '?ab,qut. the. contributions tc. d0 s' i;ct1
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Uvu"' U',J u.:
iriaividual paper;.,, fo a complete discussion. ' However?, `the following abstracts
c 1aresen4ative of tic informaioil capabilities and limitations . of the TIZ pha f oUraphy.
ibcl by the:.LRGQ,.'in. . t, tors
can .6- ai.idin3 'crops %and bare
ctn.: 'distinguish windro.as
tica rectification.. makes it
measurement in
to be useful for?determinin ; plant disease=or
evaluated photography: shows vegetative,pattetns
KlI-'4 and '.101-7 can. show , detailed'. patterns such as difference;,
crop yield predictions. :No-conclusions about standing
e oo''i'c?ci~ti fi Gat~on ~or differentiation between standing crops were drawn from the.
Ludy,of-:tine-TK photography: since. timely coverage -was not
fields. In regard to,',crop yield:, he finds' that
harvested' crops and, believes` that parameters like
r
c? i`lu~ Crai ve:if iC3:tio?i1 ; of species However,
oui: that other, experiments have shown that
o;tau3...ag c'ro.ps ,of. dif,ierent.species:
in his agriculture. summary,
concludes that distinguishing commercial 'ores t-laPA,
non-co:::1ericdforest land-1 s. generally beyond the capabilities of all bu"t '2hc
p:.iJLcgraphy, but that ?,the separation of vegetative; areas' from a7o. rc, ^'jr
:ccorapiished: even . zii h the index photography. 'orests can
available which 'would permit
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passible to differentiate
finds `that the use of mathe-, :.25X1';
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co: cjnjional ph.otot; anhy.for. much more .,coverage., Because of this coni,i-
e coils- ders::4i.-- :
riore:'.u uful, to geologists.'thanrthe* other TK system:,
road caa?tc-r,r.esource., _p, anning, for cartographic delineation of' flood pla rs,
su-pplemented ;with- KH'-7, for detailed water resource' development and conscr.;;: -
hlaing TI y :;point ost; ,however, that. . space, photography cannot in all cases
u; ial photography if; . ailabl.e and cannot replic,e' the'.,need for .field investi
:ons for. detailed-,water resourc~e'development.and conservation. They conclude
for sea ice reconnais.sance.and that.a combination of -
r 'snow. . coverage mea?urements flood prediction and
iceconditi'o:is`ai.;:.
J J`
UllLaU
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u:L. point ;out that the l0.7 xcsolution of current wcathcr :;arc! .~Lcs
t'~G,. / cloud struacture and. small st.orl.-
cc~~Ls7 , Lie ..daL !"Pa'lent-l cyholc,pnotography could open up wide vist s in tl__~c'
d.eve16=61-11~ G.ountries
an
canna ~ be ob t~'tiied in any other manner in
soon-as possible.
pil biography for..' provisional
and states'.-that such,"geodesic control
acceptable time. frame. ""
imagery'rcould,'find' practical
of the U.. S. Coast' and Geodetic
onclude's -that .1G1-4,panoramic supplemented by..'KH-7. strip coverage
sd.a,u;,cl . be LCcful for:. urban an'alysis , land use rtnalysis and transportation studies..
c_ `;Lo1;.- l