DEVELOPMENTAL ELECTRONIC INFORMATION DISPLAY SYSTEMS WITHIN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00097A000300010005-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: January 1, 2000
• Content Type: MF

A
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/20: CIA-RDP79M00097AO00300010005-4
MEMORANDUM FOR: DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
SUBJECT Developmental Electronic Information
Display Systems within the Intelli-
gence Community
If the many efforts now underway are brought to fruition,
the Intelligence Community will be operating numerous separate
secure, "real-time" video exchange systems in a few years.
Modern computer and electronic display technology, if not
applied on a community-wide coordinated basis to problems
within the Intelligence Community, could result in extensive
waste of resources and actually deter efficient and effective
operations.
To be specific, the member agencies of the Intelligence
Community, in their many and individual effort to solve
such problems as you yourself have identified, are proceed-
ing to design and build automated systems for the exchange
of data and graphic presentation of images. There is one
or more-for each type of intelligence source. Following
is a sample of the systems to which I refer:
Electronic CRT Display System/
Sponsoring
A enc
t
ff
or
E
IDHS (Intelligence Data Handling System)
DIA
IRDHS
(Imagery Related Data Handling System)
DIA
ITC (Imagery Transmission Committee)
COINS
(Community On-Lire Intelligence System)
611
ASD (I)
SS RS
(SIGINT Surveillance & Reporting System)
NSA
Intelligence Data Exchange/TETRAHEDRON
NSA/IHC
INVIDEX (Intelligence Video Exchange)
NP IC
State
HSC (Human Source Committee)
VTVS
(Video Transmission and Viewing System)
CIA
Z''Many of our principal national ZeveZ consumers are not being well served
by our current intelligence efforts. We must devise methods for getting
rns aningful evaluations of current intelligence items to key consumers as
'vents occur --Yd as Zntelli Ce cormnen required by the user, rr
W. E. Colby, "Perspectives of the Intelligence Environment, " August 1973.
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These systems have several features in common. All are
being designed to handle classified intelligence information
and to provide essentially the same kind of service; namely,
"real--time" video presentation of alphanumeric and graphic
data and imagery. They have another feature in common. Each
will cost several million dollars to acquire.
Unfortunately, these systems also have many features
which distinguish one from the other. Each system is being
designed primarily to display a particular intelligence input
or group of related inputs. Each system will have its own
file structure, retrieval language and data base management
system. Access to these systems will be made more difficult
due to the large variety of classifications and categories.
If these programs are permitted to continue on their present
course, within a few years our intelligence and warning
centers will be populated with a variety of different CRT
terminals. The intelligence analyst will be surrounded by
scopes. He will have to be a walking library of retrieval
languages. How will he synthesize and assimilate the
variety of intelligence inputs, much less assist in the
decision-making process? Inefficiency will border on ineffec-
tiveness.
The solution to this potential dilema is, of course, not
to stop these programs and return to pencil and paper. We
must use computers and CRT's. Our future depends on them.
What we should do is redirect these vigorous, individually
creative efforts into a coherent, community-wide program.
This issue must be elevated above the level of individual
agency concern. The DCI and the USIB should insist on a
coordinated approach to the development of these video ex-
change systems.
I recommend that you task the Intelligence Information
Handling Committee (IHC) of the USIB in the person of its
to:
Acting Chairman,
E
Review the problem thoroughly but quickly;
Produce a study documenting these efforts and their
costs and recommending specifically how to funnel
these diverse efforts into a coherent system for the
benefit of the Intelligence Community as a whole; and
Authoritatively coordinate the implementation of that
single, coherent system.
STAT
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r
Such a standardized, coordinated effort will save many
millions of dollars. I urge your personal attention to this
important issue.
Maj. Gen. Daniel 0. Graham, USA
D/DCI/IC
- 3 --
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/20: CIA RDP79M00097AO00300010005-4 rt aF ,
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COINS PROJECT
MANAGEMENT OFFICE
PROJECT MANAGER
(FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT AREAS)
USERS SUPPORT
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT
ADVANCE PLANNING
AND IMPLEMENTATION
* PROVIDES A COINS PMO
REPRESENTATIVE TO PACOM
OPERATIONS
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PLANS, PROGRAMS 8 BUDGET OFFICER
SECURITY OFFICER
ADMINISTRATIVE
COINS NETWORK
CONTROL CENTER
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COINS
COMMUNITY ON-LINE INTEWGENCE SYSTEM
MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
DIRECTOR OF
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY COINS
DATA BASE
WORKING GROUP
CHAIRMAN, ASD(I)
DCI/IC
CIA
DIA
NSA
NPIC
STATE
COINS PMO
ASST SECRETARY DEFENSE
FOR INTELLIGENCE-A_SD(1)
(EXECUTIVE AGENT)
(OPERATIONAL)
1
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
OFFICE (V2)
(HOST AGENCY, NSA)
PARTICIPATING AGENCY
SUBSYSTEM MANAGERS
CIA NPIC
DIA NSA
NIC STATE
(NSA ADMINISTRATIVE Ft
TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
DIRECTOR
NSA
CHIEF V
GROUP
INTER-AGENCY PANELS
CONTRACTORS &
CONSULTANTS
? COINS COMPUTERS AND
COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE
PANEL (CCIP)
? COINS USER SUPPORT (CUSP)
? COINS SECURITY PANEL (CSP)
? COINS TECHNICAL
NETWORKING GROUP (TNG)
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/20: CIA-RDP79M00097A000300010005-4