MacDirectory: Exclusive | Apple Force: Macs in National Security

MacDirectory: Exclusive | Apple Force: Macs in National Security: "While it is true that Macs are revered in music, movie production and other arts communities, many people do not know that Apple also has a long and active tradition in defense and security that goes back at least to 1989. Back then, Apple won a contract to supply a minimum of 10,000 Macintosh IIx's configured for Unix plus a NASA contract for 2,500 Macs for the Johnson Space Center in Houston. While Apple doesn't publicize it as widely as it does its connection with Bono, Apple products have figured prominently in protecting our homeland in many key U.S security institutions:"

EchoStorm: Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Information Services (ISRIS) echostorm.net

EchoStorm, founded in 2003, does its share of business with Hollywood. But it has also developed a secure information delivery system for the Department of Defense that allows field commanders access to real-time intelligence, even if they have limited bandwidth and only intermittent connectivity. The ISRIS network delivers information to them securely in near-real time. It uses Xserve servers G5, Xserve RAID, and QuickTime to convert raw video sensor data to MPEG format that can be sent over slower connections. EchoStorm president Jason Barton says that while ISRIS Video is a complicated system, "with Apple products, we were able to make the content delivery and interface very simple for the end user."

EchoStorm has also recently developed Convene Analyst Toolkit. This software solution allows multiple users to analyze and view a vast archives of videos from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Participants can mark-up and extract intelligence from recorded and live media. Watch a six-minute video demonstration located on the right.

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