Technology consulting to the U.S. Intelligence Community
I’m a technology advisor to the US Intelligence Community. In a nutshell, I teach them how Web tools and Web culture can improve analysis. I’m also building a Web application for the Director of National Intelligence that will help analysts find each other, share information, and make better, more transparent, and more scientific decisions. The app (closed to registration) is online here.
I was an intelligence analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2003-2005. Bored with my everyday work and frustrated with the agency’s technology capabilities, I gave myself permission to adopt some technology-oriented intrapreneurial projects. Although most of my hours were still devoted to my analytical assignment, my work as an unofficial tech evangelist was much more rewarding.
In the summer of 2004, I submitted a project proposal to the Director of Central Intelligence. The idea was to loosen up the publishing restrictions on Intelink, the IC’s intranet, in order to improve the network’s search tools and sense of community. The following January, I received an award from the DCI for contributing “innovative ideas to shape the future of US Intelligence.” Studies in Intelligence, the CIA’s journal, published a modified version of this paper in their fall 2005 edition.
Following the DCI award, Intelink managers approached me and asked me to be the first analyst beta tester of their new blogging platform. After testing it for a few months and spreading the word to coworkers, I convinced my immediate managers to allow me to set up Intelink’s first (as far as I know) intraoffice communications blog. I also tried to convince systems administrators (though less successfully) to approve an interagency IM tool.
