Jamie Bennet
A new Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity program will focus on innovating technologies that use ground, satellite and other forms of imagery to build 3D models.
IARPA on Wednesday named the six lead organizations that won research and development contracts under the 42-month Walk-through Rendering from Images of Varying Altitude program.
WRIVA is looking for innovations that can provide a virtual “ground truth” of locations that might not be possible to view in reality. The technology could be useful in training first responders, aid workers, law enforcement and military personnel.
The winning teams were chosen by an evaluation panel that includes Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, Mitre and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory. The contracts will be led by the following organizations:
- Accenture Federal Services
- BlueHalo
- JHU
- RTX
- SRI International
- STR
“WRIVA’s ability to help users visually see and plan a mission or activity, despite limited access to imagery, will be a game-changer for the IC and others who require a deep grasp of the physical environment they will be operating in,” said Ashwini Deshpande, WRIVA’s program manager. “And while it will not be better than reality, it might mean the difference between mission failure and success.”
