The goal of the IARPA A-SpaceX program is to improve tools and workspaces to better enable analysts to work with each other and manage their information products. Looking to the future, A-SpaceX envisions a new, powerful, and extremely sophisticated workstation for tomorrow’s IC analyst – an IC Analyst’s Work Desk, or “A-Desk” . The future A-Desk will be based on the next 10 – 15 years of continued research and development, designed specifically to enhance information acquisition, analyses, visualization, and product development and dissemination.

PSE developed a concept prototype of an Analyst’s Work Desk (A-Desk) to serve as a physical and brainstorming “sandbox” for conceiving, testing, and evaluating new technologies and CONOPs.

PSE showcased a CONOPs for future technologies to be integrated into the A-Desk that would assist intelligence analysts with their work. The CONOPs is based on an enhanced understanding of the technical and cognitive challenges faced by IC analysts and describes how advanced information and visualization technologies should be employed by the future A-Desk. Some highlights included the use of virtual meeting rooms, link analysis of intelligence data, modeling and simulation programs, and an analyst assistant/agent providing data management support and communication with other analysts.

PSE designed the A-Desk enclosure prototype and relevant technologies to facilitate mobile demonstration and experimentation of this work desk at various locations. The prototyped A-Desk includes multiple, integrated display surfaces supporting simultaneous collaboration, analysis, data search, and advanced visualizations

View a brief video of the A-SpaceX prototype