DARPA looking for a few good imagers
Proposals requested by July 31
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Jul 26, 2012
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has put out a call seeking imagery researchers in the areas of visual and geospatial data analysis. Researchers will participate in a "short-fuse, crucible-style environment" to invent new approaches to the identification of people, places, things and activities in both still images and video from both defense and open-source imagery, according to a DARPA
news release.
"A lot can happen when you put seriously intelligent, seriously motivated people in a room with a mission and a deadline," said Michael Geertsen, DARPA program manager and the force behind the Innovation House Study. "We are inviting a new generation of innovators to try out ideas in an environment that encourages diverse solutions and far-out thinking. If this model proves to be as successful as we believe it could be, it represents a new means for participating in Government-sponsored research projects."
DARPA's Innovation House Study, conducted with George Mason University, will provide a focused residential research environment for as many as eight teams. Interested team leaders are encouraged to submit proposals by July 31, 2012, detailing their plan to design, execute and demonstrate a radical, novel research approach to innovation in the area of extracting meaningful content from large volumes of varied visual and geospatial media. Selected teams will receive up to $50,000 in funding.
The Innovation House concept revolves around a collaborative, rather than competitive, environment. The study will run for eight weeks over two four-week sessions from Sept. 17, 2012 to Nov. 9, 2012.
In Phase I, teams are expected to produce an initial design and demonstrate in software the crucial capabilities that validate their approach. In Phase II, teams are expected to complete and demonstrate a functional software configuration as a proof of concept. Teams demonstrating sufficient progress in Phase I will receive Phase II funding.