Lt Colonel (Dr) Michael Thomas

USAF, Communications and Networks Division
Naval Space and Warfare Center (SPAWAR)

Dr. (LtCol) Michael L. Thomas is currently assigned to Naval Space and Warfare Center (SPAWAR) Charleston as a C4ISR Systems Engineer in the Communications and Networks Division stationed at HQUSEUCOM in Stuttgart,Germany. In this capacity he is responsible for the design; implementation and fielding of major network projects initiated by the Navy, sister services and other US government customers. His prior assignment with SPAWAR was in the Heidelberg Office supporting HQ USAREUR in Geospatial Engineering. He has been on detached special duty since being activated in March 2007, and has served a short tour at the Pentagon, served as a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) LNO to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), along with an assignment to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) as an instructor teaching Cyber war courses.

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Michael.

Download The Latest Agenda

Day 1

Friday, July 1st, 2016

16:00 Cyber – The Increasing Impact of Geospatial Intelligence

As cyber-attacks continue at pace both in the public domain and more secretly and in more deadly ways it is imperative for nations to prioritise the protection of GEOINT as it passes between user groups in cyber space. But how should this be achieved and how can you be sure of the right level of protection for your specific requirements? Attend this session led by arguably one of the world’s leading experts on Cyber, GEOINT and the defence and security community’s needs for both as he shares his views. During this must-attend session you will learn about:

● The impact of new data sources
● How to assess the challenge, social media, robotic data collection technologies
● How geographic information system (GIS) methods are being integrated and incorporated
● How to integrate with traditional GEOINT tools and methods

Day 3

Thursday, September 1st, 2016

15:15 Cyber - The Increasing Impact on Geospatial Intelligence of Cyber Threats

Spend time with one of the US Army’s leading experts on managing intelligence in cyber space as he identifi es the major risks facing intelligence sharers today. Focusing on the impact on geospatial intelligence specifi cally Lt Colonel Thomas will provide you with new strategies to understand the risks and deal with the threats. Don’t miss this session to:

Understand the full range of threats to your geospatial intelligence enterprise so you can respond more precisely
Rethink how to protect geospatial intelligence as you share it in cyber space to drive down risks and increase access
Improve your knowledge about managing and securing your geospatial intelligence data sets to protect data supply to users regardless of the environment

16:05 Roundtable Sessions

For the first time at DGI benefit from structured roundtable sessions facilitated by GEOINT experts from a wide range of backgrounds providing you with the chance to exchange ideas, challenge current thinking and come to new conclusions. Each table will run as follows:

5 mins introductions
40 mins discussion
5 mins summary
10 mins for 3 tables to share 3 key take-away

Roundtable 1 – Key Considerations when Protecting Your Geospatial Data
Brian Parish, Joint GEOint Future Capability, Permanent Joint Headquarters, UK MoD

Roundtable 2 – Understanding Cyber Threats
Lt Col (Dr) Michael L. Thomas, USAF, Communications and Networks Division within the Naval Space and Warfare Center (SPAWAR) Charleston, USA

Roundtable 3 – Overcoming Challenges of Sharing GEOINT Across Multiple Agencies
Stefan Quickert, GEOINT Coordinator, FIS, Germany

Roundtable 4 – Managing Knowledge Sharing Across Multiple Agencies
Anne Cathrine Frøstrups, Director, Kartverket