MoD turns to big data analytics platform for a machine learning approach to threat defence

A big data analytics platform is being deployed by the Ministry of Defence as it looks to take the weight of military analysts and improve threat identification. The analytics platform, which incorporates machine learning technology, will be used for operational support and comes from a recently signed contract by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory's Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) and Massive Analytic, a London based company. The idea behind the platform from Massive Analytic is that it will help make it possible to examine outcomes of decisions before they are put into effect, effectively acting as a trusted advisor. Under the deployment the MoD will use the system to bring together surveillance data from static and dynamic sources which will feed an interactive dashboard. The dashboard will be capable of providing insights that will help to identify threats in advance and can be used for planning different scenarios. Military analysts are currently the main source for sifting through large volumes of data, it is hoped that this platform will help to remove some of that burden.