Our national defense hinges on detecting, locating, tracking, and targeting the enemy. Imagery Analysts play an integral part in providing Army personnel with critical information about enemy forces, potential battle areas, and combat operations support. Imagery Analysts use overhead and aerial imagery, geospatial data, full motion video, and other electronic monitoring in order to collect and analyze information required to design defense plans, support combat operations, and disaster relief. Eyes on the World!

The Imagery Analyst is primarily responsible for supervising and analyzing overhead and aerial imagery developed by photographic and electronic means. Some of your duties as an Imagery Analyst may include:

• Produce intelligence by analyzing and exploiting imagery to include visible, infrared, radar, and full motion video
• Produce intelligence by analyzing and exploiting both fixed and moving target indicators and geospatial data
• Identify conventional and unconventional military installations, facilities, weapon systems, orders of battle, military equipment and defenses
• Identify lines of communication and industrial facilities
• Determine precise location and dimensions of objects
• Conduct Battle Damage Assessment
• Prepare imagery analysis reports
• Produce Geospatial-Intelligence and Advanced Geospatial-Intelligence

Job training for an Imagery Analyst requires of nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 21 weeks of Advanced Individual Training and on-the-job instruction, including practice in intelligence gathering. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

• Planning overhead and aerial imagery collection
• Preparing maps and charts
• Preparing Geospatial-Intelligence and Advanced Geospatial-Intelligence products
• Preparing intelligence reports
• Using computer systems and imagery exploitation software
• Analyzing fixed and moving target indicators and geospatial data
• Analyzing overhead and aerial imagery

Helpful attributes include:

• An interest in reading maps, charts, and geospatial data
• An interest in gathering information and studying its meaning
• An ability to organize information
• An ability to think and write clearly
• An interest in imagery and geography

Advanced level Imagery Analysts provides guidance, supervise and train other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Imagery Analyst, you may be involved in:

• Intelligence analysis
• In-depth analysis of various subjects, such as counties, regions, orders of battle, overhead and aerial systems, and requirements management
• Produce Geospatial-Intelligence, Advanced Geospatial-Intelligence (AGI), and Multispectral Imagery (MSI) products
• Advance pattern/trend analysis
• Prepare detailed free text narrative and topical imagery intelligence products and reports
• In-depth analysis of opposing force military doctrine and tactics, military organizations and force structures, scenario development, and wargame development

The skills you learn as an Imagery Analyst will help prepare you for a future with federal government agencies such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency or the National Security Agency. The training you receive in collecting, recording, analyzing and distributing tactical and technical intelligence information will prepare you for other fields, such as research or business planning.

Due to your extensive experience with maps, geospatial data, overhead and aerial imagery, you might consider a career as a surveyor, cartographer, photogrammetrist or surveying technician. These positions generally involve determining property boundaries and providing data relevant to the shape, contour, location or dimension of land or land features. You'd most likely be qualified to work for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation and construction companies.

• Common Ground Station (CGS) Analyst (35H)
• Geospatial Engineer (21Y)

Learn more about the relationship between military training and civilian certification requirements.