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Intellipedia



Intellipedia is an online system for data sharing by the US Intelligence Community.



  The classified levels for information on the three 'wiki's' are top secret, secret and sensitive, but unclassified. They are used by those with clearance from 16 IC agencies, combatant commands and other federal agencies. The wikis are not open to the public.



  Intellipedia includes information on the regions, people and interest issues to communities using host networks. Intellipedia uses MediaWiki, the same software Wikipedia uses. Officials say the project will change the culture of the US intelligence community, widely blamed for failing to connect the dots on 9/11/01.



  Intellipedia was created to share information on difficult subjects for US intelligence. Cutting edge technology is brought to an ever-more youthful workforce. It allows information assembled and reviewed by many sources and agencies, to address concerns pre-war intelligence did not.



  Intellipedia was, in part, inspired by a paper for a Galileo award encouraging any employee at an intelligence agency to submit new ideas to improve information sharing. Calvin Andrus argued the real power of the Internet has come from the boom in self-publishing. He said the open door policy of Wikipedia allows it to cover new ground quickly.



  Intelligence operative Richard Russell said Intellipedia allows analysts in different agencies to go in and see what others are doing on the same subject, and add their two cents. The goal: a decision superiority, not information superiority. He said,



"We have to get inside the decision cycle of the enemy. We have to find out what they're doing and respond to it effectively."



   Some are concerned individual intelligence agencies will create their own wiki's, draining ideas and input from Intellipedia. A CIA official involved in integrating systems into the intelligence fabric says disseminating material to the widest possible audience of analysts is the key to avoiding mistakes.



   Some see it risky to allow more information viewed and shared. An analysis director says it's worth the risk. The project originally met resistance because it runs counter to past practice, limiting the pooling of information. He says there are risks to everything we do. The key is risk management, not risk avoidance. The traditional intelligence community has been encouraged to participate. The system appeals to the new generation of intelligence analysts because this is how they like to work. It's a new way of thinking.





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