Machine Learning Tops Altamira Innovator’s Ideas for Annual Grand Challenge

MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Innovation–Altamira Technologies conducted its annual company-wide Innovation Grand
Challenge, providing employees a forum to develop solutions for our
customer’s real-world problems. Participants formed teams to explore and
address challenges largely faced by the national security community.
Teams received coaching workshops to help develop their ideas from all
aspects with consideration to the technical, market positioning, as well
as financial and ROI elements. Finalists pitched their ideas in a Shark
Tank led by Altamira’s CXOs for a chance to win the Grand Challenge
trophy, bragging rights, and the funding to advance their project.

Of the six teams selected as finalists, five presented projects that
incorporate machine learning (ML) into their solution. Finalists’ ideas
centered around automation and decision-making efficiencies for
customers in the intelligence and defense communities. Proposed projects
included the development of a ML knowledge bank, an enterprise level
database provisioning application, ML based query tools for
interrogation of big data, a machine augmented recruiting solution, and
an algorithmic based technology to support the identification of
adversarial communications hardware.

“At Altamira, innovation is part of our corporate DNA, and our first
Innovation Grand Challenge delivered a range of opportunities to advance
our offerings, particularly in the area of machine learning,” said
Jonathan Moneymaker, EVP & Chief Strategy Officer at Altamira. “The
establishment of this exercise builds on our continued dedication to R&D
as we challenge ourselves to develop solutions that outpace the evolving
threats to the national security community.”

The winning team, aptly named Seismic Wave, presented a solution that
applies ML for automatic detection and characterization of seismic
activity related to nuclear events. The group proposed the development
of a big data system that automatically detects seismic events in near
real-time, determines if the event has previously occurred,
characterizes the type of event, and provides any necessary alerts.
Using seismic and infrasound data, the system reduces the difficulty
associated with detecting military movements and subsurface nuclear
tests.

“With the Seismic Wave project, we are using modern big data
architectures to apply machine learning algorithms to geophysical data.
This capability is able to produce fully automated terrestrial
intelligence reporting and tipping systems, while developing a common
operating picture,” said Wyatt Frelot, Seismic Wave team lead.

Congratulations to Wyatt Frelot and Andrew Jessup from Team Seismic Wave!

About Altamira

Altamira Technologies is a best-in-class innovation partner to the to
the defense, intelligence, and homeland security communities. They
provide customers the information advantage through full-spectrum
advanced engineering, data analytics, and cyber operations. Altamira
harnesses the brightest minds to drive the advancement of
mission-focused solutions addressing their customers’ most challenging
problems from research through development and into operations.

Contacts

Altamira Technologies
Megan Hughes, 703-813-2100
[email protected]