Measurement and Signature Intelligence, or MASINT, refers to
intelligence gathering activities that bring together disparate elements that do not fit within the definitions of
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT),
Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), or
Human Intelligence (HUMINT). According to the
United States Department of Defense, MASINT is technically derived intelligence (excluding traditional imagery
IMINT and signals intelligence
SIGINT) that – when collected, processed, and analyzed by dedicated MASINT systems – results in intelligence that detects, tracks, identifies, or describes the signatures (distinctive characteristics) of fixed or dynamic target sources. MASINT was recognized as a formal intelligence discipline in 1986. . One vivid image of MASINT, by William K. Moore, is that "MASINT looks at every intelligence indicator with new eyes and makes available new indicators as well. It measures and identifies battlespace entities via multiple means that are difficult to spoof and it provides intelligence that confirms the more traditional sources, but is also robust enough to stand with spectrometry to differentiate between paint and foliage, or recognizing radar decoys because the signal lacks unintentional characteristics of the real radar system. At the same time, it can detect things that other sensors cannot sense, or sometimes it can be the first sensor to recognize a potentially critical datum ."
See more at Wikipedia.org...
Free Download Now!
