The much-maligned DCGS-A combat data system program is put on hold, thanks to a Silicon Valley company’s lawsuit.
Silicon Valley technology company Palantir will get a second chance to provide the Army’s data intelligence and distribution system, which could determine the way operators across the military share and use data during operations. Palantir supporters argue that their system will be much easier and intuitive for operators to use intelligence. But some in the military have argued that Silicon Valley’s solution to the data-sharing problem doesn’t meet all of their needs.
The Army did not properly consider whether commercial software could perform better than the military’s expensive Distributed Common Ground System-Army, or DCGS-A, a judge ruled on Monday, Oct. 31st.
In December 2015, the Army put out a request for vendors to help create the latest iteration of the data intelligence system, DCGS-A2. Palantir went to the Government Accountability Office claiming that the requirements effectively shut them out of the competition. When they lost their GAO appeal, they sued for an injunction.
DCGS-A is a kluge of different pieces of software, some commercial, such as IBM’s i2 Analyst Notebook, ESRI maps, and some created by the military. Palantir makes a product called Gotham that they claim does the same job more reliably, easily, and at less cost.
Keep reading this article at: http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/10/judge-army-must-let-palantir-compete-build-combat-data-system/132802
See background on this case at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-28/inside-palantir-s-war-with-the-u-s-army
