© CIHBw

CIP: Crowd Information Platform

How can mission-relevant information be obtained in real time? What is the condition of the infrastructure in the target area? Can tanks and other heavy equipment pass through the terrain safely? These questions can determine the success or failure of missions. A destroyed bridge, impassable terrain or enemy positions - information superiority through a precise situational picture protects the lives of soldiers.

With the Crowd Information Platform (CIP), the Munich-based startup Munich Innovation Labs, together with the Bundeswehr's Cyber Innovation Hub, is presenting dynamic software that searches publicly available information from the internet - in particular social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Telegram - for relevant information. "With CIP, we are tapping into an additional, currently almost untapped pool of data. Through AI-supported evaluation, the Crowd Information Platform enables an additional level of analysis that can further refine the military situation picture," explains Captain Jakob N., who is leading the project as CIHBw Innovation Manager.

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Is the terrain in the target area passable for heavy equipment? Where are enemy positions located? By providing additional "Eyes on the Ground", CIP provides relevant geo-information.
© Bundeswehr / Jörg Koch
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The first successful tests have shown that CIP has a high scaling potential for other areas of the Bundeswehr. Numerous analysts from various organizational areas have accompanied the text.
© Bundeswehr / Christian Müller
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The Crowd Information Platform (CIP) searches relevant channels on the Internet with a focus on social media platforms for relevant information - and improves the situation picture with an additional level of analysis.
© CIHBw
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"Our AI enables analysts to focus on data analysis instead of manual evaluations," explains Dr. StefanTaing, CEO and co-founder of Munich Innovation Labs.
© CIHBw
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Lieutenant Colonel Tomas T. from the Bundeswehr's Center for Geoinformation Systems accompanies the innovation project as a user and provides first-hand feedback for adjustments to the software.
© CIHBw
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CIP in use: Users test the app in the field.
© Bundeswehr / Christian Müller
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Gathering information in real time

The platform retrieves data from relevant channels in real time, searches and sets corresponding markers for relevant images, blog content and video posts. In addition to text and single keyword searches, the software also uses the latest AI algorithms for object recognition such as Large Language Models (LLM) or Few-Shot Learning. These accurately filter out relevant content from millions of images and videos without the need for time-consuming training of the models by the respective user. "Theoretically, the platform can be used worldwide. In our first test run, however, we are limiting ourselves to social media data created during the Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict," emphasizes Captain Jakob N. The second step involves automatic geolocalization, which sets time and space markers. In this way, analysts can link the newly acquired data with existing information and gain new insights.

The aim of the innovation project is to provide the Bundeswehr's geoinformation service as a user with a new and very extensive source of information in order to expand existing analysis processes and gain new insights without additional effort for the personnel involved. "Our AI does not replace analysts, but provides users with an important tool that enables them to work with large amounts of data," says Dr. Stefan Taing, founder and CEO of Munich Innovation Labs, explaining the added value of the platform.

Important contribution to national and alliance defense

"The special thing about CIP is that we can now act at high speed and improve in three ways: We have access to more data, we work more effectively and we are experiencing a significant expansion in our analysis capability," states Captain Jakob N.

The Bundeswehr Geoinformation Center, which is testing the software as part of the trial phase, also sees great potential in this innovative project: "Images and videos taken directly on site can provide us with valuable information for assessing the terrain, the condition of the transport infrastructure or the current environmental conditions in our areas of interest. With CIP, we can see the area from a wider perspective, almost as if we were on the ground - a major gain and a valuable contribution to ensuring the information superiority of our armed forces. The Crowd Source Information Platform is therefore also a very good example of a digitalization project in the context of national and alliance defence," says Lieutenant Colonel Tomas T.

"Whether and when CIP will be introduced in the Bundeswehr is not up to us; at the moment, only the technical implementation is being tested. This applies in particular to clarifying the legal issues associated with the use of the platform. What we are happy to do, however: Initiate the discussion about the use of such systems! The first successful tests have shown us that there is a high scaling potential for other areas of the Bundeswehr - even without extensive changes or software adaptations," concludes Sven Weizenegger, Head of the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub.

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