The Financial
Times of September 2, 2013 ran an article “Lebanon turns to apps to avoid
growing violence linked to Syria (See: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7fa6c9e8-13de-11e3-9289-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2e8NuPF7O)
The article describes “Smartphone applications that map gun
battles and differentiate between fireworks and gunfire, offer paths around
roadblocks and even contact the army in the event of kidnap are becoming a
must-have for Lebanese commuters.”
The concept of a PSYOP app intrigues me. While I don’t
consider myself a ‘techie’ per se, I do have a lot of electronic gadgets: iPad,
iPhone, laptops, desktops, digital cameras (with their own wi-fi capabilities),
etc. Today’s MISO practitioner, whether military or contractor, will also likely
have the latest and greatest technology as well.
As a practical matter it would make sense to take full
advantage of COTS products as much as possible.
The range of potential capabilities is almost endless. In
addition to verbal and non-verbal translators, some of the other functions would
include access to all the current manuals (without a CAC card), perhaps the CIA
Factbook, media data by country for print, broadcast and on-line media,
briefings that I could use with my ‘customers’, video reachback for streaming
content in the field, a currency converter, etc.
The timing for such an app appears to be right and would
ride the crest of the “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend that is engulfing the
commercial sector. It would also serve to help take advantage of the innate creative
of our younger MISO practitioners who are far more in tune with younger
audiences and who are in the best position to reach these difficult to
influence audiences.
Such an app would have to be suited for Apple, Android and
even Windows as potential users might include allied forces as well.
Conceptually the app could be a creation platform whose output would be
influence products designed to operate on the smartphones, tablets and
computing wearables such as the next generation of Internet capable watches.
A little high tech imagination never hurt anyone. Reader
comments welcome.
Photo Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/samsung-unveils-galaxy-gear-smartwatch/?_r=0
and the author.
No comments:
Post a Comment