The Future of Intelligence

On the first Thursday of April the invitation only Intelligence Congress in Heerlen was kicked off by police portfolio holder Intelligence Jannine van den Berg. This event, organised by and for the police, focused on the following two keywords: Intelligence and Innovation. Professionals with security-related positions gathered to share their expertise and shape the future of Intelligence together.

HSD collaborated with Accenture, Leiden University and Public Sonar to create a 30-minute session, in which several intelligence trends were highlighted. Kevin O’Brien from Accenture shared five major international trends identified by their global practice that will emerge and take hold over the next several years. These trends include the ability to architect a better future, the massive increase in digital twins, the democratisation of technology, bringing your own environment with you and the growth of a multiparty ecosystem. After Kevin’s pitch, the audience discussed the relevance of these trends and mentioned other developments that might influence their work environment, as well as the threats that come with these technological trends.

Bram Klievink from Leiden University talked about the uncertainty when it comes to data and especially the data source. How do people deal with this uncertainty? Is it necessary to always check the source of the data or is this not required?  It can be said that there will always be a certain amount of uncertainty when it comes to data. Being aware of the underlying processes that preceded the data collection helps people coming to terms with this uncertainty.

The last contribution came from Richard Stronkman from Public Sonar who shared his vision about the future of smart technology. Human-like intuition in smart technology will grow over the next several years, which will also impact the Intelligence domain. This led to an active discussion with the audience about the role of humans in the intelligence domain.

Overall, the Intelligence Congress consisted of outstanding presentations regarding the Intelligence domain. It is clear that the collaboration between various types of organisations can be extremely beneficial for all participating parties. Therefore, HSD wants to emphasize the importance of working together with people from outside your inner circle.

The Intelligence Congress was organised by the Real Time Intelligence Lab (RTI-lab), which is a part of the police, and the Police Academy. HSD Office and TNO are both important partners of the RTI-lab. In addition, the collaboration between the RTI-lab and universities is increasing as well. The congress was held at the Brightlands Smart Services Campus in Heerlen and visited by police and KMAR intelligence professionals.