The Advanced Collection Management Environment (ACME) initiative addresses gaps in collection management capabilities by providing a modern, cloud-enabled open architecture system. ACME improves data sharing across collection management systems, enables correlation of information from different sources, and provides customizable interfaces and workflows. It utilizes proven technologies including open architectures already used by the US and Coalition partners to allow interoperability across networks and flexibility for various military branches and operations. The goal of ACME is to enhance situational awareness, collection operations management, and strategic planning by aggregating and visualizing data from multiple existing collection management systems.

1. Advanced Collection Management Environment
(ACME) Whitepaper
The Challenge
Collection Management suffers from a chronic lack of strong governance across Service,
Agency, and Combatant Command systems and processes. As a result, software and
hardware development efforts have been focused on meeting echelon specific issues without
consideration for how these individual efforts tie into the broader collection management
environment. Few of these systems enable bi-directional exchange of information at the
machine-to-machine (M2M) level. None of them provide analysts with the tools necessary to
compare, contrast, correlate and aggregate information across multiple systems to produce
meaningful and actionable analytics and visualizations. Consequently, as a discipline,
collection management is a largely manual and intellectual endeavor loosely coupled to the
operational processes it must support.
What is ACME
The Advanced Collection Management Environment (ACME) initiative addresses these gaps in
Collection Management capabilities and provides a modern, standards compliant, cloud-
enabled open architecture that enables interoperability across multiple disparate CM systems
via a common integration framework. The list below, identifies solutions to the challenges
that have constrained Collection Management operations to date:
 Enterprise Data Management - Improved Collection Requirements Management through
robust data exposure and collation
 CM & Targeting Associations – Strategy-to-Task linkages between Targeting and CM that
provide operational context for Collections Operations Management, Collections Execution
Management and PED activities
 Modern, Tailorable User Interfaces - User-configured management process workflows and
customized data-driven visualizations that deliver at-a-glance situational awareness
 Structured Data - Creation and management of structured collections requests &
requirements (CRs), hierarchical relationships (Strat-to-Task, CCIRs-PIRs-EEIs), and CM-
related lists (CPCLs, CEMs) reduce the reliance on unstructured products
 Auto Product Creation – Systemgenerated, dynamically updated and interactive
Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Annexes and Synch Matrixes,
efficient across both robust and austere communications environments
 Interoperability - Ability to interface with existing CM systems and normalize CM-related
information for requirements, assets, planning, execution, collections, exploitations, and
weather effects into a single environment that enables comprehensive ISR awareness and
assessment

2. For More Information, Contact
Col Frances A. Deutch
ACME Project Manager
Frances.a.deitch.mil@mail.mil
Lt Col Brad Readnour or Maj Dan May
ACME Project Leads
bradley.d.readnour.mil@mail.mil
Daniel.m.may10.mil@mail.mil
 Multi Network/Coalition Environments - Leverage government-owned, open extensible
architectures already certified for replication and cross-domain services for US and Coalition
networks
 Web-based and Flexible - Scale to Air Force enterprise needs, Navy disconnected fleet
operations, Army and Marine Corps tactical implementations, or US/Coalition Operations
Why ACME
Utilization of Proven and Next-Generation Technologies
 Open extensible accredited Government off-the-shelf (GOTS) architecture that evolved in
the USCENTCOM AOR in support of Coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
 Security First; data replication and automated cross-domain solution to keep US/Coalition
partners in sync, create tear-line reporting, leverage Controlled Access Program
Coordinating Office (CAPCO) markings & Role Based Access Controls (RBAC) settings
 Flexible and comprehensive data model that supports aggregation of CMand Targeting data
sets, and the ability to support GEOINT, HUMINT, SIGINT, MASINT, & OSINT CM activities
 Highly configurable; user-administrators can define custom forms, workflows, lists, and
relational hierarchies that meets their organizational and mission partner needs
 Take full advantage of exposed data sources from various partner systems and the very
latest visualization techniques from the open internet to fuse data into actionable products
Dynamic Approach to Address Community Needs
 ACME is an “enabler” that does not replace existing systems, instead it relies on the data
from existing systems in order to correlate, aggregate and visualize data from multiple
disparate systems in a common environment
 User-integrated systemengineering, designed by active duty and retired ISR CM& Targeting
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) leveraging decades of IC, J 2/6, CCMD, AOC, DCGS, RPA-SOC,
& SOF experience in support of US, NATO, & Coalition operations
 Robust requirements capture approach to meet current and future needs of Joint, Service,
and Coalition Collection Managers operating at Strategic, Operational, and Tactical echelons
 Where past system efforts focused on the needs of ‘one’ aspect, echelon, or player; ACME’s
holistic approach appreciates the ‘parts’ but enables the enterprise as a ‘whole’