CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to develop a transformation roadmap for the UK Space Operations Centre (UK SpOC), formerly the UK’s Space Operations Coordination Centre (UK SpOCC), based at RAF High Wycombe.
CGI will help identify the roles and responsibilities of the UK SpOC’s future space analysts and specify the qualifications and experience needed to recruit, train and qualify as a space analyst. CGI will define a technical transformation roadmap, which will help enhance the MOD’s capabilities in the space domain. The future system will be secure, cost effective, technically agile, labour efficient and support new capabilities such as data fusion and real-time data analytics.
Space situational awareness (SSA) analyses and assesses potential threats and hazards to space activities, including those caused by space weather, and the identification, categorisation and tracking of the growing amount of space debris. It includes the ability to anticipate and respond to these threats and hazards efficiently and effectively to reinforce resilience and national security. Space is becoming more congested and our reliance on it is increasing, not only for our governmental and military use, but also in our everyday lives. For these reasons, there is growing need for a more holistic approach to the UK’s sovereign space capability development, including extracting more information from available data via activities such as data fusion and predictive analytics.
Group Captain Martin Johnson, Ministry of Defence’s Director of National Air Defence and Space Operations at HQ Air Command, said, “As stated in the National Space Security Policy and the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, space situational awareness is of growing strategic importance to the UK”.
CGI’s Steve Smart, Senior Vice President, Space, Defence, National and Cyber Security, in the UK commented: “CGI is delighted to be working with the UK Space Operations Centre to support the growth ambitions of this UK strategic capability. For over 40 years, we have developed secure space and defence IT systems and we look forward to bringing this unique expertise, as well as our experience in business engineering, training, commercial tools and techniques from across CGI, to help the MOD develop its sovereign space capabilities”.
CGI has worked with the MOD, European Commission, European Space Agency and strategic space companies for over 40 years and has built a reputation for delivering secure end‑to‑end information solutions for programmes such as Galileo and Skynet 5. CGI provides advice, software solutions, systems integration, secure hosting services and training across the MOD including business, logistics and management information to frontline operations. CGI is also involved in European Commission and European Space Agency’s strategic programmes such as Copernicus, Galileo, GovSatCom and Iris Precursor.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Approximately 65,000 professionals serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services, including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance and infrastructure management, as well as 150 IP-based services and solutions. With annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog exceeding C$20 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com
For more information
Local media
Jenny Thorpe
UK External Communications
Jenny.thorpe@cgi.com
+44 (0)7771 815428
