Knowledge Development through GIS: Supporting National Security Richard Brittan Alcis, UAE Email: Richard.brittan@alcis.org www.alcis.org Abstract The advances of Geo-spatial technology make significant contributions to Knowledge Development. These are opportunities that could be better exploited. Knowledge Development to deliver competitive advantage has critical collection, processing and dissemination requirements, which increasingly can be addressed by Geospatial Information Systems. As such, national security is one of many areas that benefit, where information requirements of National Intelligence Models are increasingly being satisfied by present and emerging geo-spatial technology. An example is the model that Alcis has developed in support of efforts to counter the narcotics trade in Afghanistan, a significant impediment to its national security. A necessarily complex and advanced model has been established and developed by Alcis to target the eradication of illicit poppy cultivation where alternative livelihoods exist. Advanced processing of multi spectral imagery and its integration with socio-economic, security and geographic data has resulted in an ability to determine, evidence and in turn justify the delineation of prioritised eradication target areas. Eradication has to date often been blunt tool of drug control policy that has had questionable impact. This no longer needs to be the case. Advances in Geospatial technology are staggering. The challenge is to translate these into solutions