Data interpretation and alignment
The preparation phase of the intelligence life cycle begins with reviewing the data that has been produced by aligning it back to the initial intelligence requirement that was created to address a critical gap in your organization. Often, this process is referred to as data interpretation and alignment; it is at this point where the data that we have is reviewed to ensure that it is appropriately aligned to the original knowledge gap. If we begin with the initial question that sparked the collection operation followed by technical analysis, we can review the produced empirical data to see whether we can make a conclusion about the collected data, which can assist us in the formation of a hypothesis.
If you refer back to Chapter 3, Guidelines and Policies, we first introduced you to the concept of creating intelligence requirements to address the knowledge gaps that your organization might have. We even provided some examples so that you gained a...
