For decades, Skinwalker Ranch been a hotbed of paranormal and extraterrestrial activity, with regular reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), radio frequency and GPS interference, and unexplained lights.
But until Brandon Fugal bought the ranch in 2016, there had been little concerted effort to document what went on there.
So he decided to scientifically investigate the unexplained activities. To support the research, Fugal wanted to provide his team with a secure infrastructure and the latest hardware and software to intelligently integrate and analyse all the images, videos and data captured throughout the 200-hectare property.
The Skinwalker Ranch investigation team joined forces with Samsung Electronics America and internet security software and technology company VirnetX to create a command centre dedicated to researching paranormal phenomena.
Finding a way to safeguard the data with military-grade security, while still making it available for presentation, review, and analysis was crucial – as was facilitating data collection around the ranch’s rugged landscape.
The ranch’s work is also being documented on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch TV show, so it is constantly under siege by outsiders, making security even more paramount.
Samsung equipped the command centre with a range of interactive displays to monitor real-time security and satellite footage across the ranch.
The investigation team uses the displays with AI analytics platform AThENA by OmniTeq to handle all data analysis, research and collaboration. Each day, AThENA aggregates and processes millions of data points collected by the researchers.
The Samsung displays make it easy to examine the data for trend and patterns, and to review video evidence. Built-in collaborative tools enable the researchers to annotate and share data and screenshots from the same interface.
The Skinwalker Ranch team also uses Samsung tablets to collect data during investigations in the field. All data captured is automatically and securely sent back to the main command centre for real-time collaboration and analysis.
The technology, coupled with the ever-increasing amount of data and analytics, is allowing Skinwalker Ranch to continue what Fugal calls “the most aggressive research effort” that’s ever been made at the location.
VirnetX’s military-grade videoconferencing solution, War Room, is used for encrypted communications between a private airport hangar in Utah Valley and the command centre to manage transportation to and from the ranch.
David Phelps, head of Samsung Electronics America’s display division, says: “While the Skinwalker Ranch team is conducting unprecedented research, its world-class, highly secure facility offers a model blueprint for all command and control centres.
“A well-designed command centre should empower its staff to ingest vast information in a clear and defined way for easy situational awareness and decision-making.
«Display technology can play a central role in facilitating team collaboration and understanding of what is happening during tactical operations in the field or with something outside of this world.”
Kendall Larsen, VirnetX’s chief executive and president, says: “VirnetX provides a secure mesh to the Samsung digital displays and all the information gathered at Skinwalker Ranch. Our War Room videoconferencing provides military-grade security and runs beautifully on Samsung displays. War Room videoconferencing is impenetrable.”
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