Operation Irene

Seriously, I have an operational name for everything.

I own two laptops. Both of them are Dell Inspiron 1440s, purchased in close succession to one another in 2009 due to a mishap involving a bottle of Widmer Hefeweizen. I've spent most of the last three years using one of them while the other one sat idle. One of my goals during these interim weeks is to organize and backup my data. Since it's a lesser project, I'm starting with the laptop that I haven't used much in the last three years. Without any good reason, I'm calling it "Irene", and reconditioning it is "Operation Irene" (no relation to the Battle of Mogadishu - I swear!).

First and foremost, the thing requires some maintenance. I've already updated the virus definitions. The next step is to backup all of my files to a flash drive for future sorting, and then clear them off of the laptop. Next, I'll clear any and all extraneous programs off of the machine. Then, I'll run Scandisk and Defrag. Once all of that is complete, I'll start installing some new software.

My goal for "Irene" is to turn it into a dedicated open source GEOINT platform. That will involve the installation of a number of different programs:

Garmin MapSource and Basecamp

EasyGPS

Google Earth

FalconView

I've previously used my Garmin eTrex Vista H for such projects as honesty traces and geocaching, and both the Garmin programs and EasyGPS interface with that handset. I came up with my own methodology for making honesty traces, but the original instruction uses FalconView. A number of the position descriptions I've seen have also called for FalconView experience, so I'd like to get some exposure to it - if I can get it to work on my laptop. (Most of those position descriptions also call for ArcGIS experience, but it's licensed software, so I'll stick to the stuff that's free for the time being.) At any rate, I don't expect FalconView to be that tough to learn, particularly if I go through the trouble of practicing on a couple of honesty traces using the originally prescribed methodology to familiarize myself with the interface.

Of course, Operation Irene is just the first step. Once "Irene" is stripped down and squared away, I need to get all of my files organized and backed up, both for the sake of redundancy, and in preparation to decommission and scrap these two machines once it comes time to replace them.

* * *

Alright, so before I could publish that initial post about Operation Irene, I completed the setup. Here's a screenshot that shows the current desktop configuration and the Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M). Here's what I did:

I entered my current product key and updated my virus definitions for F-Secure Internet Security, then ran a scan to ensure that the system was clear of any malware.

I downloaded and installed a year and a half or more of system updates. That took awhile.

I moved all of my personal files to an external hard drive, and then purged them. This took a long time, particularly while trying to back files up to a flash drive. That external hard drive went a lot faster.

I deleted a couple of extraneous programs.

I ran Defrag.

I updated Flash Player and Adobe Reader, and installed Google Chrome.

At that point, it was time for the actual GIS software. I installed Mapsource and Basecamp from Garmin, and EasyGPS, and Google Earth. As I noted previously, I want to familiarize myself with the open source version of FalconView, but had to install Microsoft .NET Framework 4 in order for it to operate.

So, after a couple of days of work (or, more accurately, about an hour of work and a couple of days of off-and-on waiting), my OSGEOINT platform is ready to rock. As I sort all of my files - a giant knowledge management effort involving at least a decade and a half worth of accumulated data - I'll start doing some similar work with my primary platform. I've thought before that it if I started a security company, it would be smart to have several different machines and/or images for specific tasks, and Operation Irene has been the first step toward that goal. As I continue to use it to familiarize myself with current OSGEOINT/OSGIS utilities, I'll post as appropriate.