{"id":775297,"date":"2026-10-13T06:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T13:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=775297"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T17:57:20","slug":"nexttech-new-efficiencies-for-the-gsoc-watch-officer","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-new-efficiencies-for-the-gsoc-watch-officer","title":{"rendered":"NextTech: New Efficiencies for the GSOC Watch Officer"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[285382,493334,493569,1691],"department":[488822],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-775297","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-corporate-security","tag-gsoc","tag-security-operations","tag-situational-awareness","department-sustainability-risk"],"acf":{"short_description":"Twelve-hour shifts. Windowless rooms. Global responsibility. Now, a security watch officer\u2019s job gains new efficiencies with spatial tech. ","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The job of a corporate security watch officer used to be simpler: Sit in a windowless office, monitor phones and CCTV screens, and react when something goes awry."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ Inside a corporate security <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/michelle-riter-of-amazon\">career<\/a>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Watch officers in modern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-gsoc-and-beyond\">global security operations centers<\/a> (GSOCs) no longer just watch. In a 12-hour shift, they may handle hundreds of alerts, from a \u201cforced door\u201d alarm to local crime incidents to a storm warning. They must decide which alerts affect the business, which threats to escalate, and who needs to know.\r\n\r\nSiloed systems and slow processes delay those answers and leave the business exposed. Security teams now use geospatial tools to sort alerts faster and prioritize the most critical threats.\r\n<h3><strong>Expanding the Watch Officer\u2019s Map <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThis video shows how geographic information system (GIS) technology unites data streams into one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/asset-theft\">common operating picture<\/a>. A watch officer can edit alerts, add context, generate reports, and share information quickly."},{"acf_fc_layout":"kaltura","video_id":"1_ivhvcut7","time":false,"start":0,"stop":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"An operational basemap pinpoints a company\u2019s assets and scales as the organization grows. To add a newly acquired office building or a corporate campus under construction, an officer drops a pin on a map or traces the property outline.\r\n\r\nA geofence adds real-time threat awareness to each asset. When an incident occurs inside the fence, <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaspace.esri.com\/media\/What%20is%20GIS%20-%20Business%20Edition\/1_kdp4dvev\">GIS software<\/a> sends a notification automatically. This cuts false leads and wasted time.\r\n\r\nOn this real-time dashboard, the watch officer sees all active alerts across the company\u2019s global portfolio, ranked by severity. A few clicks narrows the view to the last 12 hours or the highest severity. The dashboard also charts trends, such as spikes in wildfire or hurricane activity over the past 24 hours.\r\n<h3><strong>From Alert to Report in Seconds<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nModern security systems automate repetitive, low-level tasks while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-accelerating-security-decisions-with-ai\">highlighting information that requires human judgment<\/a>. GIS adds context to alerts from data providers like Samdesk and Dataminr, giving security officers the clarity to act."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Challenges for the GSOC Watch Officer<\/strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Scattered alert systems; no single view of data and intel<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Limited or inconsistent geographic scope<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Alerts that aren\u2019t prioritized by severity or business risk<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Excessive time spent on assessment at the expense of threat reduction<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"By zooming in on a critical alert for a gas leak in Louisiana, for example, a watch officer can determine that the company\u2019s facilities are unaffected, then clear the alert from the list.\r\n\r\nAn alert for an active shooter in Houston, on the other hand, does pose a threat to company assets and employees. The watch officer creates a watch report to triage the alert. GIS technology auto-completes the survey fields, allowing the officer to add notes to the report as the situation evolves.\r\n\r\nReports tell GSOC analysts which situations to monitor most closely. Officers can also create a report manually and email alerts to colleagues using a template that pre-populates incident data.\r\n<h3><strong>Protecting a Watch Officer\u2019s Most Valuable Asset: Attention<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMore information does not automatically mean better situational awareness or greater readiness. Geospatial technology gives filters the flood of data so officers can triage the incidents that threaten business continuity.\r\n\r\nFor security professionals who must stretch their attention across long shifts and global portfolios, such speed and clarity protect the business."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>On Alert with the GSOC Watch Officer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the corporate global security operations center (GSOC), the watch officer has new tools for triage, as a cutting-edge demo reveals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-new-efficiencies-for-the-gsoc-watch-officer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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