Intelligence Centre

Intelligence Centers aboard a Starfleet ship or station are in their basic form, a secure area designed to protect the sensitive nature of Starfleet Intelligence gathering and analysis. This "center" can be as simple as the Chief Intelligence Officer's quarters or office, or as complex and extensive enough to oversee operations over an entire system or sector. Whatever the size, these areas are typically off-limits to the crew at-large (save those with proper security clearances). Larger installations are usually guarded as well, and can often take on the appearance of a fully-equipped Operations Center. The equipment housed in Intelligence Centers are almost always cutting-edge and highly classified. These include the latest encryption and encoding computers, decryption machines, and ultra-secretive subspace communication systems. Even the EPS power taps and environmental systems leading in and out of the center are secured.

Aboard Ships

For many years, intelligence gathering was part of the everyday operations aboard ship, but there were no specialized personnel aboard to collect and sort that information. Potentially valuable or harmful information was filed away in the computer core and only accessible to intel officers and analysts when the data was requested or "dumped" to Starfleet Command. By then, the information was often useless and/or out-of-date. The need to have full-time intelligence analysis and encryption specialists on board became imperative. Over the last fifty years, Starfleet has made great strides to get the personnel and equipment needed for proper intel operations out into the ships. Even some older spaceframes, such as the Oberth and Curry classes, were converted into dedicated intel-gathering and dissection vessels. Likewise, several of the newer Sunbird class are also fitted out solely for intel operations.

Most Starfleet vessels do not have Field Officers assigned to them on a permanant basis, although Intelligence Officers have training in operations in the field and can be called on for that purpose. Ships are equipped, however, to support field operatives for extended periods of time.

Intelligence is privy to all data collected by a ship's sensors and has access to most communications. For operations, they are normally allotted use of sensors, probes, and have a dedicated section of the computer core (usually in the secondary core) that cannot be accessed but by certain members of the crew, such as the Commanding Officer or Executive Officer.

Planet-side & Space Stations

Assets aboard Starfleet vessels are modest compared to the extensive intelligence-gathering and assessments of planet-based and orbital stations. This is because these installations are assigned entire systems or sectors (or multiples of each) to oversee, requiring for additional equipment and manpower to effectively carry out the intelligence roles. Not only do they have to process immense amounts of data, but also ensure it is dispersed to the fleet as well as passed on up the chain of command. Here, Intelligence Centers may encompass an entire deck or building. These facilities are normally given their own sensor/communication arrays, probes, and computer cores, as well as R&D areas and training billets. Field officers and additional specialists are usually divided out to the fleet as operational needs dictate.

Also see the types of intelligence page to get an understanding of what information these centers examine and process.