Three Ways AI Helps Prepare for Future Attacks | Domestic Preparedness Photo: ©iStock.com/monsitj
Preparedness

Three Ways AI Helps Prepare for Future Attacks

by Michael Ellenbogen -

Terrorist attacks and mass shootings have changed the threat landscape. In the old-world paradigm, planes were the target and metallic objects were the key concern. In the new-world paradigm, anything can be a target. Thus, the security response needs to shift from reactive to proactive. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the key to moving from a reactive to proactive security response. Three specific applications of AI in the physical security field enable organizations to prevent attacks, not just react to them.

 
Commentary

The Big Data Bind

by Daniel M. Gerstein -

The use of genealogy websites to find the alleged Golden State killer, Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data to develop targeted ads for the 2016 presidential campaign, and the loss of privacy resulting from the sharing of information on social media bring into focus some of the unintended consequences of the collection, storage, and proliferation of personal information. The use of data in novel and unexpected ways pits users’ demand for privacy against their desire to take advantage of the many benefits today’s technology has to offer.

Commentary

2018 Business Resilience Conference, Las Vegas, NV

by Rodger (Kevin) Clark -

Today, businesses face many natural and manmade threats. Focusing on active shooter incidents alone, businesses are targeted more than any other entity. According to a 2014 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, between 2000 and 2013, most (45.6%) active shooter incidents occurred at businesses, with the next highest being education facilities (24.4%). To address these and other threats, business owners must have a continuity or emergency action plan that highlights mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery.

Commentary

Leveraging Learning & Teaching Opportunities

by Catherine Feinman -

Each day, there are opportunities to acquire new knowledge and skills as well as opportunities to share current knowledge and skills with others. This is especially true in the emergency preparedness realm, where changing circumstances and uncertainties are the norm.

Resilience

The Need for Community Public Safety UAS Programs

by Charles L. Werner -

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) offer great value for public safety, with support and guidance needed at the local, state, and national levels when considering such systems. UAS offer a profound new view and situational awareness of significant incidents, events, and disasters. This article describes the value of UAS and provides guidance for jurisdictions considering implementing UAS programs.

Preparedness

Bringing Emergency Preparedness to City Schools

by Katelyn James -

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a near-normal 2018 Atlantic hurricane season: the formation of 10-16 named storms, with 5-9 becoming hurricanes (1-4 of these potentially becoming major hurricanes). For the past 10 years, the New York City (NYC) Emergency Management Department has been educating children in NYC schools through the Ready New York Kids Program. Each presentation focuses on three key messages: make a plan, get supplies, and prepare a Go Bag.

Updates

U.S. and Canada Kick Off Joint Next Generation First Responder Initiative With Artificial Intelligence Field Experiment

A new initiative kicks off to evaluate the use of artificial intelligence and situational awareness technologies during critical incidents. The effort is a joint partnership between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and Canada’s Department of National Defence science and technology organization to ensure both American and Canadian next generation first responders are better connected, protected, and fully aware during critical incidents.

Improving Disaster Response Through Twitter Data

Twitter data could give disaster relief teams real-time information to provide aid and save lives, thanks to a new algorithm developed by an international team of researchers. A team of researchers from Penn State, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, and the Qatar Computing Research Institute created an algorithm that analyzes Twitter data to identify smaller disaster-related events, such as infrastructure damage or shelter needs, and generate highly accurate, real-time summaries that can be used to guide response activities.

FDA Takes Action to Support American Military Personnel by Granting an Authorization for Freeze-Dried Plasma Product to Enable Broader Access While the Agency Works Toward Approval of the Product

The U.S Food and Drug Administration announces that an emergency use authorization (EUA) has been granted to the U.S. Department of Defense to enable the emergency use of pathogen-reduced leukocyte-depleted freeze-dried plasma. The use of freeze-dried plasma is authorized for the treatment of hemorrhage or coagulopathy of U.S. military personnel during an emergency involving agents of military combat.

FLIR Announces identiFINDER R200-GN Spectroscopic Personal Radiation Detector With Neutron Identification Capability

FLIR announces the FLIR identiFINDER® R200-GN spectroscopic personal radiation detector (SPRD. The rugged, pager-sized FLIR identiFINDER R200-GN SPRD can detect and identify neutrons, in addition to gamma radiation, allowing front-line responders to quickly determine whether there is a true radiation threat for safe, informed decision making.

HHS Enlists AktiVax to Develop Improved Auto-Injector for Nerve Agent Antidotes

One of the drugs stockpiled by the U.S. government to save lives from chemical nerve agents needs a new auto-injector so the drug can be used quickly and safely without specialized training if an attack occurs in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will work with AktiVax Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, on developing a new device to easily administer a drug that reverses damage inflicted by organophospates, a class of chemicals that include nerve agents such as Sarin and VX.