Workshop On Detecting and Countering IEDs And Related Threats

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The production, distribution, and detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) involve the coming together of engineered materials with human beings at particular times and places. Full understanding of how to detect and prevent such acts requires multidisciplinary research. The proposed two-day workshop will bring together approximately 20 experts from social and behavioral sciences, information sciences, and engineering to identify the current state of knowledge and to propose future research to address this complex issue. The workshop will consider the nature of IEDs and their perpetrators; recruitment, organization, planning, and communication among terrorist organizations; remote observation and surveillance using sensors and behavioral observation; fusion of multimodal data streams; and methodological issues. Use of an electronic groupware tool will facilitate brainstorming, clustering of ideas, prioritizing researchable themes, and elaborating on facets of each theme. The resultant report will identify several leading-edge research topics that draw upon both technical and social-behavioral expertise.