The usefulness of many pairs of eyes has long been recognized; witness the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List and, more recently, America's Most Wanted television show. The increasing availability of wide spread, distributed and wireless communication promises to increase the pairs of eyes helping to come to the observation of consequences that could be the result of a covert terrorist act.. Many organizations are attempting to fulfill this promise by distributing various forms of mobile, lightweight communication devices to achieve various objectives. However, distributed communication is only part of the solution. Equally important is the ability to synthesize the collective intelligence being reported into a coherent world view, and then feeding that view of what is actually happening back to the participants. Feedback is crucial, first because it provides value for the participants, giving them a reason to contribute to the initial data stream. In addition. When a disaster occurs, it is necessary to coordinate the actions of multiple individuals and groups. This includes fire departments, police, hospitals, EMS units, and various city, county, state, and federal governmental agencies. Some steps need to be taken immediately. Others may depend on the results of the first steps. The steps that need to be taken will depend on the particulars of the incident. Is it a biological crisis? Is it chemical? What is the geographical location(s) of the problem(s)? The most appropriate actions to be taken may change as more information is converted into a view of what has happened. Indeed, some of the actions are carried out specifically to obtain needed information. The changes in the plan must be made with an understanding of what has already been carried out. How can this new information be most efficiently incorporated into an effective analysis of possible causes? It is necessary to research how best to construct a computer-based planning system to automate the coordination of the various activities. Response needs to be immediate and must be revised in real-time as further information about the nature of the crisis arrives. For example, the choices of which responders should be sent to which locations need to be made with an integrated knowledge of geography and of the capabilities of each group. Once the information arrives that a piece of equipment belonging to a particular emergency unit is not working, changes in assignments and allocations need to be rapidly and optimally performed. Perhaps steps need to be taken in order to obtain permission to call a particular organization. These steps need to be strategically incorporated into the plan. We do not of course expect that the automated system will work independently, but in conjunction with individuals who have appropriate authority. Ideally, the automated system would provide instantly all the available and needed information to each decision maker. Once the decision is entered, then the overall plan may need to be updated and various individuals at other positions may need to be informed. Predictive modeling of health impacts from emergencies enhances planning and training of emergency response personnel. It also assists in the rapid evaluation of possible responses during and after actual emergencies. Research on current and emerging predictive epidemiological models is needed to forecast the short-term spread of disease in a community. Predictive models that are currently used for high population density urban communities will be studied to determine whether they are applicable or adaptable for use in areas with lower population densities such as suburban and rural communities. Another area of research involves the integration of predictive epidemiological models with other types of models. This includes environmental models for chemical and radiological hazards. The goal of the research would be to integrate and execute predictive models and simulations that are designed for different purposes. An integrated simulation system would be able to account for the many aspects of a complex emergency response scenario including traffic flow, positioning of emergency personnel, hazardous chemical cloud movement and evacuation plans. To give quick warning to our residents when any emergency occurs within our community, we may need any abnormal change or occurrence of data from variant narrow domain databases (for example, hospitals, schools, and airports). An example of unusual data could be an increase of patients with the same symptoms (like SARS), sudden deaths of large numbers of animals, large-scale withering of trees, or other unexpected events. Advanced database techniques and information resources, including the WWW, must be integrated to provide a sensitive information center capable of searching and catching unusual data. Once caught, it will be necessary to analyze and predict the moving trend of the data. This would allow us to give people early-warning, instant information updating and correspondingly rapid advice from established expert databases. Generally, the data analysis task includes data integration, which combines data from multiple sources into a coherent data store. These sources may include multiple databases or flat files. A number of problems can arise during data integration. Real world entities in multiple data sources can be given different names. How does an analyst know that the employee-id in one database is the same as the employee-number in another database. We plan to use meta-data to solve the problem of data integration. Data coming from input sources tends to be incomplete, noisy and inconsistent. If such data is directly loaded in the central store, it can cause errors during the analysis phase resulting in incorrect conclusions. Data cleaning methods will attempt to smooth out the noise, while identifying outliers, and correct inconsistencies in the data. It is necessary to investigate the following techniques for noise reduction and data smoothing. 1) Binning: These methods smooth a sorted data value by consulting the values around it. 2) Clustering: Outliers may be detected by clustering, where similar values are organized into groups or clusters. Intuitively, values that fall outside of the set of clusters may be considered outliers. 3) Regression: Data can be smoothed by fitting the data to a function, such as with regression. Using regression to find a mathematical equation to fit the data helps smooth out the noise. The totality of these efforts require resources that exceed those currently existing within the School of Science, Technology, and Engineering. Establishment of a new Center would assemble the resources needed to make a significant contribution to the development of a model approach to maintain homeland security. The Rapid Response Data Center The Monmouth University Rapid Response Center will be housed within the School of Science, Technology and Engineering. The Center will spearhead the application of science and technology to the effective management of first responders at a county and eventually state level in New Jersey. The Center will serve as a focal point for the development of leading edge approaches to the solution of problems facing local first responder organizations and decision-makers at all levels of government by: > Developing data acquisition, processing, and results for use by first responders and supporting organizations; and > Fostering collaboration between citizens, community organizations, governmental agencies, local businesses, the scientific community, and other parties interested in supporting first responders. Establish mechanisms to facilitate access to objective and scientifically sound information on effective techniques to protect and restore areas that have been subject to biological and chemical threats. Establish collaborations with the local and Defense Industries to incorporate decision aide technology into the civilian sector for use by first responders. Research data-analysis and integration techniques for storing, combining, and processing data from large numbers and types of data sources. Research computer-based planning systems to support real-time crisis management. Research techniques for acquiring countywide health and service data across the multitude of different formats and contents. Identify techniques and methodologies for processing health-related information for responding to health threats. Research predictive models detailing the spread of health impacts under a variety of circumstances and threats. To amplify support from private foundations, corporations, and individuals, we are seeking government support. Properly equipped laboratories and cheaply available communication devices would allow us to establish projects to determine how these issues might successfully be resolved. The Center's efficiency will significantly increased by partnering with the Monmouth County Health Department as its primary conduit to data sources and first responders. (Clerk's Note: The following statement was submitted for the record by Dr. Raymond Bye, Jr., Vice President for Research, The Florida State University:) Testimony Submitted by Dr. Raymond Bye, Jr. Vice President for Research The Florida State University Before the Subcommittee on Defense Committee on Appropriations US House of Representatives Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you and the Members of the Subcommittee for this opportunity to present testimony. I would like to take a moment to briefly acquaint you with The Florida State University. Located in Tallahassee, the Capitol of Florida, FSU is a Carnegie doctoral/researchextensive university with rapidly growing research activities and programs. The University serves as a center for advanced graduate and professional studies, exemplary research, and top-quality undergraduate programs. Faculty members at FSU maintain a strong commitment to quality in teaching, to performance of research and creative activities, while retaining a strong commitment to public service for the State and Nation. Among the faculty are numerous recipients of national and international honors, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and members of the National Academy of Science. Our scientists and engineers do excellent research, have strong interdisciplinary interests, and often work closely with industrial partners in the commercialization of the results of their research. Having been designated as a Carnegie Research I University several years ago, The Florida State University had $147.9 million in research support this past year. One of our recent highlights is the fact that FSU has initiated a new medical school, the first in the U.S. in over two decades. Our emphasis is on training doctors as primary care physicians, with a particular focus on geriatric medicine-consistent with the demographics of our state. With a student body of 37,000, we attract students from every county in Florida, every state in the nation, and more than 100 foreign countries. The University is committed to high admission standards that ensure quality and diversity in its student body, which currently includes some 278 National Merit and National Achievement Scholars, as well as students with superior creative talent. At The Florida State University, we are very proud of our successes as well as our emerging reputation as one of the nation's top public universities. Center for Advanced Power Systems- Instrumentation Funding The Florida State University, in cooperation with the FSU's National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the College of Engineering, established the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) in 2000. This center focuses on advanced power systems and technologies with particular emphasis on propulsion systems. With federal funding from the Department of the Navy's ONR, FSU has lead the organization of the Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium (ESRDC), an academic-industry partnership focused on the application of recent advances in power semiconductors, materials, advanced controls and superconductivity to advanced power system technologies. FSU and its academic and industrial partners have complementary programs in power systems. CAPS researchers focus on two fundamental areas: power systems including control and integration, and superconductivity R&D. “Dual Use" technologies have been fostered by structuring the consortium to include Navy, commercial, and utility-based industrial participation. The technology problems to be solved in both Naval and commercial power systems are similar and related. Both will benefit from a joint approach. Breakthroughs in superconductor materials are key to major advances in both Navy and utility power system technology. The FSU program in superconductivity has been greatly increased to provide more emphasis on the overall system design issues, which include cryogenics and new machine designs. Research facilities have been added that provide unparalleled capabilities to advance materials development. CAPS is pursuing the application of superconductivity by developing a prototype-superconducting transformer for shipboard use in cooperation with industry. State-of-the-art power system research facilities are essential to understanding power system problems and integrating new technologies such as superconductivity into power systems. In the summer of 2003, CAPS will commission the first phase of the power system test bed with real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing capabilities that will provide the capability for testing prototype equipment in a simulated power system environment. With FY2003 funding CAPS is moving ahead with additional test facilities with focus on energy storage and hardware testing. FSU is requesting an additional $6 million in FY2004 above the Navy's budget request for ESRDC for additional instrumentation and power generation equipment needed to complete the test bed in the Force Protection/Applied Research Account (PE0602123N). A portion of the funds will be used to begin the manufacturing process for the prototype-superconducting transformer in cooperation with our industrial partners. Nanotubes Optimized for Lightweight Exceptional Strength (NOLES): Composite Materials with Multi-Functionality The US Army has undertaken the mission of developing a lighter fleet of fighting vehicles that will have the firepower and survivability of an M1 tank and yet be transportable in a C130. The most promising approach appears to be the diminutive |