The past three years have seen significant interest and progress made in national/international and homeland security research, particularly in the development of methodologies and tools to enable analysts and researchers to advance the state of knowledge by using computer science and information technology in the areas of terrorism research, intelligence analysis, and security-related public policy. Much as for the sciences of "medical informatics" and "bioinformatics," there remains a pressing need to continue to develop the science of "intelligence and security informatics" -- the study of the development and use of advanced information technologies, computer science, and algorithms for national/international and homeland security related applications, through an integrated technological, organizational, and policy-based approach.
This award will support the Third International Conference on Intelligence and Security Informatics in order to provide an intellectual forum for discussion among disparate communities: academic researchers in information technologies, computer science, public policy, and the social sciences; local, state, and federal law enforcement and intelligence experts; and information technology industry consultants and practitioners. Noted informatics, computer science, and policy researchers will be brought together with progressive leaders in law enforcement and security communities to engage in productive dialogue and explore avenues of collaboration;150-175 individuals are expected. The meeting will solicit high-quality research papers of relevance to intelligence and security research, which will be peer-reviewed by both researchers and practitioners for presentation as well as publication. The co-location of this conference with the annual Digital Government program's grantee workshop will further broaden the possibilities for participation in this emerging scientific discipline. Funding will be provided by the Federal intelligence agencies, the Dept. of Homeland SEcurity, and two divisions in NSF.
