| The Department of Homeland Security has outlined the following challenges
critical to our national security and having broad applicability. The Center
will directly impact these challenges by developing security technologies using
its research thrusts and flexible universal system frameworks developed and
demonstrated through the testbeds. The incorporation of broader aspects of
policy, law, and social impact early into the design of systems makes this
Center unique.
The CST will develop a strategic framework for the design, implementation,
and deployment of science and technology systems. Initial focus applications
include the development of anamoly-based detection systems; authentication of
objects and people through the use of advanced biometrics- and physics-based
recognition systems; sensing of objects and vehicles crossing the borders by
air, land, and water; and surveillance using video cameras networked with
complementary sensors.
System assessment includes the interplay of
system cost analysis, complexity, response time, bandwidth limits and data
compression strategies, computational limits, and end-to-end system throughput
and performance requirements. Legal, economic, and privacy considerations, as
exemplified by the potential trade-offs between the security system design and
the personal expectations of privacy, are essential for successful
implementation.
Information is increasingly recognized as an essential and precious personal
and societal asset. Unprecedented technological progress has been made in
creating, transmitting, and storing data; however, securing the information and
its infrastructure remains a challenge. The CST is addressing this challenge
with new technologies to provide fast and effective access, secure flow, and
control of data. This is accomplished by developing methods for extremely fast
searching of massive, complex databases; secure, distributed databases; and
intelligent, high-speed switches to secure networks and content at link rates.
Inherent in the Center interpretation of data security is
providing tools to support the explicit legal and regulatory requirements on
some data (e.g., Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
regulations for medical data, or the Digital Millenium Copyright Act constraints
on copyrighted material), and supporting and clarifying public expectations of
privacy.
Emergency preparedness and response is a critical aspect of security. The St.
Louis Metropolitan Medical Response System (SLMMRS), located on the campus of
Saint Louis University and established in partnership with Washington
University, is the most innovative regional emergency response partnership of
its kind in the country. An integrated system has been implemented that includes
a centralized database, as well as cooperation with and connection to all 37
major medical centers in the St. Louis region. This visionary system is serving
as a model for Chicago, New York, and Israel.The CST is working on
demonstrations of security technology within the SLMMRS. Critical needs are to
create speedier response and effectiveness of first responders;
pre-certification of these professionals; and on-site authentication of
responders. By incorporating a biometric measurement capability into the first
responder’s unit, individuals will be identified and authenticated positively
and quickly.
Another interaction is the design and development of
an advanced database system that ties responders’ data and area emergency room
information. Integrating these data will speed detection of a distributed
anomaly, such as a biopathogen or chemical agent entering the city, long before
a single point could correlate these incidents, thus containing the scope of the
emergency. Partnering with health care, emergency management, law enforcement
and government accelerates SLMMRS’ ability to deploy an integrated and
coordinated response to significant medical incidents.
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