Viterbi AI project under CREATE auspices speeds simulations
A former Viterbi School computer science graduate student now has his PhD, and this thesis project continues in development as a way to train firefighters and other responders to fight conflagrations.
Viterbi School artificial intelligence expert Milind Tambe and Nathan Schurr (PhD 2007) brought the complex system into being; working directly with the L.A. County Fire Department as it evolved, making sure that it remained relevant and useful.
Computer scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed DEFACTO, a training program which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help firefighters practice simulated emergency situations. The system is currently used by the Los Angeles Fire Department. DEFACTO has committees of AI 'agents' which can create disaster scenarios with images and maps seen in 3-D by the trainees. The software agents also evaluate the trainees' answers and help them to take better decisions. As one LAFD captain said, 'You can see if you're heading toward a mistake much more quickly.'...
Los Angeles International Airport uses randomization software to prevent terrorist attack
Security officials at Los Angeles International Airport are using randomization software in an attempt to help prevent terrorist attacks. Developed by computer scientists at the University of Southern California, the program, called ARMOR, is used to make the placement of security checkpoints random and unpredictable, according to a Friday report in Newsweek magazine.
To help combat the terrorism threat, officials at Los Angeles Inter Airport are introducing a bold new idea into their arsenal: random of security checkpoints. Can game theory help keep us safe?
USC student's computer program enlisted in security efforts at LAX
Program developed by a USC student is intended to thwart terrorists by making the frequency of searches unpredictable.
The doctoral dissertation of a 26-year-old USC computer science student is having an unusual effect on security and transportation at Los Angeles International Airport.
That's because the LAX police are giving a trial run to a new computer program that, they say, seeks to keep potential terrorists and criminals...
City airports can benefit from the new security software in use at the Los Angeles airport
A new weapon has surfaced in the war on terror. No, it’s not some sophisticated or powerful firearm. It’s an algorithm for airport security developed by two Indian researchers at the University of California’s (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering.
Police at Los Angeles Airport will begin to patrol on schemes compiled by a computer program. Schemes provide complete unpredictability of police movements, according to the University of Southern California (University of South Carolina).
Airport patrols are responsible for the absence of...
The doctoral dissertation of a 26-year-old USC computer science student is having an unusual effect on security and transportation at Los Angeles International Airport.
That’s because the LAX police are giving a trial run to a new computer program that, they say, seeks to keep potential terrorists and criminals constantly uncertain about where, when and how often vehicles will be...
Sriharikota-born researcher and his Mumbai-born professor help improve airport security in the US
t was his voracious appetite for research that made engineer Praveen Paruchuri leave home in Sriharikota for the US in 2002. It was this hunger again that made him stand out among his peers, and his thesis was picked up by security authorities at Los Angeles airport. The officials, who are seeking better measures to counter the increased threats posed by terrorists, are now trying it out, according to Praveen’s professor, Milind Tambe.
Playing games with airport security guards sounds like a bad idea, but Praveen Paruchuri of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles is trying to thwart criminals by doing just that.
Guards are usually told to patrol in a random fashion but, being human, they tend to form habits that patient criminals can exploit. To help make their rounds less predictable, Paruchuri and colleagues created software based on game theory that simulates various random paths that a guard could take around Los Angeles International airport (LAX), and also how...
Research Moves from Ph.D. Thesis to Experimental Police Tool
By Eric Mankin
Security officials at Los Angeles Airport are experimenting with a system developed by USC Viterbi School of Engineering computer scientists to make their operations harder for the bad guys to predict and defeat.
The UK terrorist attacks this June demonstrated once again the extremists’ preference for hitting multiple targets. This strategy aims to confuse authorities and increase casualties and damages. If a large city becomes the target of multiple attacks, responders will need to scramble to allocate fire trucks, ambulances, and other resources to any number of locations. Meanwhile, they’ll need to balance factors such as the intensity of the resulting fires or bomb-related damage at each location, as well as...
Viterbi grad student's computer science PhD thesis becomes basis for CREATE-developed randomization software
Stories distributed all over the world discussed the work of team lead by Milind Tambe creating randomization software make vehicle checkpoints at airports unpredictable for observers. Tambe and his team collaborated with USC's Department of Homeland Security-funded Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events on the project.
Examples included:
Newsweek: The Element of Surprise To help combat the...