Homeland Security
We conduct research in a broad range of technical, scientific, and social disciplines—from health to environmental protection to systems analysis—that directly support the nation's focus on homeland security. Our research professionals combine complementary skills to provide multidisciplinary services and develop technical solutions that can help both public and private clients improve their security infrastructures and response capabilities.
Focus Areas
RTI scientists and technicians include experts in a broad array of social, life, information, and engineering sciences who work in project teams to effectively integrate the following disciplines:
- Multiagency coordination and response
- Bioterroism, health security, and epidemiology
- Immigration and population studies
- Data mining and predictive analytics
- Economic analysis and modeling
- Cyber security
- Survey methodologies
- Geospatial modeling
- Criminology and law
- Radicalization studies
- Terrorism and political violence research
Selected Projects
We have used our core technical and management skills to develop ongoing relationships with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice, and other government agencies. Examples of our work on homeland security include the following projects.
Multiagency Coordination and Response
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Assessing the potential for standardized models of multiagency planning and response through the examination of successful and failed response events domestically and internationally
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Developing a survey to assess the interaction of public and private mitigation and response actions to terrorism events
Bioterrorism, Health Security, and Epidemiology
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Collecting sensitive information from over 100,000 respondents as part of the World Trade Center Health Registry
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Evaluating the distribution of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent anthrax and assessing adverse events and adherence
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Using interactive mapping of multi-mode survey and secondary data to estimate the prevalence of cyanide and the possible exposure points in the community
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Conducting a robust survey of government employees, international travelers, and physicians for CDC's Division of Quarantine to assess knowledge and attitudes concerning the role of public health and to identify barriers and preferences in communication and training methods
Immigration and Population Studies
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Conducting and analyzing the results of a survey aimed at assessing DHS’s Welcome to the U.S. program
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Estimating the economic benefits of anticipated changes in inspection and waiting times resulting from a program proposed by DHS called the Free and Secure Trade Program
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RTI is a member of the National Center on Border Security and Immigration (NC-BSI), a DHS-funded Center of Excellence. RTI is responsible for conducting several Immigration-related research projects for the Center and DHS.
The Institute for Homeland Security Solutions
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The Institute for Homeland Security Solutions (IHSS) is a research consortium established to conduct applied research in the social and behavioral sciences to address a wide range of homeland security challenges. RTI manages the IHSS and is a member of the consortium with UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and the North Carolina Military Foundation.
Data Mining and Predictive Analytics
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Exploring the use of data mining to identify patterns in hostile surveillance to determine whether a complex set of suspicious activity reports can be explored and modeled to make recommendations for terrorism prevention and deterrence efforts
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Evaluating and testing specific tools for intelligence analysis including data mining applications that can be used for open source data and unstructured text
Economic Analysis and Modeling
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Conducting economic assessments of hurricane-inflicted damages for state and federal agencies to develop preparedness and response plans
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Evaluating the potential impacts of the planned implementation of the DHS-sponsored Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on the U.S. economy and its border communities
Cyber Security
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Investigating for DHS the private sector’s investment decision process for cyber security technologies by assessing information needs and the barriers to adoption of computer network infrastructure that would effectively and efficiently deter security breaches
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Managing, coordinating, and facilitating the acquisition and delivery of Internet traffic data from data providers to researchers through a restricted access Web portal in order to defend against cyber threats
More information
- Institute for Homeland Security Solutions (Web site)
- Homeland Security (brochure)