The challenge of the September 11 terrorist attacks falls heavily on the information technology community. Authorities are crying out for help solving problems ranging from information stovepiping by intelligence agencies to the lack of a national monitoring system to detect bioterrorism attacks. The money is there, and politicians are looking to the scientific community for answers. In this issue of DG Online, we examine some of the Digital Government research already underway to bolster Homeland Security. The message is clear: Good science can ensure that the terrorists don't win.

Director's Note

"While it may appear on the surface paradoxical to attempt to "prepare for the unexpected", the current state of information technology makes it possible to create a general infrastructure and develop general capabilities that can be adapted instantly to any threat. Society cannot afford to prepare for every eventuality, but it is possible to create a foundation upon which a response can be constructed quickly." Details

Features

Hijack button

University of North Texas professor Krishna Kavi looked into knowledge management of aviation accident investigation data. What he came up with, months before Sept. 11, was a "hijack button." Details

Super Detective

When University of Arizona professor Hsinchun Chen combined police databases for a consortium of city police agencies, a super-detective was born. Details

Disaster Response

Sarah Nusser of Iowa State and Scott Midkiff at Virginia Tech followed different paths in researching improved mobile communications. But what they came up with is the same: new templates for emergency management and disaster response. Details

Deep Focus

Creating Metadata

Bruce Croft of MIT and Eduard Hovy of USC/ISI discuss different approaches to metadata. Details