ALERT | Awareness and Localization of Explosive-Related Threats

CT-EDS Reconstruction Initiative, Program Review

October 24, 2013, Northeastern University, Boston

• Directions and Lodging

Project

The ALERT CT Reconstruction Project, funded by DHS over the past year, set as a goal to involve groups other than incumbent security vendors to develop advanced reconstruction algorithms that improve the performance of explosives detection equipment for aviation security applications.  An additional goal is to make scan data and models available in the public domain.

As the CT Reconstruction Project comes to a close in November, we will be holding a Program Review to discuss its results. The review will take place at Northeastern University in Boston, on October 24, 2013.

Participants attending this event will be able to engage directly with the researchers who are advancing the state-of-the-art in security algorithms as well as with other key parties within the EDS domain. In addition, attendees will learn more about the reconstruction research results of the program and future efforts in this area.

Invitations are being extended to security industry companies and notable practitioners in government and academia.

Draft Agenda [as of 9.30.2013]

Background

ALERT, was tasked by DHS to run a series of workshops to involve third parties in algorithm development. These workshops, of which there have been eight since spring 2009, are known by their acronym, ADSA (Algorithm Development for Security Applications). The participants at the first ADSA workshop agreed that CT-based explosives detection equipment could be improved with advanced reconstruction algorithms. The improvements would be based in part on methods to overcome artifacts in CT images such as blurring, streaking and low-frequency shading. The participants also indicated that improved reconstruction algorithms for aviation security could be developed using scans of non-threats on medical CT scanners, leading to scanner data and models that would be in the public domain.

ALERT, with funding from DHS, created in 2012 the reconstruction initiative in which research groups were provided scans of non-threats on medical scanners. The researchers have been developing reconstruction algorithms for the past approximately twelve months and will be presenting their algorithms at the review. In addition, a review of their algorithms will be presented by experts in the field, who will review the new reconstruction algorithms in advance of the meeting. The symposium will address the applicability of the reconstruction algorithms to certified explosives detection equipment and review steps for continuing their research.