ALERT | Awareness and Localization of Explosive-Related Threats

ADSA19 Workshop Brings Academia, Industry, and Government Together

The Nineteenth Advanced Development for Security Applications (ADSA19) Workshop occurred on October 16-17, 2018 at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Close to 150 participants from academia, industry, and government gathered to engage in dialogue related to the theme of the workshop: “Rapid Response to an Adapting Adversary.”

Over the course of two days, subject matter experts and leaders from the Homeland Security Enterprise delivered presentations and participated in panel discussions on the topic of collecting and using metadata. Specific topics discussed included:

• Characterization of emerging threats
• Development and deployment of automated threat recognition (ATR) algorithms
• Metrics for assessing adaptability
• Operator involvement
• Third-parties, open-architectures
• Fused algorithms and systems
• Deterrence and dynamics systems
• Machine learning, simulants and simulated datasets
• Networking and cybersecurity
• Displacement
• Detecting the terrorist versus the threat
• Risk based screening using video tracking of passengers and divested objects
• Biometrics
• Air cargo
• Automation of concept of operations (automated screening lanes)
• Checkpoint CT and prohibited items

The next ADSA Workshop (ADSA20) will be held at the same location on May 15-16, 2019. The theme of the workshop will be “Design, Development, Testing, Deployment and Operation of Effective Systems.” ADSA20 is expected to continue to draw interested and engaged communities from the Homeland Security Enterprise.

The ADSA Workshop series has been convened by the DHS Center of Excellence (COE) for Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT) since 2009. Originally named the “Algorithm Development for Security Applications” Workshop series, the name was changed following ADSA10 in 2014 to reflect how the scope of the workshop series has expanded well beyond algorithms. The ADSA Workshop series is intended to address research opportunities that may enable the development of next-generation systems and to facilitate collaboration and innovation between researchers from academia, national labs, and industry.

Presentations from the ADSA19 Workshop are available for viewing online: https://alert.northeastern.edu/transitioning-technology/adsa/final-reports-and-presentations/adsa19-presentations/

Final reports for previous ADSA Workshops are also available online:  https://alert.northeastern.edu/transitioning-technology/adsa/final-reports-and-presentations/