Thursday, March 1, 2007

Pierson's Midterm Concept (repost)

Something happened to the last 2 posts I made... so here is the combined post...

---
Title: Testing the Security of the US through changing the Homeland Security budget allocation


Abstract: I am exploring the human cost of security as it relates the tension between security and other considerations (political, ethical, financial, and technological) in order to provide for a more secure environment. This will focus on threats that are posed to the US via travel and transport mechanisms. Our national security structure is constructed of a great number of different strategies that spread the infrastructure out across the world. As a result, in order to effectively manage the national security policy it is important to not only understand the current deployment of personnel and tools but also be able to reallocate those resources in order to more effectively protect our country.

Methodology: I am going about this by looking at current security mechanisms that protect our travel and transport industries, air, sea, land while looking at ways to bolster support for different types of security. I am going to do this by creating an interactive tool in which users can reallocate the national security resources and then test the reallocation against simulated threats.

Media Presentation & Justification: This thesis will be an interactive tool which allows users to take the current state of security and the current budget and change different components of the security strategy be it airport security, scanning of containers being off loaded at ports or border security. The user will be able to reallocate current resources and then test them with a virtual attack. Users will be able to allocate at a high level, the entire airport infrastructure, the borders, sea ports, etc. They won't be able to boost security at LAX by 5 screeners.

This will most likely be a Flash tool with a globe which shows threats and vulnerabilities which can then be adjusted and corrected. However, I might use a Sim engine which will allow me to build an environment on top of the existing infrastructure.

It is important to use an interactive user adjustable tool for this as there is no easy way to do threat verification, validation, and modification while looking at the citizen response in a text environment.

---
First Post - Simplified Version of Above
---

I am exploring the human cost of security as it relates the tension between security and other considerations (political, ethical, financial, and technological) in order to provide for a more secure environment.

1 comment:

anastasia said...

This is a really useful and practical tool that obviously requires multimedia.

It could transcend just being a tool, however, if a political thesis was involved or addressed more strongly. Right now, it reads a bit like a "video game" world where attacks are bound to happen and defense is the only strategy. If you brought in elements, or at least a text description, about political prevention of terrorism through diplomacy and foreign policy, that might strengthen the idea.

The world is much more complicated than Space Invaders, where the enemies are shooting no matter what. It would be remiss not to discuss the factors to prevent the reactionary "cold war" strategy of defense without discussing the roots of the problems. My worry is that it will be oversimplified. However, so long as you take a clear stance and justify yourself, this has a huge potential to be a really interesting and influential project.

Good stuff, dude!