Can information technology be used to prevent and counter acts of terrorism? The question has gained utmost significance against the backdrop of the serial bomb blasts across Mumbai's suburban rail network.
Countries around the world use a wide range of technologies to both pre-empt terrorist strikes as well as investigate them. India should do likewise.
So what would an ideal anti-terrorism technology system look like? In an intelligence work, information is the key. Getting the information at the right time and sending it out to the right people can go a long way in stopping terror in its tracks.
An ideal system would typically have three layers:
In a city or a country, there are many security agencies such as the police, the railway police, the airport police, the Navy, the Army, etc who may have their own intelligence gathering systems. In addition, there is a huge amount of personal information that is held by banks, telephone companies, credit card companies, etc. People also leave a trail of information when they transact.
The problem is these systems are not integrated so it becomes difficult for law enforcers to spot the bigger picture or patterns.
The agencies do share information but since the exchange of information is manual and does not happen in real time, it is often too late before critical information reaches the right hands.
What is needed is an integrated approach to information gathering. Information from all the agencies should come into a centralised repository where it can be collated, analysed and disseminated in real time. Of course, it must be ensured that the system is extremely secure so that the information does not fall into the wrong hands.
Besides, a large amount of information never gets into the system in time because it comes from networks of informers on the ground. These informers often have vital information, which can validate or add to existing intelligence. Getting information from these sources quickly into the system is of paramount importance. Wireless, handheld and mobile technologies could be used to effectively do this.
Another area to consider is the use of sophisticated and integrated public surveillance systems such as CCTV cameras and number plate tracking systems. Instead of just using them in sensitive areas such as airports, these systems can be installed at key entry and exit points, junctions, and sensitive routes. The footage of CCTV
All the information should be held in digital format so that it can be transferred from one location to another easily. In fact, in the London tube bomb blasts on July 7, 2005, the four suspects were recorded by security cameras at the King's Cross station. The trouble with CCTV camera systems is that they generate a voluminous mass of footage. A possible solution is to combine this with biometric analysis such as face-recognition systems.
On top of all this, we need a good incident management and information system. Often, a series of small events build up to a large terror strike. Terrorists test system preparedness with a series of small crimes.
For instance, police believe that a series of bomb hoaxes that preceded the bomb blast may have been a build-up to the eventual strike. If there is a proper incident logging system, especially for sensitive targets, coupled with a good analytics system, law enforcement agencies can spot patterns and be better prepared.
Data by itself is meaningless unless you can glean intelligence from it. That's where analytics can help. Using the data from the information gathering systems, law enforcement agencies can build threat and risk models, spot patterns, and become proactive in their anti-terrorism activities.
The data and analysis must be made available to the right people at the right time. It should also have enough controls in place to ensure that the information does not fall into the wrong hands. It should also have a 'push' system in place where alerts are sent out to key people based on certain pre-defined business rules.
Such a system to counter terror can also help investigators after a terror attack.
Of course, such a system is not easy to build. It needs co-ordination between many agencies and large-scale system integration. The IT system, therefore, must be a part of a larger anti-terrorism plan and will need strong legislative and government support.
But the good part is that the skills and capabilities needed to build such a system is already available in India. Many IT companies, like Mastek for example, have a proven track record in implementing large-scale, complex, mission-critical system integration projects, including such prestigious ones like the London Congestion Charging project.
The author is head of solutions and strategy, Mastek Group, an international software solutions company.