ASDWire distribution date: Wed, 28 Mch 2007 11:11:00 GMT +0100

Aptima and Boston College Collaborate on Technology for Defense Threat Reduction (DTRA) Contract

Teams to Apply Social Network Analysis to WMD Counter-proliferation

Woburn, Mass. - March 28, 2007 --[ASDWire]-- Aptima, Inc., a leader in human-centered engineering, announced today that it is collaborating with Boston College on a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) contract for the application of social network science to counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

Under the three-year project, the BC-Aptima team will develop a framework for how social network science can support efforts to detect, identify and disrupt adversarial networks that pose the threat of using nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Social network analysis (SNA) is viewed as a critical tool in combating the use of unconventional materials and methods by helping visualize or model the ‘pipelines’ through which funds, weapons and technical knowledge flow amongst trans-national terrorists, smugglers, criminals, and rogue WMD elements around the world. The team will be led by Dr. Stephen Borgatti of Boston College, a leading expert in social networks.

The defense and intelligence communities are increasingly tasked with predicting and anticipating the motivations and actions of hidden, shadowy networks. They are challenged, however, to build predictive scenarios which can require analyzing millions of pieces of disparate information. SNA tools can establish links and relationships among loosely connected webs of individuals, groups and cells, creating visual representations that illuminate the make-up of these adversarial networks.

The BC-Aptima team will perform two key tasks that simultaneously address both dimensions of the WMD problem: creating a unified framework for how social network science can support defense threat reduction and; creating WMD-specific strategies that apply social network analysis.

In the first phase, the team will create an integrated theoretical framework for social networks that consolidates and unifies advances in the field so they can be applied to the WMD/military domain. Social network science is an emerging discipline with its roots in academia, that draws on concepts from social psychology, anthropology, sociology, mathematics, and physics.

In a parallel phase, the team will construct an architecture for applying social network science to understanding and controlling WMD scenarios. Using generic goals, such as identifying targets whose removal will disrupt enemy networks, this phase will determine how social network science can support the military decision making that leads to effective courses of action.

John Shaw, CEO of Aptima, stated, “This is a new era, where threats are arising from hard-to-identify cells and obscure network elements using unconventional tactics and organizations. Countering these adversaries requires not only new modes of thought but also advanced tools that mesh technology with a deep understanding of social networks. Aptima is honored to be working on such a challenging and critical project.”

# # #

About Aptima
Aptima is a leader in the field of human-centered engineering, solving the problems of human performance in today’s complex sociotechnical systems. Recognized by The Boston Business Journal as one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Massachusetts (2006 and 2007), Aptima’s unique approach couples social science principles with quantitative, computational methods. The company provides products and services focused on the design of organizations, user-centered technology, and training systems. Aptima is headquartered in Woburn, MA, with offices in Washington, DC. www.aptima.com.

About Boston College
Boston College is one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States. U.S. News and World Report ranks Boston College 34th among national universities. Boston College confers more than 4,000 degrees annually in more than 50 fields of study through 7 schools and colleges. Faculty members are committed to both teaching and research and have set new marks for research grant awards over the last ten years, more than $44 million in the last year alone. Boston College has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, including a 43 percent increase in undergraduate applications over the past decade. During the same period, a remarkable increase in revenue from voluntary giving has helped to move the University's endowment to approximately $1.4 billion, among the 50 largest in the nation.

About the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
DTRA safeguards America and its allies from weapons of mass destruction by providing capabilities to reduce, eliminate, and counter the threat, and mitigate its effects. This Department of Defense combat support agency is located at Fort Belvoir, Va., and operates field offices worldwide. www.dtra.mil

Company Information