'Minority Report' moves closer to reality -- GCN

In the wake of terrorist attacks like those in Paris and Orlando, Fla., domestic and international law enforcement agencies alike are investigating how attackers were able to slip through intelligence-gathering networks and what can be done to prevent future attacks. Big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies offer federal, state and local law enforcement agencies the opportunity to predict the probability of terror attacks based on many factors, according to David Rubal, DLT Solutions' chief technologist of data and analytics and principal data scientist. A data futurist as well as a fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT), Rubal said "personal, behavioral, facial recognition, geo-location, social media and financial data" can help government agencies, law enforcement groups and their technology providers make predictions. "Probability and risk is determined based on the intersections of this data and patterns over time," Rubal explained. "Agencies are also using virtual reality, derived from advanced user experiences and gaming, to simulate'life-like' situations for law enforcement to improve predictability and situational awareness when training officers for responding to a terrorist threat," Rubal said.