Group to launch terrorist database

This system provides open-source, unclassified information on international
and domestic terrorism, pulling information from a database of terrorist
incident information maintained since 1968 by Rand, nonprofit research
organization. It also incorporates links to original court documents
pertaining to suspected terrorists.

The institute's analysis tools collect this information and allow officials
to compare and sort the information. A wizard tool takes users through a
step-by-step process to find the information they want.

The Rand database had not been available to the public or much of government
until now, and it provides information about groups, individuals, incidents,
tactics and other issues that can provide critical context when developing a
prevention and response strategy, said James Ellis, research and program
coordinator for the project at the institute.

"A lot of people, when they're doing that kind of planning, they're always
trying to think hypothetically, theoretically, what might terrorists do,"
Ellis said. "That's fine, but why don't we look at what they actually have
done over the last several decades, and use that to be able to have
real-world data to support them."

Using open-source terrorist information from public and private sources is
one of the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission, said Lloyd Salvetti, a
former officer with the CIA and a consultant to the commission. It is an
important complimentary resource for the intelligence community and first
responders, he said.

For first responders at the federal, state and local levels of government,
the systems fill a void by providing information in a resource that even
those who are not technology-savvy can use, said Suzanne Mencer, director of
DHS' Office for Domestic Preparedness.

"Whenever you can look at historically what has occurred in a particular
area, that gives you some indication of the potential for what may occur in
the future," she said. "This is an indicator, ... one tool in the toolbox
for the investigator, for the academic, or anyone that is in the
decision-making process."

Source:
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/1115/web-terrordata-11-17-04.asp