Projects
Land Border Illegal Migration Profiling
Border control is an important component of national security. For a country the size of the United States , however, the length of its land borders and coastlines poses a significant security challenge. Illegal migrant workers, drug couriers, foreign terrorists, smugglers, fugitives, and other criminals benefit from the geographic range and porous nature of both the southern and northern U.S. borders. While the Federal government has employed personnel, technology, and intelligence in its effort to control this problem, illegal border crossers adapt to such efforts, displacing to areas less well surveilled and patrolled. A Rand study modeling drug interdiction efforts demonstrated that a high percentage of the border/coastline had to be covered to have any significant impact on narcotic importation levels.
Under explored to date, geographic information systems (GIS) and geographic profiling of illegal migration patterns can optimize resource allocation and help anticipate offender reactions. Those factors which facilitate or inhibit border crossings can be identified and studied in an effort to determine environmental and physical features that relate to the probability of illegal border movement. Knowledge of the spatial behavior of illegal land border immigrants would assist those responsible for protecting national security anticipate and prevent such activity. It would also help intelligence collection and information sharing by promoting a better understanding of offender movement patterns and interjurisdictional issues. Models constructed from this research would enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of border security, benefiting the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service), county sheriff and small local police departments close to the border, and large metropolitan police departments in the border regions.
This effort would build on an existing
research project funded by the National Institute of Justice.
Emphasis would be placed on identifying and analyzing areas of
concern in Mexico, Central, and South American countries, in order
to better understand how they fit into the overall illegal migration
equation.
Counterterrorism Applications
New tools in combating terrorism are
necessary for national security. The Center for Geospatial
Intelligence and Investigation is currently researching how
Geographic Profiling may cultivate new techniques in
counterterrorism. The research goal is to build a demographic
and geographic prediction model for terrorists to facilitate
military and intelligence personnel in better prioritizing suspects
and more efficient use of limited resources. Please view
link below for more information.
Grant buoys unique Texas State counterterrorism Program
Insurgent Attacks
The following article describes two cases studies which successfully
employed geographic profiling to investigate insurgent attacks in
Baghdad, Iraq.
Hunting
Insurgents
For information, please contact:
Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation
Kim Rossmo, PhD
Research Professor
KRossmo@TxState.edu
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