A few weeks ago our list was full of bright ideas for applying technology
to the challenges we face. Some of them, like irradiating the mail, are
independently being put into effect. Now here is your chance to get an
official hearing for your other good ideas.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011025/pl/attack_pentagon_ideas_dc_1.html:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon (news - web sites) cast a wide net
on Thursday for bright ideas on thwarting terrorism, seeking to pick
the brains of just about everyone from tinkerers in their garages to
big corporations worldwide.
The Defense Department said it was seeking help in ''defeating
difficult targets, conducting protracted operations in remote areas
and developing countermeasures to weapons of mass destruction.''
...
``We're open to ideas from just about everybody,'' added Glenn Flood,
a Pentagon spokesman. More information on the process has been posted
at http://www.bids.tswg.gov.
Jacques Gansler, who served as the Pentagon's acquisition chief
under former President Bill Clinton, said similar approaches had
worked well for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the
Pentagon's chief research and development arm.
``The beauty of it is you can get a broad range of people thinking
out of the box,'' he said. ``Often you'll get ideas from inventors''
as well as from big defense contractors.
Thinking outside the box is definitely one thing people around here are
good at (a little too far outside the box sometimes, perhaps). If you
follow the links from that article you get to the Pentagon solicitation,
which outlines the following specific problems where they are looking
for suggestions:
R-100 COMBATING TERRORISM
R-101 Automated Speaker Recognition System
R-102 Computer and Information Operations
R-103 Tagging, Tracking, Locating and Remote Sensors
R-104 Locating Faces in Video Images
R-105 Identifying Faces in Video Images
R-106 Video Human Tracking
R-107 Voice Print Identificat
R-108 Terrorist Behavior and Actions Predictions Technology
R-109 Information Integration Center
R-110 Physical Security
R-111 Ports of Entry Passenger Screening Aid
R-120 Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)
R-200 LOCATION AND DEFEAT OF HARD OR DIFFICULT TARGETS
R-201 Detection and Mapping of Underground Facilities
R-210 Tactical Operations Support
R-300 PROTRACTED OPERATIONS IN REMOTE LOCATIONS
R-301 Early Warning Devices
R-310 Direct Action
R-311 Specialty Munitions
R-312 Advanced Tactical Imaging Systems
R-313 Advanced Breaching Tools
R-314 Through-Wall Imaging
R-400 COUNTERMEASURES TO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
R-401 Identifying Terrorists Involved with Weapons of Mass Destruction
R-402 Entry Point Screening for Improvised Explosive Devices, Chemical and Radiological Weapons
R-410 Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures
R-411 Pre-release Detection of Chemical and Biological Agents
R-412 Air Sampler and Aerosol Collector
R-413 WMD Release Source Prediction
R-414 Expedient Chemical and Biological Agent Battlefield Neutralization
R-415 Field Confirmatory Biological Analysis
R-416 WMD Material Assessment
R-420 Explosives Detection
R-421 Standoff Detection
R-422 Handheld Detectors
R-423 Walkthrough Portals for Personnel Screening
R-430 Improvised Device Defeat
R-431 Standoff Large Vehicle Bomb (LVB) Diagnostics
R-432 Large Vehicle Bomb Neutralization
R-433 Large Vehicle Bomb (LVB) Containment and Mitigation
R-434 Precision Disruption Tools
They are looking for one-page descriptions by December 23. Here is a
chance to get a hearing for your ideas.
Hal
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat May 11 2002 - 17:44:16 MDT