Editors: This event is open to media and includes demonstrations of the database. Researchers will be available for one-on-ones following the session.
WHAT:
Newswise — Demonstration and debut of the world's largest unclassified database of terrorism incidents " the Global Terrorism Database. Developed by START, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism based at the University of Maryland, the database will be freely available online to policy-makers, researchers the media and the general public. START is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The database, five years in the making, includes 80,000 terror incidents from 1970 through 2004. START plans to update the database through 2007 by spring of 2008. Each incident is coded on more than 100 variables to aid in the identification and explanation of trends in domestic and international terrorism.
"This is a vital tool that can help us understand terror attacks much better, and improve our chances of prevention," says Gary LaFree, director of START and a criminologist by training. "With this database, we're in a much better position to answer the really important questions that can give us an edge in combating terrorism."
Already, searches of the database have offered some myth-busting findings: average age of a terrorist group is one year or less; 74 percent of all groups known to launch attacks between 1970 and 1997 lasted for only 1 year or less; majority of attacks resulted in zero fatalities; 1.2 percent of cases resulted in the death of 25 or more people. There was an uptick in terror incidents in 1998, and that level remained relatively constant through 2004.
At the session, the presenters will demonstrate the capabilities of the database and how to use it " the online portal is user-friendly " and discuss how the data can help policy-makers and social scientists devise the most effective responses to terrorism.
One study conducted in 2006 used the database to evaluate the effectiveness of counterterrorism approaches used in Northern Ireland by the British. (Details online: http://www.start.umd.edu/publications/research_briefs/.)
The demonstration, which is open to media, is being held as part of the DHS 2007 Homeland Security Science and Technology Stakeholders Conference.
START is a Center of Excellence supported by the DHS Office of University Programs. The Human Factors Division of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate has also provided support for the Global Terrorism Database, as has the National Institute of Justice.
WHO:
Presenters:Gary LaFree, START director, University of Maryland;Laura Dugan, department of criminology and criminal justice, University of Maryland;Adam Perer, Human-Computer Interaction Lab, University of MarylandCharles Blair, Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies.
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 23, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
WHERE:
Horizon Ballroom B, Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
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