Expert System for Bomb Factory Detection by Networks of Advance Sensors

Carlotta Ferrari, Alessandro Ulrici and Francesco Saverio Romolo
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Carlotta Ferrari: Institut de Police Scientifique (IPS), Université de Lausanne, Dorigny, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
Alessandro Ulrici: Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Amendola, 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Francesco Saverio Romolo: Institut de Police Scientifique (IPS), Université de Lausanne, Dorigny, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland

Challenges, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: (1) Background: Police forces and security administrations are nowadays considering Improvised explosives (IEs) as a major threat. The chemical substances used to prepare IEs are called precursors, and their presence could allow police forces to locate a bomb factory where the on-going manufacturing of IEs is carried out. (2) Methods: An expert system was developed and tested in handling signals from a network of sensors, allowing an early warning. The expert system allows the detection of one precursor based on the signal provided by a single sensor, the detection of one precursor based on the signal provided by more than one sensor, and the production of a global alarm level based on data fusion from all the sensors of the network. (3) Results: The expert system was tested in the Italian Air Force base of Pratica di Mare (Italy) and in the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) in Grindsjön (Sweden). (4) Conclusion: The performance of the expert system was successfully evaluated under relevant environmental conditions. The approach used in the development of the expert system allows maximum flexibility in terms of integration of the response provided by any sensor, allowing to easily include in the network all possible new sensors.

Keywords: improvised explosive; precursor; network; chemometrics; security; forensic science (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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