Briefs

Stanford University has been named the first Regional Visualization and Analytics Center to perform basic science and technology research to assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in identifying and thwarting terrorist threats to the nation.

The announcement was made today by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which operates DHS's National Visualization and Analytics Center (http://nvac.pnl.gov/), or NVAC, in Richland, Wash.

DHS established the NVAC in 2004 to provide scientific guidance and coordination for the research and development of new tools and methods that the department has identified as required for managing, visually representing and analyzing enormous amounts of diverse data and information. Development of these visualization tools is designed to enable analysts to more effectively identify signs of terrorist attacks in their earliest stages and ultimately to prevent terrorist plots before they occur.

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