The events of 11 September turned national attention to the United States' telecommunications and travel infrastructures and the need to ensure their safety and robustness. Also highlighted was the nation's vulnerability to low-tech attacks such as the planes-as-bombs that destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, and acts of bioterrorism that, for a while, had people afraid to open their mail. What has necessity birthed in the way of technologies, shifts in thinking, or changes in procedures meant to prevent or mitigate a future attack?
To answer that question, the September 2002 issue of IEEE Spectrum examines the following areas.
INTELLIGENCE: Can the intelligence community find the bad guys before they strike? Agencies such as the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA aim to update their computer systems, which were so slow and decentralized before 9/11 as to prohibit the sharing of scraps of related information that might have foretold the attackers' plan. "Feds Online" looks at these agencies' efforts to make the data they collect more manageable.
BIOMETRICS: National ID cards, once anathema to U.S. citizens, were given greater consideration after it was found that several of the attackers were able to obtain valid driver's licenses. Concerns over privacy and the potential for abuse still carry a great deal of weight. But, as noted in "Who Goes There?," the disappointing performance of biometric identification technologies such as face recognition mean your local security guard doesn't have to worry about his job just yet.
AIRPORT SECURITY: In the wake of the disaster, the U.S. Congress gave the Transportation Security Administration it had just created a year to improve airport checkpoints so that all bags are screened for explosives. "Slow Takeoff" examines how this project is faring.
BIOTERRORISM: When, just after 9/11, the U.S. Postal Service was besieged by panic over mail laced with anthrax, it responded quickly. But ensuring the safety of billions of pieces of mail is easier said than done. "Neither Snow, nor Rain, nor Anthrax" details the USPS' attempt to sterilize all parcels, and subsequent switch to detection of biotoxins.
COMMUNICATIONS: Ensuring that communications between emergency personnel in a disaster zone are reliable is another high priority. In "Over and Over and Out," redundancy--perhaps a trunked radio design and strategically placed repeaters--is the focus. Another key to robust emergency communications, made clear on 9/11, is separate operations protocol for a disaster of this scope.
BROADCASTING: Broadcasters--especially those in the New York metropolitan area who lost their broadcast hub when the North Tower fell--are also intent on improving their networks' redundancy. "Second Site" reports that multiple broadcast towers, once thought a waste of money, are now the order of the day.
CONSUMERS: Consumers are also taking the words "homeland security" to heart. Gas masks, radiation detectors, and potassium iodide pills are flying off the shelves. "Try This at Home" looks at whether the sellers of these projects are simply playing on the public's fears.
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