David J. Icove

The application of NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator to the investigation of carbon monoxide exposure in the deaths of three Pittsburgh fire fighters.

A case is reported in which computer fire modeling was used to reevaluate a fire that killed three fire fighters. NISTs Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) was employed to model the fire in order to estimate the concentration of carbon monoxide present in the dwelling, which was the immediate cause of death of two of the fire fighters, who appear to have removed their face pieces in order to share available air. This estimate, along with an assumed respiration volume and known blood carboxyhemoglobin, was plugged into a standard equation to estimate the time of exposure. The model indicated that 27 min into the fire, the carbon monoxide concentration had already reached approximately 3600 ppm. At this concentration, and a respiration of 70 L/min, an estimated 3 to 8 min of exposure would have been required to accumulate the concentrations of carboxyhemoglobin (49, 44, and 10%) measured on the fire fighters at autopsy.

Collaring the cybercrook: an investigator's view

In 1996 the U.S. Federal Computer Incident Response Capability (FedCIRC) reported more than 2500 incidents, defined as adverse events in a computer system or networks caused by a failure of a security mechanism, or an attempted or threatened breach of these mechanisms. The Federal Bureau of Investigations National Computer Crimes Squad, Washington, D.C., estimates that less than 15 percent of all computer crimes are even detected, and only 10 percent of those are reported. Without solidly built investigative techniques, which would contribute to a public perception of safety, the very stability of todays military and commercial institutions, not to mention the cybermarkets that are envisioned for the Internet, is called into question. The paper discusses types of computer crime and security attacks. It also presents a classification of the types of security crackers.

The application of the intercolor 8000 terminal to thematic cartography

The Intercolor 8000 color video terminal is used in conjunction with a timesharing computer system for applications in thematic cartography. The version of the terminal discussed can resolve the screen into a matrix of 25 rows by 80 columns with colored characters on colored backgrounds. Using the plot mode, the screen can be further resolved into single-color cells of 100 rows by 160 columns. The value and limitations of the terminal are discussed in terms of the selection and brightness of the eight colors, the dimensions of the cells and the ability to mix colors in small cells. The possibilities of using the terminal for dot, choropleth and isarithmic maps are explored. Acetate overlays can be used to add base lines such as boundaries and rivers and the composite images can be recorded on standard slide film.