Donald T. Gantz

Innovative Surveillance Methods for Rapid Detection of Disease Outbreaks and Bioterrorism: Results of an Interagency Workshop on Health Indicator Surveillance

A system designed to rapidly identify an infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack and provide important demographic and geographic information is lacking in most health departments nationwide. The Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections System sponsored a meeting and workshop in May 2000 in which participants discussed prototype systems and developed recommendations for new surveillance systems. The authors provide a summary of the groups findings, including expectations and recommendations for new surveillance systems. The consensus of the group was that a nationally led effort in developing health indicator surveillance methods is needed to promote effective, innovative systems.

Construction and evaluation of classifiers for forensic document analysis

In this study we illustrate a statistical approach to questioned document examination. Specifically, we consider the construction of three classifiers that predict the writer of a sample document based on categorical data. To evaluate these classifiers, we use a data set with a large number of writers and a small number of writing samples per writer. Since the resulting classifiers were found to have near perfect accuracy using leave-one-out cross-validation, we propose a novel Bayesian-based cross-validation method for evaluating the classifiers.

Pictographic matching: a graph-based approach towards a language independent document exploitation platform

In this paper, we introduce the concept of Pictographic Matching as a tool for document exploitation across multiple languages. The primary technology supporting Pictographic Matching uses graph-based pattern matching to detect the <i>signature</i> of words contained in images of documents. This signature takes the form of graphs created by the line forms used to construct written words. These graphs can be matched to known graphs representing alphabetic characters, groups of characters and character components. And, since graphs are intrinsic to the structure of written language, graph-based searching promises to support a common platform capable of handling a multiplicity of languages. The conceptual roots for Pictographic Matching are found in Graph Theory. Pictographic Matching is implemented through a multi-step workflow drawing upon a variety of analytical techniques. The objective of this paper is to provide a high-level overview of Pictographic Matching as it exists in its current implementation.

Flow profile comparison of a microscopic car-following model and a macroscopic platoon dispersion model for traffic simulation

A comparison of the underlying models of traffic flow in a US Federal Highway Administration microscopic traffic simulation program and macroscopic traffic signal optimization program was conducted. The original objective was the parameter calibration of a macroscopic platoon dispersion flow model of a simulated group of vehicles discharging from a traffic-signal-controlled intersection approach. The basis for the calibration was to be the observed platoon dispersion flow resulting from the microscopic simulation of individual vehicles departing from a similarly modeled traffic-signal-controlled intersection approach. In generating the data needed for such a calibration and subsequent comparison, a deficiency in the microscopic traffic simulation program was found that needs to be eliminated before such a calibration can be deemed beneficial.<<ETX>>

A Set of Handwriting Features for Use in Automated Writer Identification

A writers biometric identity can be characterized through the distribution of physical feature measurements (“writers profile”); a graph‐based system that facilitates the quantification of these features is described. To accomplish this quantification, handwriting is segmented into basic graphical forms (“graphemes”), which are “skeletonized” to yield the graphical topology of the handwritten segment. The graph‐based matching algorithm compares the graphemes first by their graphical topology and then by their geometric features. Graphs derived from known writers can be compared against graphs extracted from unknown writings. The process is computationally intensive and relies heavily upon statistical pattern recognition algorithms. This article focuses on the quantification of these physical features and the construction of the associated pattern recognition methods for using the features to discriminate among writers. The graph‐based system described in this article has been implemented in a highly accurate and approximately language‐independent biometric recognition system of writers of cursive documents.

Combining academic studies with it certifications: becoming a cisco regional academy

Influenced by unprecedented growth in the IT industry, especially in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, George Mason University (Mason) has become a Cisco Regional Academy from which extra educational benefits have been derived. Since becoming a Cisco Regional Academy in 2004, Mason now has 16 Local Academies in its jurisdiction which includes Arlington, Loudoun, Fairfax, Shenandoah, Warren, Prince William, Frederick Counties of Virginia, and Howard University in the District of Columbia. Fourteen Local Academies are now active with approximately 300 High School, Community College and College students enrolled in total. The Northern Virginia Community College Systems Manassas and Alexandria Campuses recently activated Cisco Local Academies with two instructors currently in training. These new academies will increase Masons Regional Academy activity to 16 active Local Academies. This growth in the Regional Academy is supported by the demand for IT system engineers and design specialists with AS and BS degrees and industry certifications. Mason also has a Local Academy with students enrolling on a voluntary basis. Because academic studies take precedence over this voluntary course, the number of students completing the Cisco curriculum has been low. The Local Academy is conducted on a Blended Distance Learning Basis. Two of the academic programs networking courses now include Cisco Academy enrollment; this provides the use of PacketTracer 5.0 to perform lab tasks in a virtual environment not requiring physical equipment. Physical equipment is still used in the lab studies to prepare graduates for the real world environment. This paper expands on the benefits of students graduating with a BS in IT academic degree augmented with the knowledge to become industry IT certified.

An approach to a capstone curriculum

In this paper, we describe the required Senior Capstone Sequence for the George Mason University Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program is to prepare students to employ information technology in ways that improve business processes so that the enterprise is demonstrably better. Capstone is a true final component. It is a two-course, seven-credit, sequence that all IT majors must complete. It presumes a grounding in General Education, the IT Major and one of four Concentration Tracks. It transitions students to use that acquired knowledge and challenges them to apply it to real business process situations. A key to successful completion of Capstone is to focus on the business processes, not the technology. Eligible students are those majoring in Information Technology who have: completed ninety of the one hundred twenty credits for the degree, completed the IT Resources Planning course and, are within two terms of graduation.

Statistics, Discrimination, and the Courts: The Fairfax County Example

The nature of judicial decision making in contemporary U.S. courts has increased the influence of statistical reasoning and professional statisticians. Statistical models proving or disproving prima face instances of discrimination in affirmative action litigation are an especially significant development in the past twenty years. Both public and private organizations must justify patterns of recruitment and hiring by assembling relevant data. Focusing on litigation brought by the U. S. Department of Justice challenging the hiring practice of Fairfax County, Virginia, a large and affluent urban county in the Washington metropolitan area, the article shows how statistical reasoning affects judicial decision making. In addition, a number of management issues are raised: These include whether regional or jurisdictional approaches should guide service delivery; how local governments can best plan for possible litigation; and how court-ordered affirmative action plans impact personnel practices.