Three West Point cadets spent part of their summer secluded in a locked research lab with its windows blackened. Their project involved a new piece of software that can identify the location of weapons caches in theater using a mathematical model, based on the research theory of geospatial abduction. With significant accuracy, the software can predict where an enemy's improvised explosive device, or IED, depot is, based on previous attack locations and other intelligence.
The original version of the software is called SCARE, or Spatio-Cultural Abductive Reasoning Engine, and was created by Maj. Paulo Shakarian, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The software developed this summer is a modified version called C-SCARE/A, which focuses on the theater of Afghanistan.
The team worked with deployed combat engineers tasked with an explosive investigation unit in Afghanistan to provide support in the mission to mitigate the effects of IEDs. The team tested and provided results of the software concurrently to the combat unit along with regular video teleconferences.
The three objectives were to create a program that is easy to use, produces results and integrates other intelligence to improve accuracy. They served as the last of three teams on this project, which launched shortly after class graduation in May. Part of their effort was to integrate additional intelligence and distribute the completed software package.
Maj. Charles Levine, a math instructor, deployed this summer to get the software into the hands of soldiers, and the battlefield circulation has been well received.
