2008
Advanced Research
Social Contexts of Enterprise Systems Engineering
December 2008
In helping sponsors to navigate transformational and transactional change, MITRE must frequently confront the social, organizational, political, and cultural complexities of a sponsor's business. MITRE's Social Contexts of Enterprise Systems Engineering research project is an initiative to identify the ever more sophisticated social science skills and management processes needed to confront these complexities.
Terrain Sensing for Unmanned Vehicles Avoids Rocky Roads
October 2008
MITRE is using a dune buggy and a variety of sensors to collect visual clues about unpaved terrain. The data will be used to predict how unmanned ground vehicles will travel over different terrain so that the best path can be chosen for them.
Understanding Customers' Technology Needs
October 2008
Sometimes, the limitations of technology turn out to stem in part from the limitations of human beings. To help our customers' meet their technology needs, we use anthropological techniques to find out what's really going on when man meets machine.
Pervasive Personal Navigation Bridges the GPS Gap
October 2008
Knowing their precise location—and the location of fellow members—is a matter of life or death for warfighters, police officers, and firefighters. Researchers at MITRE are developing real-time situational awareness technology for military and civilian use.
Patent Granted for Nanotechnology Work
August 2008
MITRE researchers and their partners at Penn State have started down the road to unlocking the key to mass production of carbon nanomaterials—a breakthrough recognized by a recent U.S. Patent.
Sense and Avoid: Flying Small UASs in Civil Airspace
July 2008
Soon, the sight of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) overhead may become common as they take on tasks such as homeland security and border surveillance. But first, MITRE researchers must help the FAA find ways to use sensors to avoid collisions between UAS and everything else in the sky.
A 3D-SLAM Dunk in Urban Situation Analysis
June 2008 
Soldiers will someday use 3D-Simultaneous Localization and Mapping to build a 3D real-time video of an unknown environment before entering it. Used for urban situation analysis, 3D-SLAM uses video sensors on unmanned ground vehicles and hovering unmanned aerial vehicles, along with visual odometry, to improve the safety of our soldiers.
Helping
Organizations Manage Transformations
May 2008
Change can be daunting for organizations as well as people. MITRE
researchers are smoothing the pathways to organizational change
by developing models to help government agencies, businesses, and
other large groups predict how people will react to major transformations.
Unknown
Inside: MITRE's Insights into the Human Brain
May 2008
Technological advances that allow researchers to "see" into the
brain have flooded the field of neuroscience with a bright new light
of understanding. MITRE's Neurotechnology Thrust aims to focus that
light on a host of sponsor problems involving intelligent information
processing that have resisted solution by conventional approaches.
Unlocking
Medical Secrets While Safeguarding Patient Privacy
March 2008
Patients' medical records contain a wealth of health-related information,
but privacy concerns prevent medical researchers from mining the
data. Emerging MITRE research into new methods for stripping personal
data from electronic medical records could help open up this information
to the research community.
Nano
World: Say "Hello" to Classical Rules
March 2008
Research by MITRE's Nanosystems Group shows that the rules of classical
physics also apply to the world of nanotechnology, or the science
of the very small, which draws from applied physics, materials science,
and mechanical and electrical engineering.
MITRE
and Princeton Go Quantum Together
February 2008
When Princeton University was organizing its new Center for Theoretical
Physics, the leaders needed complementary expertise in quantum computing—and
they approached MITRE. In the bargain, MITRE's Quantum Information
Science Group positioned itself to help the company and its sponsors
benefit from worldwide interest in the long run-up to the quantum
revolution.
Mashing
Up the Web Creates New Resources
January 2008
"Mashups" are a new breed of Web application consisting of interactive
programs that draw content from multiple data sources and allow
for software applications that are often richer and more useful
than the sum of their parts. Part video, part satellite imagery,
they're transforming the Web—and hold the promise for an innovation
explosion that MITRE is prepared to harness.
Aircraft
Biosensor Detects Pathogens in Flight
January 2008
With aircraft crossing the globe every minute of the day, it's
not surprising that infectious disease crosses the globe with equal
ease. That's why MITRE researchers are running a feasibility study
on an innovative biosensor that detects infectious diseases in an
aircraft while it's en route to the U.S.
Aviation Systems
Modernizing Air Traffic Management: An Example of Future En Route Operations
November 2008
With Performance-based Air Traffic Management, or P-ATM, developed by the FAA and MITRE and introduced through the Operational Evolution Partnership, enhanced automation for the National Airspace System will help en route controllers manage workloads.
JPALS Provides Portable Precision for Pilots
October 2008
While existing navigation technology has made flying under arduous circumstances possible, greater accuracy in instrument guidance would make pilots' jobs much safer. The Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) augments an aircraft's GPS readings, providing the pilot with a much more precise idea of his position in relation to the terrain.
ADS-B: An Evolution in Air Traffic Control
August 2008
MITRE, working with a diverse team of aviation partners, helped make Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, a reality. Today ADS-B has set the stage for safer air travel than ever before.
India
Cleared for Take Off
June 2008
To accommodate its expanding domestic aviation market—the
second-fastest growing in the world—India has enlisted MITRE
to help modernize the country's aviation infrastructure. As
a first step, MITRE is studying India's two busiest airports
to analyze the country's airport and airspace capacity, as
well as helping train India's next generation of air traffic
controllers.
UAT
Puts UAVs on the Radar
June 2008
MITRE's UAT Beacon Radio is a revolutionary small, low-cost radio
beacon under development that allows pilots to detect and avoid
UAVs and other aircraft, such as sailplanes, made from composites.
Travel
Forecasting Takes Off
March 2008
How can the nation's busiest airports prepare to serve travelers
in the future? And what emerging airports might be able to take
pressure off the major hubs? A MITRE team has devised a travel forecasting
tool that helps aviation authorities foretell future air traffic
and handle expected passenger demand.
Defense and Intelligence
Building with Cyber-Steel to Protect Computer Networks
November 2008
To better combat the cyber-terrorism endangering the information systems that support our nation, MITRE—through an initiative known as Mission Assurance Against Advanced Cyber Threats—is collaborating with the Department of Defense to develop a strategic approach to cyber conflict.
A Cure for Iraq's Underprivileged: Technology Brings Modern Medicine Home
September 2008
Years of instability in Iraq means the country's healthcare infrastructure has suffered along with its citizens. A simple, yet innovative idea is providing a cure—linking local clinicians with medical centers around the world to help with diagnosis and treatment, using digital cameras, email, video hookups and satellite feeds.
Information Sharing Challenges on a Multinational Scale
September 2008
Recently, military and civilian leaders discussed the information sharing challenges facing joint and coalition forces worldwide. They did it at the MITRE-hosted Sixth Biennial Multinational Operations Conference—and what they said provides a close-up look at this complex problem.
A Moment in Time: 1960—The Winter Study
September 2008
During an intense six months in 1960, several of the leading minds in engineering and military thinking met at MITRE, eventually bringing forth the foundations of electronic command and control. Join us as we look back on that groundbreaking time.
Flourishing Radio Technology Lab Has Wide Impact
August 2008
When the U.S. Air Force mandated that all of its radios must comply with a specific communications architecture, they turned to MITRE. Our Programmable Radio Technology Lab now tests advanced prototypes and is helping this mission become a reality.
RCAT: Testbed for NextGen
August 2008
To test how the Air Force can operate in the National Airspace System in the Next Generation Air Transportation System, the Air Force's Electronic System Center has joined its RCAT lab with Raytheon's Network Centric Operations Integration Lab.
MITRE Arrives: July 1958
July 2008
The third week of July marks the founding of MITRE, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to supporting national defense. We look back at 1958 on the occasion of our 50th anniversary.
AWACS: You've Got Mail
July 2008
Although AWACS and Joint STARS platforms have been around for decades, they continue to thrive. To make them even more useful, MITRE is central to the current initiative to bring these surveillance kingpins fully into the Internet age.
MITRE History Moments: Command & Control in the Air and Undersea
June 2008
Over the past 50 years, MITRE has made significant contributions to command and control programs in our nation's defense. As the anniversary of our founding nears, we take a look back—and peer forward—at some of these achievements.
Team
Achieves Worldwide Consensus on Protecting Spectrum for Testing
New Aircraft
May 2008
Radio-frequency spectrum may not be at the top of everyone's list
of pressing issues, but its importance cannot be underestimated.
So when the World Radiocommunication Conference met last year to
debate new rules governing the use of spectrum, MITRE was there.
Nano
Lab's Tools Address Government Needs
April 2008
In MITRE's Nanotechnology-Biotechnology Laboratory, the scale of
the subject matter may be vanishingly small, but the lab's capacity
for experimentation is growing continuously.
Keystoning
Improves Radar Resolution for Tracking Targets
March 2008
A smeared radar image is of little use to anyone, particularly
when lives might be at stake. Fortunately, the Keystone algorithm,
developed by MITRE engineers, can be used by a variety of advanced
radar systems to provide clarity where it's most needed.
Federal Sector Modernization
Private Eyes: Keeping Personal Information Safe
November 2008
So much of our lives can be found online these days. That's why MITRE's fast-growing privacy practice is helping the federal government keep your personal information safe.
Building Collective Strength: Transforming Military Medical Education and Training
November 2008
Consolidating five military medical training schools into one is no small task. MITRE's systems engineering expertise is helping ensure a smooth transition.
Building a Solid IT Foundation with Service-Oriented Architecture
September 2008
Because of the growing need to expand IT functionality across organizational boundaries, sponsors and MITRE employees are learning more about employing service oriented architecture. With SOA, there's less time spent creating custom-made technology and more time building foundational systems that can be reused, upgraded, and integrated with other systems.
Clearing
Checkpoints in Transportation Security
May 2008
Since its founding in the aftermath of 9/11, the Transportation
Security Agency has partnered with MITRE on a variety of programs.
Our work with TSA on sophisticated airport screening initiatives
such as Registered Traveler and Secure Flight uses advanced biometric
techniques to help keep passengers moving smoothly to their gates.
VETSNET:
Repaying a Special Debt
April 2008
MITRE engineers have been working with the Department of Veterans
Affairs and private-sector contractors to get more veterans benefits
processed and paid through VETSNET. The new program works so well
that the number of veterans receiving their monthly payments through
VETSNET has increased from some 10,000 a year ago to over 200,000
now.
MITRE
Transforms Electronic Health Records
February 2008
The development of electronic health records (EHRs) promises to
transform the healthcare industry. Project Laika, a research initiative
co-sponsored by MITRE, will help EHR developers create software
tools that share information seamlessly across a variety of systems.
Healthcare
IT Standards to Bring Order to Medical Records
February 2008
Medical errors kill more Americans each year than car accidents
or breast cancer, but thanks to MITRE efforts, an electronic infrastructure
for the secure exchange of medical data among doctors, hospitals,
and insurance companies is one step closer to reality.
Helping
HUD Give Your Information a Safe Home
January 2008
Concerns about protecting sensitive information (and prompting
from a key lawmaker) moved HUD, with MITRE's help, to beef up its
information security procedures—with results that have pushed
HUD's information security ratings from the bottom to the top of
the class in a relatively short time.
