2010
Advanced Research
Turn Off the Radio: MITRE Designs New Communication Tools for First Responders
December 2010
At Operation Golden Phoenix, an exercise that simulated the detonation of a small nuclear device, MITRE tested tools and standards to help first responders communicate better.
MITRE's ACME Lab Drives New Thinking
November 2010
MITRE's ACME Lab is an incubator for fresh thinking. Using tools from building blocks and smart boards to sticky notes, sponsors can collaborate with MITRE staff to work through challenges and brainstorm new tactics.
Find a Need, Fill a Need: MITRE Consortium Makes Sense of Mobile Applications
October 2010
MITRE has established the Mobile Application Knowledge Environment (MAKE) initiative, seeking to identify key systems engineering approaches, standards, and deployment techniques that will smooth the way for government users to harness the flexible power of mobile apps.
Active Collaboration Improves Research Results at MITRE's Idea Market
October 2010
At MITRE's virtual Idea Market, researchers in our Innovation Program "shop" proposals to their colleagues using social networking tools. Staff then offer suggestions to make research stronger and more relevant for meeting sponsors' technology challenges.
MITRE's "Handshake" Lets Users Meet and Collaborate in the Virtual World
September 2010 
Handshake, a new social networking tool developed by MITRE, enables an organization to seamlessly collaborate with partners and customers while still keeping proprietary information protected and secure.
Making Parts Layer by Layer May Improve Military Acquisition and Logistics
August 2010
A process known as additive manufacturing—also called 3D printing—could speed up military acquisition and logistics by creating crucial parts in theater. MITRE's MakeOne project is helping to develop the data standards needed to make this advance a reality.
A Good Fit: New .Org Domain Created for MITRE 25 Years Ago
July 2010
Top-level Internet domains were brand new 25 years ago. But MITRE didn't fit the tags .mil or .gov. To best represent the independent role MITRE plays required the creation of a new tag, .org—which we now share with countless other distinguished organizations.
"Smart Power" Helping Guide U.S. Engagement Around the Globe
July 2010
The American government is using Smart Power to change attitudes of other countries toward U.S. policies. MITRE's initial contribution for realizing the Smart Power vision is an innovative internal research program called Measuring and Guiding Engagement.
New Smartphone App Provides Data for Counter-Insurgency Intelligence Collection
June 2010
A MITRE–developed iPhone app dubbed COIN Collector—for counter-insurgency intelligence collecting—is helping soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan fight insurgents by collecting data about them in a battlespace environment.
Thinking about Pandemic Influenza: Understanding Health Cognitions Helps Evaluate Response Options
May 2010
How we think about health emergencies like influenza affects our behavior—and ultimately, public safety. MITRE's health cognitions research looks at how understanding beliefs about public health crises can help the government form better response plans.
Social Networking Technology from Cave Drawings to Twitter
April 2010
Humans have collaborated throughout history, but social media tools like Facebook and Twitter make expanding collaborative networks easier and faster. Government agencies are now taking advantage of this revolution in productivity and communication.
Molecular Modeling: Engineering at the Atomic Level
March 2010
MITRE researcher Steven Fairchild explains how computational molecular modeling allows researchers to predict how different atomic configurations will affect a molecule's behavior, enabling the engineering of molecules with unique characteristics.
Software-defined Biosensing: Rapidly Detecting Novel Threats
March 2010
Sensor technologies are relatively effective at detecting known biohazard threats but slow to adapt in the face of new pathogens. To provide more flexibility and adaptability to biohazard responses, MITRE staff and others are refining the concept of the software-based biosensor that can be updated quickly to confront emerging threats.
Share and Share Alike: Building an Information Interoperability Toolkit
February 2010
Seamless data exchange is a challenge for industry and government. The Open Information Interoperability project is a collaboration among MITRE engineers, industry, and academia to create a set of open source tools with data sharing capabilities.
Audio Hot Spotting Retrieves Information from Multimedia
February 2010
MITRE's patented audio hot spotting technology combines speech recognition with phoneme-based, audio retrieval to quickly search vast numbers of multimedia files for keywords, phrases, speech rate, laughter, and applause.
Millimeter-scale Robots: Small in Stature, Big in Capability
February 2010
With the success of unmanned aviation systems generating demand for battlefield robots of every size and shape, MITRE researcher Mark Taczak offers an overview of the next stage in autonomous robotic platforms: millirobots the size of large insects.
MITRE's Collaborative Experimentation Environment: Putting Cooperation to the Test
January 2010
MITRE's Collaborative Experimentation Environment helps government agencies test their collaboration policies by staging experiments based on realistic operational data, staffed with experienced personnel, and equipped with authentic tools and equipment.
Aviation Systems
Researchers Tackle Effects of Wake Turbulence at Nation's Airports
October 2010
Wake turbulence—powerful rotating forces of air that occur during takeoffs—routinely affect airport operations. MITRE is working to find safe solutions for dealing with this phenomenon while increasing runway capacity and on–time arrivals and departures.
Flight Validation Toolset Helps Get New Flight Paths Off the Ground Quickly and Safely
August 2010
With the help of a MITRE-developed Flight Validation Toolset, airlines, airports, and FAA-authorized companies now have a low-cost method for measuring obstacle heights around runways. This will allow for faster and more efficient development of flight paths for take-offs and landings.
MITRE Launches Nationwide Effort to Better Manage Human Fatigue in Aviation
July 2010
Earlier this year, MITRE organized a summit of aviation leaders, operational managers, policy makers, researchers, and safety experts to discuss the safety risks of human fatigue in aviation and develop a collaborative roadmap to combating it.
A Fast-Track Task Force Moves NextGen Forward
April 2010
The FAA is moving ahead with its NextGen plan to modernize the National Air Space thanks to the consensus of a task force little-known outside the aviation industry. At the FAA's request, MITRE played a significant role with the task force including developing the NextGen Dashboard tool, which aided the task force in analyzing data on critical issues.
Defense and Intelligence
Cursor on Target: The "Sum of All Wisdom" Comes of Age
December 2010
When a high-ranking Air Force Officer declared that the sum of all wisdom is a cursor over the target, MITRE accepted the challenge.
MITRE's International Operations Program Serves Military Partners Around the Globe
December 2010
A trusted adviser to the U.S. military, MITRE's Defense International Operations program also develops command and control and engineering solutions for NATO members and other U.S. allies.
Smaller Computer Footprint in Air Force Operations Centers Boosts Effectiveness
November 2010
Hundreds of operators at U.S. Air Force Air and Space Operation Centers worldwide use too many PCs—at least five per operator. That's too many for efficient operations, so MITRE is helping reduce the number by using a technique called virtualization.
MITRE Helps Unmanned Vehicles Shine at Army's First Robotics Rodeo
August 2010
MITRE helped the Army create the first Robotics Rodeo at Fort Hood, Texas, where vendors from across the country demonstrated the battlefield-support skills of their autonomous vehicles.
Model-Driven Engineering Allows New Design Methods to Improve an Existing Aircraft System
August 2010
When a new surveillance aircraft program was cancelled, MITRE used a technique called model-driven engineering to help the Air Force bring renewed life to a faithful standby, the E-8C Joint STARS.
MITRE's Mission Planning Warehouse: Collaborative Development, Collaborative View
June 2010
Planning military operations in theater is more complex than ever, in part because of the mass amounts of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data. MITRE's Mission Planning Warehouse, developed with input from the Air Force's "combat coders," helps provide improved battle space management capabilities.
New Smartphone App Provides Data for Counter-Insurgency Intelligence Collection
June 2010
A MITRE-developed iPhone app dubbed COIN Collector—for counter-insurgency intelligence collecting—is helping soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan fight insurgents by collecting data about them in a battlespace environment.
Mission Not Impossible: Defending IT Systems Through Mission Assurance
May 2010
To defend IT systems against adversaries, experts rely on a strategy known as mission assurance. MITRE takes a multi-faceted approach to mission assurance that helps the government fight through attacks and bounce back quickly.
War, Drones, and Videotape: A New Tool for Analyzing Video
May 2010
Sorting through video from remotely piloted aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan requires a new system, the Video and Image Retrieval and Analysis Tool, or VIRAT. MITRE is helping DARPA assess proposed versions of VIRAT to improve analysis capabilities.
How to Buy Satellite Images by the Thousands
April 2010
MITRE helped the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency write an acquisition contract for its NextView program, which buys thousands of satellite images from commercial companies at a discount while improving the vendors' global competitiveness.
12 Miles High: An Integrated Airship-Radar Is on the Horizon
March 2010
MITRE and DARPA are helping to develop ISIS, a futuristic unmanned airship with advanced radar capabilities. ISIS, which stands for the Integrated Sensor Is the Structure, will introduce new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
Finding the Way: Taking Web Infrastructure to the Network's Edge
January 2010
When the DoD needed to evolve the net-centric capabilities of the Global Information Grid to the farthest reaches of the globe, MITRE engineers Steve Farish and Stan Ames found a solution in a commercial company's innovative approach to Web infrastructure.
Innovative Collaborative Community Helps Warfighters Connect the Dots
January 2010
Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) systems, which use Doppler radar and sensors for tracking ground-based targets, are in widespread use in active combat theaters. Now, with MITRE's help, a group of GMTI stakeholders is collaborating to help make GMTI data even more useful to military intelligence analysts.
Federal Sector Modernization
The 2010 Census: Making Systems Engineering Count
September 2010
As part of its preparations for the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau asked MITRE for systems engineering support to increase the efficiency of its operations and improve the accuracy and reporting of census data in preparation.
Designing a 21st Century Federal Agency to Deliver High Value to the Public
September 2010
MITRE's research initiative, Agency of the Future, aims to transform how the government does business. The team is exploring ways to help decision makers harness technology and enhanced collaboration techniques—all in the name of better customer service.
Post-9/11 GI Bill Helps Department of Veterans Affairs Expand Education Benefits
July 2010
The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides veterans with full funds to attend a public undergraduate program for four years, and MITRE provided the Department of Veterans Affairs with assistance in getting this new benefits program off the ground.
Homeland Security
Using Cyber Common Sense to Combat Threats to Privacy and Security
October 2010
It's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Do you know where your email has been? Fortunately, by using a MITRE-developed technique called EARNEST, email users can ward off phishing attempts that endanger personal and business information security.
Underground Radar Systems: Fighting Tunnels with Tunnels
September 2010
To aid the U.S. Border Patrol in the time-consuming and difficult task of locating smuggling tunnels, MITRE has designed a prototype system to boost the ability of ground-penetrating radar.
Digest Flashback: Targeting the 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors
February 2010
A programmer's mistake at the keyboard can introduce a coding error that allows hackers to slip through a computer's defenses. Now, a new list of the Top 25 most dangerous programming errors from MITRE's Common Weakness Enumeration program aims to help government and industry avoid costly and harmful security breaches.
MITRE's Cyber Security Operations Center Helps Sponsors Keep Networks Secure
January 2010
To counter advanced cyber threats from malicious code, viruses, and hackers, MITRE created a Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC). Our sponsors, who have larger networks, can use the CSOC to extrapolate best practices for their own network environments.
