Research: Measuring and Guiding Engagement

Twenty first century societies are driven by a world of opinion and pressure from many complex and distinct publics. It is vital for US interests to be able to operate in this environment effectively often in direct and active competition by adversaries for hearts and minds. To make intelligent decisions about actions related to beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, our military, diplomatic, and political leaders need to understand the dynamics of the communications and engagement process in foreign populations throughout the world. It is important for MITRE to understand the full range of soft and hard power actions and supporting strategic communication to advance national interests. In our research program, MITRE is developing novel methods for effectively measuring the impact of engagement and searching for early indicators that could be used to guide future engagement events. Key investments in FY10 include:

• Sentiment Analysis for Strategic Communication Assessment (SASCA). Indications and warnings using natural language processing to analyze sentiment to monitor attitude and behavior trends in an area of operation
  Principal Investigator: Dr. David Day and Dr. John Boiney
• Forum and Blog Threaded Comment Analysis (FABTAC). Analysis of forum comment threads (e.g., YouTube comments, blogs) to provide interactive visualizations and thread summaries for intelligence and operations
  Principal Investigator: Dr. Christy Doran
• Exploring Soft Power in Weblogistan. Foreign language blog analysis
  Principal Investigator: Dr. Karine Megerdoomian
• Assessing Health Cognitions. A classic health psychology approach to the assessment of citizens' emergency preparedness and readiness to counter pandemic influenza
  Principal Investigator: Dr. Jill Egeth
• Collaboration with the International Telemedicine Network (ITN) on TB-HIV Co-Infection. This is a seminar in Management of TB-HIV Co-Infection, which is a CME Program for Medical Professionals. This is co-sponsored by Harvard School of Medicine and The MITRE Corporation.
  Principal Investigator: Chris Spirito

Strategic Communication

Strategic Communication (SC) is an integral element/enabler of Smart Power as it can be a force multiplier or force divider. According to the Defense Science Board (2008), Strategic Communication is a proactive, sustained, and coherent set of activities for:

• Understanding global attitudes and cultures,
• Advising policymakers, diplomats, and military leaders on public opinion implications of policy choices,
• Engaging in a dialogue of ideas between people and institutions through programs that support the national interest,
• Influencing attitudes and behavior through communication strategies, and
• Measuring the impact of activities

MITRE's focus is not on policy or message formulation but rather on technology enablers for smart application of soft power and strategic communication.

Learn more...

• MITRE's Corporate Initiative in Smart Power
• Smart Systems for Smart Power
• Research: Measuring and Guiding Engagement
• Smart Power Lecture Series
• Publications and Briefings (including Newsletters)
• Recommended Reading

For more information, please contact Barry Costa using the employee directory.

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