Research

Threat Systems Research and Development:

In 2019, New Mexico Tech secured a seven-year, $93 million contract to assist the Air Force Research Laboratory in exploring cyber-related defense initiatives. The award involved research, development, evaluation, testing, training, and deployment support services for electronic and cyber technology problems. This contract is the Playas Electronic Attack and Cyber Environment (PEACE) program.

The mission of PEACE is to provide suitable systems or technical, analytical, and support services necessary for Service and Joint information warfare activities. Additionally, ICASA delivers advanced technology solutions for training, experimentation, exercise, and rehearsal purposes. To support critical experimentation and training events, the Cyber/Electronic Warfare (EW)-kinetic laboratory and testing environment requires an understanding of cyber-connected devices interacting with the physical environment found in manufacturing automation, utilities and transportation.

Understanding these interactions helps commanders to induce kinetic effects through cyber or vice versa and provides the Department of Defense (DOD) with methods to help civilian authorities better protect domestic infrastructure. In addition, the cyber/EW-kinetic environment offers the opportunity to provide quick reaction testing to emerging cyber/EW threats for R&D and operations.

Data Science in The Public Interest:

With the growing interest in leveraging data within the private and public sectors, ICASA has sought to fill this need within the state of New Mexico. ICASA believes that it is crucial to provide help to state and local entities to leverage their data as a valuable, strategic asset. In order to leverage this data, ICASA has created the Data Science in the Public Interest team or the DSPI team.

The DSPI team looks to leverage its subject-matter expertise from those entities into the development of systems that support strategic and tactical objectives. This includes the promotion of data sharing and integration of best practices among the various entities and stakeholders in the state.

ICASA’s goal is to serve as a center of excellence in the use of data science in the public interest. This includes support training, professional development, and specialization in the fields of data science, bother internally and for customers.

Awards and Recognition:

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

As designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security

CASE CATCHER

Recognized for work on the Case Catcher tool, implemented by the Albuquerque police force.

WINNER OF DIGITAL FORENSICS RESEARCH WORKSHOP

Award sponsored by Air Force Research Laboratory,
2008

DISTINGUISHED LECTURER

Awarded to Dr. Richard Colbaugh, given by the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy 2002

Technology Development:

Data Analysis and Visualization Environment (DAVE)

ICASA has been at the cutting edge of new technology and development since its founding in 2001. One example of ICASA’s development standpoint is ICASA’s Data Analysis and Visualization Environment or DAVE. DAVE is a flexible analytical environment designed to let users explore, process, manipulate, curate, and visualize data. This is achieved through an interface that encourages users to decompose the path to their objective—be it data analysis, data science, processing, filtering, or otherwise—into a hierarchy of steps. The resulting “workflow” is then an encoding of the process needed to extract a particular meaning from a raw data source. As a result of being constructed in DAVE, such a workflow is repeatable, shareable, modifiable, extendable, and supports inspection and visualization of data at every step.

DAVE is a very general tool, with differing applications depending on the desired objective of its user. DAVE supports myriad types of workflows that enable these diverse applications. The task of filtering and transforming the representation of a data source may be implemented as a simple sequence of steps, proceeding one-by-one from start to finish. Exploration and multi-faceted presentation of data may result in a workflow that starts with one data source but branches out repeatedly to produce a number of derivative results. Conversely, a complex, multi-source analysis task may correspond to a workflow that reads from multiple data sources, processes, and conditions the data, and progressively combines them into a single holistic result. Any blend or composition of these approaches is also possible.

Another core trait of DAVE is its support for scientific endeavors. The workflow model ensures that any result derived using DAVE is inextricably linked to a clearly represented chain of manipulations going all the way back to raw source data; design rules and interaction dynamics assure that any changes made to the process that produced a result will invalidate that result, preventing inconsistencies in this representation. Also, the facilities provided by a visual workflow-manipulation environment enable a scientist to easily try different variations of a proposed approach to determine how to produce the best results.

Case Catcher

In April of 2023, ICASA released a tool that was created in collaboration with business and civic leaders and law enforcement agencies named Case Catcher. Case Catcher is a repository for documents, video, text messages, 911 recordings, and other discovery items used in criminal cases, and was built to aid the justice system in becoming more efficient and effective in prosecuting crimes. ICASA built this digital repository over three years under a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice obtained by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. The secure electronic repository helps law enforcement agencies and justice system partners communicate better, replacing largely paper and email communications.