The United States faces a critical shortage of computing doctorates - a vital workforce responsible for driving advances in artificial intelligence, bolstering cybersecurity, and training the next generation of computing innovators. A decline in advanced degrees in computing will undercut technology innovation across all sectors and put U.S. global competitiveness at risk.
Pathways to Doctoral Degrees in Computing recommends addressing this anticipated shortage through improved graduate student recruitment, retention, and mentoring programs as well as targeted interventions to address hiring challenges. This report also explores how new partnerships between academia and industry could better align computing programs with broader workforce needs, and what data is needed to support these efforts.
Topics: Education » Higher Education | Education » Math and Science Education | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Advances in artificial intelligence, and specifically in machine learning, are enabling new capabilities across nearly every sector of the economy. Many of these applications - such as automated vehicles, the power grid, or surgical robots - are safety critical: where malfunctions can result in harm to people, the environment, or property. While machine learning is already being deployed to enhance the capabilities of some physical systems, extending the rigorous practices of safety engineering to include machine learning components brings significant challenges.
Machine Learning for Safety-Critical Applications explores ways to safely integrate machine learning into physical systems and presents research priorities for improving safety, testing, and evaluation. This report finds that designing machine learning algorithms in a way that aligns with safety engineering standards will require changes in research, training, and engineering practice - as well as a shift away from focusing on algorithmic performance in isolation.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Engineering and Technology » Applications of Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Over the last decade, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have created transformational opportunities for health, health care, and biomedical science. While new tools are available to improve effectiveness and efficiency in myriad applications in health and health care, challenges persist, including those related to increasing costs of care, staff burnout and shortages, and the growing disease burden of an aging population. The need for new approaches to address these long-standing challenges is evident and AI offers both new hope and new concerns.
An Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct for Health and Medicine: Essential Guidance for Aligned Action presents a unifying AI Code of Conduct (AICC) framework developed to align the field around responsible development and application of AI and to catalyze collective action to ensure that the transformative potential of AI in health and medicine is realized. Designed to be applied at every level of decision making—from boardroom to bedside and from innovation labs to reimbursement policies—the publication serves as a blueprint for building trust, protecting patients, and ensuring that innovation benefits people.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Health and Medicine » Healthcare and Quality | Health and Medicine » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Cybercrime poses serious threats and financial costs to individuals and businesses in the United States and worldwide. Reports of data breaches and ransomware attacks on governments and businesses have become common, as have incidents against individuals (e.g., identity theft, online stalking, and harassment). Concern over cybercrime has increased as the internet has become a ubiquitous part of modern life. However, comprehensive, consistent, and reliable data and metrics on cybercrime still do not exist - a consequence of a shortage of vital information resulting from the decentralized nature of relevant data collection at the national level.
Cybercrime Classification and Measurement addresses the absence credible cybercrime data and metrics. This report provides a taxonomy for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of measuring different types of cybercrime, including both cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crimes faced by individuals and businesses, and considers the needs for its periodic revision. This report was mandated by the 2022 Better Cybercrime Metrics Act (BCMA).
Topics: Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Law and Justice | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
The integration of large language models (LLMs) and generative artificial intelligence (AI) in health care holds the potential to transform the practice of medicine, the work and experiences of health care providers, and the health and well-being of patients. Generative AI can support clinical decision making and streamline workflows, promote patients and their support networks' engagement in care processes, and support clinical research.
However, successful and ethical implementation of generative AI requires careful consideration of the associated risks, particularly those concerning data privacy, bias, transparency, and infrastructure limitations.
Generative Artificial Intelligence in Health and Medicine: Opportunities and Responsibilities for Transformative Innovation explores the transformative potential of generative AI in health care, with a focus on its applications in clinical decision making, administrative efficiency, and patient engagement.
Topics: Health and Medicine » Health Sciences | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
Cyber technologies underpin every facet of the economy and are critical for national security. Cyber and cyber-enabled systems are rapidly growing in both complexity and scale, and - despite significant progress - are outpacing the capacity to keep them safe, secure, and resilient to disruptions. Cyber hard problems - unsolved technical and research problems for which progress toward solution would have a significant impact on the practical security of cyber systems - are frequently caused or sustained by human or societal factors and misaligned incentives. These in turn are exacerbated by the continuing tremendous growth in the production and use of cyber technologies and their resulting near ubiquity in societally important systems and institutions.
This report builds off of the Cyber Hard Problem List originally developed for the Department of Homeland Security in 1996. Cyber Hard Problems reviews that original list, then provides an update by identifying and describing current key hard problems for cyber resiliency. This report explores each of the identified problems, and then proposes ways to use the list to enhance community-wide coordination of research and development activities.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Engineering and Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) promise to improve productivity significantly, but there are many questions about how AI could affect jobs and workers.
Recent technical innovations have driven the rapid development of generative AI systems, which produce text, images, or other content based on user requests - advances which have the potential to complement or replace human labor in specific tasks, and to reshape demand for certain types of expertise in the labor market.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work evaluates recent advances in AI technology and their implications for economic productivity, the workforce, and education in the United States. The report notes that AI is a tool with the potential to enhance human labor and create new forms of valuable work - but this is not an inevitable outcome. Tracking progress in AI and its impacts on the workforce will be critical to helping inform and equip workers and policymakers to flexibly respond to AI developments.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Human Systems and Technology | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Federal facilities are increasingly complex and sophisticated systems of systems, with automated systems tied together through operational technology (OT) networks monitoring and controlling lighting and environmental control systems (CS), among many others. Federal agencies have built virtual fortresses around their information technology (IT) networks, including connected CS and OT networks, yet key vulnerabilities can allow bad actors to tunnel through the embedded layers of protection, interfere with facility operation and control, and gain direct passages into IT networks, bypassing their elaborate protections. On July 9, 2024, the National Academies' Federal Facilities Council convened a workshop to discuss the security of CS and OT networks. Workshop panelists explored the current threat environment; standards, policies, and guidance to protect OT and CS from malicious actors; and approaches that industry has taken to protect its OT and CS security.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Across multiple domains of science, engineering, and medicine, excitement is growing about the potential of digital twins to transform scientific research, industrial practices, and many aspects of daily life. A digital twin couples computational models with a physical counterpart to create a system that is dynamically updated through bidirectional data flows as conditions change. Going beyond traditional simulation and modeling, digital twins could enable improved medical decision-making at the individual patient level, predictions of future weather and climate conditions over longer timescales, and safer, more efficient engineering processes. However, many challenges remain before these applications can be realized.
This report identifies the foundational research and resources needed to support the development of digital twin technologies. The report presents critical future research priorities and an interdisciplinary research agenda for the field, including how federal agencies and researchers across domains can best collaborate.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Math and Statistics | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Facial recognition technology is increasingly used for identity verification and identification, from aiding law enforcement investigations to identifying potential security threats at large venues. However, advances in this technology have outpaced laws and regulations, raising significant concerns related to equity, privacy, and civil liberties.
This report explores the current capabilities, future possibilities, and necessary governance for facial recognition technology. Facial Recognition Technology discusses legal, societal, and ethical implications of the technology, and recommends ways that federal agencies and others developing and deploying the technology can mitigate potential harms and enact more comprehensive safeguards.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Law and Justice | Engineering and Technology » Applications of Technology
Member agencies of the intelligence community (IC) collect, maintain, and store large amounts of data. There is a profusion of sensors and communications options that has led to a dramatic escalation in the amount of data readily available for a wide variety of purposes. Much more data are being created than are being deleted. But a large fraction, as much as 30 to 35 percent of enterprise data, is data that are rarely accessed (with weeks to years elapsing between uses) and may sit for a long period of time. This poses a challenge because it means that, worldwide, a massive number of exabytes of data need to be securely maintained, managed, and administered in some sort of way. Additionally, the amount of data that will need to be archived for short- and long-term use will continue to rise. In particular, the IC has the potential to be one of the largest customers for cold data storage because of its wide-ranging need for information.
At the request of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), this Rapid Expert Consultation (REC) explores options for technologies for archival data storage, focusing primarily on current data storage technologies, particularly magnetic storage, Flash, MRAM, and optical storage. While not all of these technologies are well suited to archival storage applications, the ODNI indicated a desire to hear about all possible options. Brief overviews of emerging technologies are included. Finally, the REC offers comments on the importance of non-technological aspects of archiving, including policies and personnel, which should be considered in the design and acquisition of long-term data storage systems.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Conflict and Security Issues » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care offers unprecedented opportunities to improve patient and clinical team outcomes, reduce costs, and impact population health. While there have been a number of promising examples of AI applications in health care, it is imperative to proceed with caution or risk the potential of user disillusionment, another AI winter, or further exacerbation of existing health- and technology-driven disparities.
This Special Publication synthesizes current knowledge to offer a reference document for relevant health care stakeholders. It outlines the current and near-term AI solutions; highlights the challenges, limitations, and best practices for AI development, adoption, and maintenance; offers an overview of the legal and regulatory landscape for AI tools designed for health care application; prioritizes the need for equity, inclusion, and a human rights lens for this work; and outlines key considerations for moving forward.
AI is poised to make transformative and disruptive advances in health care, but it is prudent to balance the need for thoughtful, inclusive health care AI that plans for and actively manages and reduces potential unintended consequences, while not yielding to marketing hype and profit motives.
Topics: Health and Medicine » Medical Technologies and Treatments | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
The effective use of data is foundational to the concept of a learning health system—one that leverages and shares data to learn from every patient experience, and feeds the results back to clinicians, patients and families, and health care executives to transform health, health care, and health equity. More than ever, the American health care system is in a position to harness new technologies and new data sources to improve individual and population health.
Learning health systems are driven by multiple stakeholders—patients, clinicians and clinical teams, health care organizations, academic institutions, government, industry, and payers. Each stakeholder group has its own sources of data, its own priorities, and its own goals and needs with respect to sharing that data. However, in America's current health system, these stakeholders operate in silos without a clear understanding of the motivations and priorities of other groups. The three stakeholder working groups that served as the authors of this Special Publication identified many cultural, ethical, regulatory, and financial barriers to greater data sharing, linkage, and use. What emerged was the foundational role of trust in achieving the full vision of a learning health system.
This Special Publication outlines a number of potentially valuable policy changes and actions that will help drive toward effective, efficient, and ethical data sharing, including more compelling and widespread communication efforts to improve awareness, understanding, and participation in data sharing. Achieving the vision of a learning health system will require eliminating the artificial boundaries that exist today among patient care, health system improvement, and research. Breaking down these barriers will require an unrelenting commitment across multiple stakeholders toward a shared goal of better, more equitable health.
We can improve together by sharing and using data in ways that produce trust and respect. Patients and families deserve nothing less.
Topics: Health and Medicine » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
Sharing health data and information across stakeholder groups is the bedrock of a learning health system. As data and information are increasingly combined across various sources, their generative value to transform health, health care, and health equity increases significantly. Health data have proven their centrality in guiding action to change the course of individual and population health, if properly stewarded and used.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, both data and a lack of data illuminated profound shortcomings that affected health care and health equity. Yet, a silver lining of the pandemic was a surge in collaboration among data holders in public health, health care, and technology firms, suggesting that an evolution in health data sharing is visible and tangible.
This Special Publication features some of these novel data-sharing collaborations, and has been developed to provide practical context and implementation guidance that is critical to advancing the lessons learned identified in its parent NAM Special Publication, Health Data Sharing: Building a Foundation of Stakeholder Trust. The focus of this publication is to identify and describe exemplar groups to dispel the myth that sharing health data more broadly is impossible and illuminate the innovative approaches that are being taken to make progress in the current environment. It also serves as a resource for those waiting in the wings, showing how barriers were addressed and harvesting lessons and insights from those on the front lines.
In the meantime, knowledge is already available to foster better health care and health outcomes. The examples described in this volume suggest how intentional attention to health data sharing can enable unparalleled advances, securing a healthier and more equitable future for all.
Topics: Health and Medicine » Healthcare and Quality | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Health and Medicine » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Cybersecurity for Level 0 and Level 1 devices - which include sensors, the Industrial Internet of Things, and operate on a time scales ranging from milliseconds to seconds - is underdeveloped. This Federal Facilities Council white paper addresses changes to improve cybersecurity, productivity, process safety, predictive maintenance, and resilience, while also breaking down cultural and organizational barriers.
This is not a publication of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), in partnership with other agencies and divisions of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, coordinates a portfolio of projects that build data capacity for conducting patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). PCOR focuses on producing scientific evidence on the effectiveness of prevention and treatment options to inform the health care decisions of patients, families, and health care providers, taking into consideration the preferences, values, and questions patients face when making health care choices.
ASPE asked the National Academies to appoint a consensus study committee to identify issues critical to the continued development of the data infrastructure for PCOR. Building Data Capacity for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research contains findings and conclusions in the areas that could benefit from being prioritized as part of ASPE's work, and offers input on strengthening the overall framework for building the data infrastructure over the coming years. The committee authoring this report also issued three interim reports, which summarized discussions from three workshops, and are included as appendices in the final report.
Topics: Health and Medicine » Healthcare and Quality | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
Computing in some form touches nearly every aspect of day to day life and is reflected in the ubiquitous use of cell phones, the expansion of automation into many industries, and the vast amounts of data that are routinely gathered about people's health, education, and buying habits. Computing is now a part of nearly every occupation, not only those in the technology industry. Given the ubiquity of computing in both personal and professional life, there are increasing calls for all learners to participate in learning experiences related to computing including more formal experiences offered in schools, opportunities in youth development programs and after-school clubs, or self-initiated hands-on experiences at home. At the same time, the lack of diversity in the computing workforce and in programs that engage learners in computing is well-documented.
It is important to consider how to increase access and design experiences for a wide range of learners. Authentic experiences in STEM - that is, experiences that reflect professional practice and also connect learners to real-world problems that they care about - are one possible approach for reaching a broader range of learners. These experiences can be designed for learners of all ages and implemented in a wide range of settings. However, the role they play in developing youths' interests, capacities, and productive learning identities for computing is unclear. There is a need to better understand the role of authentic STEM experiences in supporting the development of interests, competencies, and skills related to computing.
Cultivating Interest and Competencies in Computing examines the evidence on learning and teaching using authentic, open-ended pedagogical approaches and learning experiences for children and youth in grades K-12 in both formal and informal settings. This report gives particular attention to approaches and experiences that promote the success of children and youth from groups that are typically underrepresented in computing fields. Cultivating Interest and Competencies in Computing provides guidance for educators and facilitators, program designers, and other key stakeholders on how to support learners as they engage in authentic learning experiences.
Topics: Education » Math and Science Education | Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
Institutional review boards (IRBs) are the linchpins of the protection systems that govern human participation in research. In recent years, high-profile cases have focused attention on the weaknesses of the procedures for protecting participants in medical research. The issues surrounding participants protection in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences may be less visible to the public eye, but they are no less important in ensuring ethical and responsible research.
This report examines three key issues related to human participation in social, behavioral, and economic sciences research: (1) obtaining informed, voluntary consent from prospective participants: (2) guaranteeing the confidentiality of information collected from participants, which is a particularly challenging problem in social sciences research; and (3) using appropriate review procedures for "minimal-risk" research.
Protecting Participants and Facilitating Social and Behavioral Sciences Research will be important to policy makers, research administrators, research sponsors, IRB members, and investigators. More generally, it contains important information for all who want to ensure the best protection—for participants and researchers alike—in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
The field of computer science (CS) is currently experiencing a surge in undergraduate degree production and course enrollments, which is straining program resources at many institutions and causing concern among faculty and administrators about how best to respond to the rapidly growing demand. There is also significant interest about what this growth will mean for the future of CS programs, the role of computer science in academic institutions, the field as a whole, and U.S. society more broadly.
Assessing and Responding to the Growth of Computer Science Undergraduate Enrollments seeks to provide a better understanding of the current trends in computing enrollments in the context of past trends. It examines drivers of the current enrollment surge, relationships between the surge and current and potential gains in diversity in the field, and the potential impacts of responses to the increased demand for computing in higher education, and it considers the likely effects of those responses on students, faculty, and institutions. This report provides recommendations for what institutions of higher education, government agencies, and the private sector can do to respond to the surge and plan for a strong and sustainable future for the field of CS in general, the health of the institutions of higher education, and the prosperity of the nation.
Topics: Education » Higher Education | Education » Math and Science Education | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
At the request of the Special Cyber Operations Research and Engineering (SCORE) Interagency Working Group and sponsored with assistance from the National Science Foundation and from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine appointed an expert committee to explore future research goals and directions for cybersecurity. The committee for this multi-phased sequential study considered future research goals and directions for foundational science in cybersecurity, and included relevant efforts in economics and behavioral science as well as more "traditional" cybersecurity topics. It considered major challenge problems, explored proposed new directions, identified gaps in the current portfolio, considered the complementary roles of research in unclassified and classified settings, and considered how foundational work in an unclassified setting can be translated to meet national security objectives. This abbreviated annex provides background information on the full classified annex resulting from the study.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Conflict and Security Issues » Prevention, Security and Response
The Bulk Collection of Signals Intelligence: Technical Options study is a result of an activity called for in Presidential Policy Directive 28 (PPD-28), issued by President Obama in January 2014, to evaluate U.S. signals intelligence practices. The directive instructed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to produce a report within one year "assessing the feasibility of creating software that would allow the intelligence community more easily to conduct targeted information acquisition rather than bulk collection." ODNI asked the National Research Council (NRC)—the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering—to conduct a study, which began in June 2014, to assist in preparing a response to the President. Over the ensuing months, a committee of experts appointed by the Research Council produced the report.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
In order to conduct operations successfully and defend its capabilities against all warfighting domains, many have warned the Department of Defense (DoD) of the severity of the cyber threat and called for greater attention to defending against potential cyber attacks. For several years, many within and outside DoD have called for even greater attention to addressing threats to cyberspace.
At the request of the Chief of Naval Operations, the National Research Council appointed an expert committee to review the U.S. Navy's cyber defense capabilities. The Department of the Navy has determined that the final report prepared by the committee is classified in its entirety under Executive Order 13526 and therefore cannot be made available to the public. A Review of U.S. Navy Cyber Defense Capabilities is the abbreviated report and provides background information on the full report and the committee that prepared it.
Topics: Conflict and Security Issues » Prevention, Security and Response | Conflict and Security Issues » Military and Defense Studies | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy offers a wealth of information on practical measures, technical and nontechnical challenges, and potential policy responses to the never-ending battle of cybersecurity.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
The Workshop on the Future of Antennas was the second of three workshops conducted by the National Research Council's Committee for Science and Technology Challenges to U.S. National Security Interests. The objectives of the workshop were to review trends in advanced antenna research and design, review trends in commercials and military use of advanced antennas that enable improved communication, data transfer, soldier health monitoring, and other overt and covert methods of standoff data collection.
The first day's sessions, consisting of five presentations and discussions on antennas and wireless communications and control, were open to committee members, staff, guests, and members of the public. The second day was a data-gathering session addressing vulnerabilities, indicators, and observables; presentations and discussions during this session included classified material and were not open to the public.
The committee's role was limited to planning and convening the workshop. This report is organized by topic in the order of presentation and discussion at the workshop. For Day 1 the topics were Future of Antennas, Commercial State of the Art of Wireless Communications and Control, Military State of the Art of Wireless Communications and Control, and Future Trends in Antenna Design and Wireless Communications and Control. For Day 2 the topics were Vulnerabilities of Ubiquitous Antennas, and Indicators and Observables, followed by a wrap-up discussion. Summary of a Workshop on the Future of Antennas describes what happened at the workshop.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
The committee evaluated submissions received in response to a request for proposals (RFP) for Biomolecular Simulation Time on Anton, a supercomputer specially designed and built by D.E. Shaw Research (DESRES) that allows for dramatically increased molecular dynamics simulations compared to other currently available resources. During the past 2 years, DESRES has made available to the non-commercial research community node-hours on an Anton system housed at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), based on the advice of previous National Research Council committees convened in the falls of 2010 and 2011.
The success of the program has left DESRES to make the Anton machine housed at the PSC available for an additional 3.7 million node-hours during the 9 months following October 2012. DESRES has asked the National Research Council (NRC) to once again facilitate the allocation of time to the non-commercial research community. To undertake this task, the NRC convened a committee of experts to evaluate the proposals submitted in response to the aforementioned RFP. The committee members were selected for their expertise in molecular dynamics simulations, as well as their experience in the subject areas represented in the 52 proposals that were considered by the committee. They comprised a cross-section of the biomolecular dynamics field in academia, industry, and government, including an array of both senior and junior investigators.
The goal of the third RFP for Biomolecular Simulation Time on Anton has been to continue to facilitate breakthrough research in the study of biomolecular systems by providing a massively parallel system specially designed for molecular dynamics simulations. These special capabilities allow multi-microsecond to millisecond simulation timescales, which previously had been unobtainable. The program seeks to continue to support research that addresses important and high-impact questions demonstrating a clear need for Anton's special capabilities.Report of the Committee on Proposal Evaluation for Allocation of Supercomputing Time for the Study of Molecular Dynamics: Third Round is a summary of the proposals, research, and criteria set forth in the RFP for Biomolecular Simulation Time on Anton.
Topics: Biology and Life Sciences » Biotechnology | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
The end of dramatic exponential growth in single-processor performance marks the end of the dominance of the single microprocessor in computing. The era of sequential computing must give way to a new era in which parallelism is at the forefront. Although important scientific and engineering challenges lie ahead, this is an opportune time for innovation in programming systems and computing architectures. We have already begun to see diversity in computer designs to optimize for such considerations as power and throughput. The next generation of discoveries is likely to require advances at both the hardware and software levels of computing systems.
There is no guarantee that we can make parallel computing as common and easy to use as yesterday's sequential single-processor computer systems, but unless we aggressively pursue efforts suggested by the recommendations in this book, it will be "game over" for growth in computing performance. If parallel programming and related software efforts fail to become widespread, the development of exciting new applications that drive the computer industry will stall; if such innovation stalls, many other parts of the economy will follow suit.
The Future of Computing Performance describes the factors that have led to the future limitations on growth for single processors that are based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. It explores challenges inherent in parallel computing and architecture, including ever-increasing power consumption and the escalated requirements for heat dissipation. The book delineates a research, practice, and education agenda to help overcome these challenges. The Future of Computing Performance will guide researchers, manufacturers, and information technology professionals in the right direction for sustainable growth in computer performance, so that we may all enjoy the next level of benefits to society.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
IOM's 1999 landmark study To Err is Human estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 lives are lost every year due to medical errors. This call to action has led to a number of efforts to reduce errors and provide safe and effective health care. Information technology (IT) has been identified as a way to enhance the safety and effectiveness of care. In an effort to catalyze its implementation, the U.S. government has invested billions of dollars toward the development and meaningful use of effective health IT.
Designed and properly applied, health IT can be a positive transformative force for delivering safe health care, particularly with computerized prescribing and medication safety. However, if it is designed and applied inappropriately, health IT can add an additional layer of complexity to the already complex delivery of health care. Poorly designed IT can introduce risks that may lead to unsafe conditions, serious injury, or even death. Poor human-computer interactions could result in wrong dosing decisions and wrong diagnoses. Safe implementation of health IT is a complex, dynamic process that requires a shared responsibility between vendors and health care organizations. Health IT and Patient Safety makes recommendations for developing a framework for patient safety and health IT. This book focuses on finding ways to mitigate the risks of health IT-assisted care and identifies areas of concern so that the nation is in a better position to realize the potential benefits of health IT.
Health IT and Patient Safety is both comprehensive and specific in terms of recommended options and opportunities for public and private interventions that may improve the safety of care that incorporates the use of health IT. This book will be of interest to the health IT industry, the federal government, healthcare providers and other users of health IT, and patient advocacy groups.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Health and Medicine » Medical Technologies and Treatments
A Technical Analysis of the Common Carrier/User Interconnections Area assesses the technical factors affecting the common carrier/user interconnection area of public communications. This book develops technical and background information that might be useful to common carriers, users, and equipment manufacturers in reaching and implementing solutions to immediate problems. This includes a technical evaluation of various contending points fo view regarding the common carrier/user interaction area, the various problems to which these views relate, and the various technical and policy alternatives for responding to these problems in the near future.
A Technical Analysis of the Common Carrier/User Interconnections Area addresses questions of the propriety of the telephone company-provided network control signaling requirements and various alternatives to the provision thereof by the telephone company; the necessity and characteristics of telephone company-provided connecting arrangements and various alternatives to the provision thereof by the telephone company; and basic standards and specifications for interconnection and the appropriate method to administer them.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
The Committee on Proposal Evaluation for Allocation of Supercomputing Time for the Study of Molecular Dynamics evaluated submissions received in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Biomolecular Simulation Time on Anton, a supercomputer specially designed and built by D.E. Shaw Research (DESRES) that allows for dramatically increased molecular dynamics simulations compared to other currently available resources. Over the past year (October 1, 2010—September 30, 2011), DESRES has made available to the non-commercial research community 3,000,000 node-hours on an Anton system housed at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), based on the advice of a previous National Research Council committee convened in the fall of 2010.
The goal of the second RFP for Biomolecular Simulation Time on Anton has been to continue to facilitate breakthrough research in the study of biomolecular systems by providing a massively parallel system specially designed for molecular dynamics simulations. These special capabilities allow multi-microsecond to millisecond simulation timescales, which previously had been unobtainable. The program seeks to continue to support research that addresses important and high impact questions demonstrating a clear need for Anton's special capabilities. The Anton RFP described the three criteria against which the committee was asked to evaluate proposals: Scientific Merit, Justification for Requested Time Allocation, and Investigator Qualifications and Past Accomplishments.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Biology and Life Sciences » Biotechnology
This report from the Panel on Communicating National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Engineering Information to Data Users recommends action by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (SRS) on four key issues: data content and presentation; meeting changing storage and retrieval standards; understanding data users and their emerging needs; and data accessibility.
This report also includes a summary of the workshop that focused on the several aspects of the NCSES's current approaches to communicating and disseminating statistical information—including NCSES's information products, website, and database systems. It included presentations from NCSES staff and representatives of key use groups—including the academic research, private nonprofit research, and federal government policy making communities.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
The Department of Defense (DOD) supports basic research to advance fundamental knowledge in fields important to national defense. Over the past six years, however, several groups have raised concern about whether the nature of DOD-funded basic research is changing. The concerns include these: Funds are being spent for research that does not fall under DOD's definition of basic research; reporting requirements have become cumbersome and onerous; and basic research is handled differently by the three services. To explore these concerns, the Congress directed DOD to request a study from the National Research Council (NRC) about the nature of basic research now being funded by the Department. Specifically the NRC was to determine if the programs in the DOD basic research portfolio are consistent with the DOD definition of basic research and with the characteristics associated with fundamental research.
Topics: Conflict and Security Issues » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
As digital technologies are expanding the power and reach of research, they are also raising complex issues. These include complications in ensuring the validity of research data; standards that do not keep pace with the high rate of innovation; restrictions on data sharing that reduce the ability of researchers to verify results and build on previous research; and huge increases in the amount of data being generated, creating severe challenges in preserving that data for long-term use.
Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age examines the consequences of the changes affecting research data with respect to three issues - integrity, accessibility, and stewardship-and finds a need for a new approach to the design and the management of research projects. The report recommends that all researchers receive appropriate training in the management of research data, and calls on researchers to make all research data, methods, and other information underlying results publicly accessible in a timely manner. The book also sees the stewardship of research data as a critical long-term task for the research enterprise and its stakeholders. Individual researchers, research institutions, research sponsors, professional societies, and journals involved in scientific, engineering, and medical research will find this book an essential guide to the principles affecting research data in the digital age.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data | Education » Higher Education
The United States is increasingly dependent on information and information technology for both civilian and military purposes, as are many other nations. Although there is a substantial literature on the potential impact of a cyberattack on the societal infrastructure of the United States, little has been written about the use of cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. policy.
Cyberattacks—actions intended to damage adversary computer systems or networks—can be used for a variety of military purposes. But they also have application to certain missions of the intelligence community, such as covert action. They may be useful for certain domestic law enforcement purposes, and some analysts believe that they might be useful for certain private sector entities who are themselves under cyberattack. This report considers all of these applications from an integrated perspective that ties together technology, policy, legal, and ethical issues.
Focusing on the use of cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. national policy, Technology, Policy, Law and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities explores important characteristics of cyberattack. It describes the current international and domestic legal structure as it might apply to cyberattack, and considers analogies to other domains of conflict to develop relevant insights. Of special interest to the military, intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security communities, this report is also an essential point of departure for nongovernmental researchers interested in this rarely discussed topic.
Topics: Conflict and Security Issues » Weapons and Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Conflict and Security Issues » Prevention, Security and Response | Conflict and Security Issues » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Despite a strong commitment to delivering quality health care, persistent problems involving medical errors and ineffective treatment continue to plague the industry. Many of these problems are the consequence of poor information and technology (IT) capabilities, and most importantly, the lack cognitive IT support. Clinicians spend a great deal of time sifting through large amounts of raw data, when, ideally, IT systems would place raw data into context with current medical knowledge to provide clinicians with computer models that depict the health status of the patient.
Computational Technology for Effective Health Care advocates re-balancing the portfolio of investments in health care IT to place a greater emphasis on providing cognitive support for health care providers, patients, and family caregivers; observing proven principles for success in designing and implementing IT; and accelerating research related to health care in the computer and social sciences and in health/biomedical informatics.
Health care professionals, patient safety advocates, as well as IT specialists and engineers, will find this book a useful tool in preparation for crossing the health care IT chasm.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Engineering and Technology » Applications of Technology | Health and Medicine » Medical Technologies and Treatments
In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent possible harms. Ten years ago, to address these concerns as well as set guidelines for ethical health research, Congress called for a set of federal standards now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should, and that it impedes important health research.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Health and Medicine » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Many federal funding requests for more advanced computer resources assume implicitly that greater computing power creates opportunities for advancement in science and engineering. This has often been a good assumption. Given stringent pressures on the federal budget, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) are seeking an improved approach to the formulation and review of requests from the agencies for new computing funds.
This book examines, for four illustrative fields of science and engineering, how one can start with an understanding of their major challenges and discern how progress against those challenges depends on high-end capability computing (HECC). The four fields covered are:
This book finds that all four of these fields are critically dependent on HECC, but in different ways. The book characterizes the components that combine to enable new advances in computational science and engineering and identifies aspects that apply to multiple fields.
Topics: Engineering and Technology » Applications of Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
All U.S. agencies with counterterrorism programs that collect or "mine" personal data—such as phone records or Web sites visited—should be required to evaluate the programs' effectiveness, lawfulness, and impacts on privacy. A framework is offered that agencies can use to evaluate such information-based programs, both classified and unclassified. The book urges Congress to re-examine existing privacy law to assess how privacy can be protected in current and future programs and recommends that any individuals harmed by violations of privacy be given a meaningful form of redress.
Two specific technologies are examined: data mining and behavioral surveillance. Regarding data mining, the book concludes that although these methods have been useful in the private sector for spotting consumer fraud, they are less helpful for counterterrorism because so little is known about what patterns indicate terrorist activity. Regarding behavioral surveillance in a counterterrorist context, the book concludes that although research and development on certain aspects of this topic are warranted, there is no scientific consensus on whether these techniques are ready for operational use at all in counterterrorism.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Law and Justice | Conflict and Security Issues » Prevention, Security and Response | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
The nation's defense systems depend critically on advanced software, a dependency that will grow in both extent and complexity. Yet the Department of Defense is increasingly concerned for a number of reasons about its ability to meet these growing software needs. The help address these concerns, DoD asked the NRC to assess the nature of the national investment in software research and consider ways to revitalize the knowledge and human resource base needed to assure the needed software-intensive systems. To provide preliminary feedback on DoD software research needs and priorities and suggestions for a research agenda, DoD asked the NRC for an interim letter report. The letter report addresses three key technology areas: the management of engineering risk; software quality assurance; and the reduction of requirements-related risk without excessive sacrifice in systems capability. These and other areas will be discussed in greater detail in the final report.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Conflict and Security Issues » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Innovation in Global Industries challenges this thinking. The book, a collection of individually authored studies, examines in detail structural changes in the innovation process in 10 service as well as manufacturing industries: personal computers; semiconductors; flat-panel displays; software; lighting; biotechnology; pharmaceuticals; financial services; logistics; and venture capital. There is no doubt that overall there has been an acceleration in global sourcing of innovation and an emergence of new locations of research capacity and advanced technical skills, but the patterns are highly variable. Many industries and some firms in nearly all industries retain leading-edge capacity in the United States. However, the book concludes that is no reason for complacency about the future outlook. Innovation deserves more emphasis in firm performance measures and more sustained support in public policy.
Innovation in Global Industries will be of special interest to business people and government policy makers as well as professors, students, and other researchers of economics, management, international affairs, and political science.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Engineering and Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Industry and Labor » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace examines these Internet security vulnerabilities and offers a strategy for future research aimed at countering cyber attacks. It also explores the nature of online threats and some of the reasons why past research for improving cybersecurity has had less impact than anticipated, and considers the human resource base needed to advance the cybersecurity research agenda. This book will be an invaluable resource for Internet security professionals, information technologists, policy makers, data stewards, e-commerce providers, consumer protection advocates, and others interested in digital security and safety.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Prevention, Security and Response
The growing scale and complexity of software-intensive systems are introducing fundamental new challenges of uncertainty and scale that are particularly demanding for defense systems. To assist in meeting these challenges, the Department of Defense asked the NRC to assess the nature of U.S. national investment in software research. As part of this study, a workshop was held to examine uncertainty at scale in current and future software-intensive systems. This report presents a summary of the workshop discussions that centered on process, architecture, and the grand scale; DoD software challenges for future systems; agility at scale; quality and assurance with scale and uncertainty; and enterprise scale and beyond. The report also offers a summary of key themes emerging from the workshop: architectural challenges in large-scale systems; the need for software engineering capability; and open questions and research opportunities.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
The U.S. military has committed to a strategy of network-centric warfare. As a result, the Army has become increasingly interested in the critical role of network science. To a significant extent, this interest was stimulated by an earlier NRC report, Network Science. To build on that book, the Army asked the NRC to conduct a study to define advanced operating models and architectures for future Army laboratories and centers focused on network science, technologies, and experimentation (NSTE). The challenges resulting from base realignment and closure (BRAC) relocations of Army research, development, and engineering resources—as they affected the NSTE program—were also to be a focus of the study. This book provides a discussion of what NSTE is needed by the Army; an examination of the NSTE currently carried out by the Army; an assessment of needed infrastructure resources for Army NSTE; and an analysis of goals, models, and alternatives for an NSTE center.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Military and Defense Studies
Although Y2K did not result in major disruptions, the event is a rich source of critical lessons for strategic management of information and communication technology (ICT), many of which apply to large organizations today. Using a case study approach, this report describes lessons learned from the response of the Air Force to Y2K and makes recommendations for managing ICT complexity, aligning organizational and ICT strategies, and minimizing risk.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Education » Testing, Assessments and Standards
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Law and Justice
To prevent both the individually annoying and nationally significant consequences, human capabilities and needs must be considered early and throughout system design and development. One challenge for such consideration has been providing the background and data needed for the seamless integration of humans into the design process from various perspectives: human factors engineering, manpower, personnel, training, safety and health, and, in the military, habitability and survivability. This collection of development activities has come to be called human-system integration (HSI). Human-System Integration in the System Development Process reviews in detail more than 20 categories of HSI methods to provide invaluable guidance and information for system designers and developers.
Topics: Behavioral and Social Sciences » Human Systems and Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Defense and Security
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Engineering and Technology » Applications of Technology
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Weapons and Technology
Topics: Biology and Life Sciences » Biotechnology | Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Biology and Life Sciences » Biology | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Math and Statistics | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Physics | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Chemistry | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
Whether or not you use a computer, you probably use a telephone, electricity, and a bank. Although you may not be aware of their presence, networked computer systems are an integral part of daily life. Yet if such systems perform poorly or don't work at all, they can put life, liberty, and property at risk. Is the trust we place in networked computer systems justified? And if it isn't, what can we do to make such systems more secure?
In this book, industry and academic experts provide a detailed assessment of the current state of the art for building trustworthy networked information systems. They propose new directions for research in computer and network security, software technology, and system architecture.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
This book sets out technological research topics designed to facilitate and expand distributed work—including telecommuting, working while mobile, and working in geographically distributed teams. The book's recommendations for computing and communications infrastructure center on the provision and use of bandwidth—or the speed of communications. Concurrent applications research should be focused on ease of use and interoperability of the multitude of devices and programs that currently are needed to engage in distributed work.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Large and growing opportunity costs are resulting from the inability to produce sophisticated, reliable software in a timely manner. Software engineering presents stubborn problems, but in this book, a group of experts suggest several constructive directions for research. Together, they support the need for greater interaction between researchers and practitioners and more aggressive efforts to share and reuse software engineering knowledge.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
This book advises the National Archives and Records Administration and federal R&D agencies on the long-term retention of scientific and technical data, particularly in electronic formats. It proposes the creation of a National Scientific Information Resource Federation, which would apply a strategic data life-cycle management plan to better link the government's existing scientific data holdings and improve public access to those holdings. The book is expected to draw attention to data management concerns in the context of the current government emphasis on promoting a National Information Infrastructure and to make a significant contribution to improving the inadequate situation regarding our nation's valuable scientific data and information resources.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Earth Sciences » Climate, Weather and Meteorology
This book describes a number of social and legal issues as they relate to various members of electronically networked communities. After a brief introduction to relevant legal precedents and to the manner in which societies develop norms for social behavior, the book explores right and responsibilities related to free speech, vandalism, property interests, and privacy.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data
While societies have always had information infrastructures, the power and reach of today's information technologies offer opportunities to transform work and family lives in an unprecedented fashion. This volume, a collection of six papers presented at the 1994 National Academy of Engineering Meeting Technical Session, presents a range of views on the subject of the revolution in the U.S. information infrastructure. The papers cover a variety of current issues including an overview of the technological developments driving the evolution of information infrastructures and where they will lead; the development of the Internet, particularly the government's role in its evolution; the impact of regulatory reform and antitrust enforcement on the telecommunications revolution; and perspectives from the computer, wireless, and satellite communications industries.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
In response to a mandate from Congress in conjunction with the Protection of Children from Sexual Predators Act of 1998, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) and the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine established the Committee to Study Tools and Strategies for Protecting Kids from Pornography and Their Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content.
To collect input and to disseminate useful information to the nation on this question, the committee held two public workshops. On December 13, 2000, in Washington, D.C., the committee convened a workshop to focus on nontechnical strategies that could be effective in a broad range of settings (e.g., home, school, libraries) in which young people might be online. This workshop brought together researchers, educators, policy makers, and other key stakeholders to consider and discuss these approaches and to identify some of the benefits and limitations of various nontechnical strategies. The December workshop is summarized in Nontechnical Strategies to Reduce Children's Exposure to Inappropriate Material on the Internet: Summary of a Workshop. The second workshop was held on March 7, 2001, in Redwood City, California. This second workshop focused on some of the technical, business, and legal factors that affect how one might choose to protect kids from pornography on the Internet. The present report provides, in the form of edited transcripts, the presentations at that workshop.
Topics: Behavioral and Social Sciences » Children, Youth and Families | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Who Goes There?: Authentication Through the Lens of Privacy explores authentication technologies (passwords, PKI, biometrics, etc.) and their implications for the privacy of the individuals being authenticated. As authentication becomes ever more ubiquitous, understanding its interplay with privacy is vital. The report examines numerous concepts, including authentication, authorization, identification, privacy, and security. It provides a framework to guide thinking about these issues when deciding whether and how to use authentication in a particular context. The book explains how privacy is affected by system design decisions. It also describes government's unique role in authentication and what this means for how government can use authentication with minimal invasions of privacy. In addition, Who Goes There? outlines usability and security considerations and provides a primer on privacy law and policy.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Drawing on the findings of sector-specific workshops, e-mail surveys, research literature, expert testimony, and committee and panel members' expertise, this National Academy of Engineering study assesses the qualitative impact of academic research on five industries—network systems and communications; medical devices and equipment; aerospace; transportation, distribution, and logistics services; and financial services. The book documents the range and significance of academic research contributions to the five industries—comparing the importance of different types of contributions, the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of these contributions, and the multiple vectors by which academic research is linked to each industry. The book calls for action to address six cross-cutting challenges to university-industry interactions: the growing disciplinary and time-horizon-related imbalances in federal R&D funding, barriers to university-industry interaction in service industries, the critical role of academic research in the advancement of information technology, the role of academic research in the regulation of industry, the impact of technology transfer activities on core university research and education missions, and the search for new pathways and mechanisms to enhance the contributions of academic research to industry. The book also includes findings and recommendations specific to each industry.
Topics: Industry and Labor » Economics | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data
Supercomputers play a significant and growing role in a variety of areas important to the nation. They are used to address challenging science and technology problems. In recent years, however, progress in supercomputing in the United States has slowed. The development of the Earth Simulator supercomputer by Japan that the United States could lose its competitive advantage and, more importantly, the national competence needed to achieve national goals. In the wake of this development, the Department of Energy asked the NRC to assess the state of U.S. supercomputing capabilities and relevant R&D. Subsequently, the Senate directed DOE in S. Rpt. 107-220 to ask the NRC to evaluate the Advanced Simulation and Computing program of the National Nuclear Security Administration at DOE in light of the development of the Earth Simulator. This report provides an assessment of the current status of supercomputing in the United States including a review of current demand and technology, infrastructure and institutions, and international activities.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
The national information infrastructure (NII) holds the promise of connecting people of all ages and descriptions—bringing them opportunities to interact with businesses, government agencies, entertainment sources, and social networks. Whether the NII fulfills this promise for everyone depends largely on interfaces—technologies by which people communicate with the computing systems of the NII.
More Than Screen Deep addresses how to ensure NII access for every citizen, regardless of age, physical ability, race/ethnicity, education, ability, cognitive style, or economic level. This thoughtful document explores current issues and prioritizes research directions in creating interface technologies that accommodate every citizen's needs.
The committee provides an overview of NII users, tasks, and environments and identifies the desired characteristics in every-citizen interfaces, from power and efficiency to an element of fun. The book explores:
Offering data, examples, and expert commentary, More Than Screen Deep charts a path toward enabling the broadest-possible spectrum of citizens to interact easily and effectively with the NII. This volume will be important to policymakers, information system designers and engineers, human factors professionals, and advocates for special populations.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Despite widespread interest in virtual reality, research and development efforts in synthetic environments (SE)—the field encompassing virtual environments, teleoperation, and hybrids—have remained fragmented.
Virtual Reality is the first integrated treatment of the topic, presenting current knowledge along with thought-provoking vignettes about a future where SE is commonplace.
This volume discusses all aspects of creating a system that will allow human operators to see, hear, smell, taste, move about, give commands, respond to conditions, and manipulate objects effectively in a real or virtual environment. The committee of computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists on the leading edge of SE development explores the potential applications of SE in the areas of manufacturing, medicine, education, training, scientific visualization, and teleoperation in hazardous environments.
The committee also offers recommendations for development of improved SE technology, needed studies of human behavior and evaluation of SE systems, and government policy and infrastructure.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Military and Defense Studies
Supercomputers are the ultimate engine of the information age. By generating and processing vast amounts of data with hitherto unparalleled speed, they make new activities in industrial research and product development possible.
Supercomputers explores commercial supercomputer applications today as well as those emerging from university laboratories. It outlines trends in the supercomputing technology into the near future, and also contributes to a growing debate on the roles of the public and private sectors in nurturing this vital technology.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Interactive multimedia and information infrastructure receive a lot of attention in the press, but what do they really mean for society? What are the most significant and enduring innovations? What does the convergence of digitally based technologies mean for U.S. businesses and consumers? This book presents an overview of the exciting but much-hyped phenomenon of digital convergence.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
This book identifies areas that represent new needs and opportunities for human factors research in the coming decades. It is forward-looking, problem oriented, and selectively focused on national or global problems, including productivity in organizations, education and training, employment and disabilities, health care, and environmental change; technology issues, including communications technology and telenetworking, information access and usability, emerging technologies, automation, and flexible manufacturing, and advanced transportation systems; and human performance, including cognitive performance under stress and aiding intellectual work.
Topics: Behavioral and Social Sciences » Human Systems and Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Systems integration—the enterprise-wide integration of computer applications—offers an enormous opportunity for U.S. firms to capitalize on their strengths in such areas as complex software, networking, and management.
In this book, industry leaders, university researchers, and government policymakers discuss what systems integration is, its importance and prospects for growth, why it is expected to define the characteristics of computerization for decades to come, and why the United States is perceived to have a strong competitive advantage.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Industry and Labor » Economics
IDs—Not That Easy highlights some of the challenging policy, procedural, and technological issues presented by nationwide identity systems. In the wake of the events of September 11, 2001, nationwide identity systems have been proposed to better track the movement of suspected terrorists. However, questions arise as to who would use the system and how, if participation would be mandatory, the type of data that would be collected, and the legal structures needed to protect privacy. The committee's goal is to foster a broad and deliberate discussion among policy-makers and the public about the form of nationwide identity system that might be created, and whether such a system is desirable or feasible.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Engineering and Technology » Applications of Technology | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
Since publication of the National Research Council (NRC) reports on chemistry in 1985 and chemical engineering in 1988,1,2 dramatic advances in information technology (IT) have totally changed these communities. During this period, the chemical enterprise and information technology have enjoyed both a remarkably productive and mutually supportive set of advances. These synergies sparked unprecedented growth in the capability and productivity of both fields including the definition of entirely new areas of the chemical enterprise. The chemical enterprise provided information technology with device fabrication processes, new materials, data, models, methods, and (most importantly) people. In turn, information technology provided chemical science and technology with truly remarkable and revolutionary resources for computations, communications, and data management. Indeed, computation has become the strong third component of the chemical science research and development effort, joining experiment and theory. Sustained mutual growth and interdependence of the chemical and information communities should take account of several unique aspects of the chemical sciences. These include extensive and complex databases that characterize the chemical disciplines; the importance of multiscale simulations that range from molecules to technological processes; the global economic impact of the chemical industry; and the industry's major influence on the nation's health, environment, security, and economic well-being. In planning the future of the chemical sciences and technology, it is crucial to recognize the benefits already derived from advances in information technology as well as to point the way to future benefits that will be derived.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Chemistry
PAVE PAWS is a phased-array warning system designed to detect and track sea-launched and intercontinental ballistic missiles operated on Cape Cod since 1979 by the U.S. Air Force Space Command. In 1979, the National Research Council issued two reports to address concerns from Cape Cod residents about the safety and possible health effects of the radiofrequency energy from the radar. Following up on the1979 report, the new report finds no evidence of adverse health effects to Cape Cod residents from long-term exposure to the PAVE PAWS radar. The report specifically investigated whether the PAVE PAWS radar might be responsible in part for the reported higher rates of certain cancers in the area, but concludes there is no increase in the total number of cancers or in specific cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, or colon due to radiation exposure from PAVE PAWS. The report did find in the scientific literature a few biological responses to radiofrequency exposures that were statistically significant. Such responses do not necessarily result in adverse health effects, but the report recommends additional studies to better discern the significance, if any, of those findings.
Topics: Environment and Environmental Studies » Environmental Health and Safety | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
Consumer health websites have garnered considerable media attention, but only begin to scratch the surface of the more pervasive transformations the Internet could bring to health and health care. Networking Health examines ways in which the Internet may become a routine part of health care delivery and payment, public health, health education, and biomedical research. Building upon a series of site visits, this book:
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Health and Medicine » Cancer
The past 50 years have witnessed a revolution in computing and related communications technologies. The contributions of industry and university researchers to this revolution are manifest; less widely recognized is the major role the federal government played in launching the computing revolution and sustaining its momentum. Funding a Revolution examines the history of computing since World War II to elucidate the federal government's role in funding computing research, supporting the education of computer scientists and engineers, and equipping university research labs. It reviews the economic rationale for government support of research, characterizes federal support for computing research, and summarizes key historical advances in which government-sponsored research played an important role.
Funding a Revolution contains a series of case studies in relational databases, the Internet, theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality that demonstrate the complex interactions among government, universities, and industry that have driven the field. It offers a series of lessons that identify factors contributing to the success of the nation's computing enterprise and the government's role within it.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
The potential impact of the information superhighway—what it will mean to daily work, shopping, and entertainment—is of concern to nearly everyone. In the rush to put the world on-line, special issues have emerged for researchers, educators and students, and library specialists.
At the same time, the research and education communities have a valuable head start when it comes to understanding computer communications networks, particularly Internet. With its roots in the research community, the Internet computer network now links tens of millions of people and extends well into the commercial world.
Realizing the Information Future is written by key players in the development of Internet and other data networks. The volume highlights what we can learn from Internet and how the research, education, and library communities can take full advantage of the information highway's promised reach through time and space.
This book presents a vision for the proposed national information infrastructure (NII): an open data network sending information services of all kinds, from suppliers of all kinds, to customers of all kinds, across network providers of all kinds.
Realizing the Information Future examines deployment issues for the NII in light of the proposed system architecture, with specific discussion of the needs of the research and education communities.
What is the role of the "institution" when everyone is online in their homes and offices? What are the consequences when citizens can easily access legal, medical, educational, and government services information from a single system? These and many other important questions are explored.
The committee also looks at the development of principles to address the potential for abuse and misuse of the information highway, covering:
Realizing the Information Future includes a wide-ranging discussion of costs, pricing, and federal funding for network development and a discussion of the federal role in making the best technical choices to ensure that the expected social and economic benefits of the NII are realized.
The time for the research and education communities to have their say about the information highway is before the ribbon is cut. Realizing the Information Future provides a timely, readable, and comprehensive exploration of key issues—important to computer scientists and engineers, researchers, librarians and their administrators, educators, and individuals interested in the shape of the information network that will soon link us all.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data
Technological risk and the process of explaining risks to the public have become major public issues. The mention of Bhopal or Love Canal can provoke emotional arguments—not only about the hazards themselves but also about how they were explained to the public. As new laws, the threat of AIDS, and other factors make risk communication more crucial, officials in government and industry are seeking guidelines on how to communicate effectively and responsibly.
This volume offers an approach to better quality in risk communication. The combined insight of experts from government, business, and universities, Improving Risk Communication draws on the most current academic and practical information and analysis. Issues addressed include why risk communication has become more difficult in recent decades, what the major problems are, and how common misconceptions often hamper communication campaigns. Aimed especially at top decisionmakers in government and industry, the book emphasizes that solving the problems of risk communication is as much about improving procedures as improving the content of risk messages.
Specific recommendations for change include a Risk Message Checklist and a call for developing a consumer's guide to risk. Appendixes provide additional details.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
This book describes a vision of manufacturing in the twenty-first century that maximizes efficiencies and improvements by exploiting the full power of information and provides a research agenda for information technology and manufacturing that is necessary for success in achieving such a vision. Research on information technology to support product and process design, shop-floor operations, and flexible manufacturing is described. Roles for virtual manufacturing and the information infrastructure are also addressed. A final chapter is devoted to nontechnical research issues.
Topics: Industry and Labor » Industrial and Manufacturing Technologies | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
How should we go about developing an infrastructure for on-line communication by everyone everywhere? The Unpredictable Certainty explores the national information infrastructure (NII) as the collection of all public and private information services. But how and when will the NII become a reality? How will more and better services reach the home, small businesses, and remote locations? The Unpredictable Certainty examines these and other questions.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
Significant advances in brain research have been made, but investigators who face the resulting explosion of data need new methods to integrate the pieces of the "brain puzzle." Based on the expertise of more than 100 neuroscientists and computer specialists, this new volume examines how computer technology can meet that need.
Featuring outstanding color photography, the book presents an overview of the complexity of brain research, which covers the spectrum from human behavior to genetic mechanisms. Advances in vision, substance abuse, pain, and schizophrenia are highlighted.
The committee explores the potential benefits of computer graphics, database systems, and communications networks in neuroscience and reviews the available technology. Recommendations center on a proposed Brain Mapping Initiative, with an agenda for implementation and a look at issues such as privacy and accessibility.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Health and Medicine » Health Sciences
The Internet has changed the way we access the world. This is especially true for kids, who soak up new technologies like eager little sponges. They have access to an enormous array of material, including educational links, sports info, chat rooms—and, unfortunately, pornography. But we must approach our need to protect children with care to avoid placing unnecessary restrictions on the many positive features of the Internet.
Youth, Pornography, and the Internet examines approaches to protecting children and teens from Internet pornography, threats from sexual predators operating on-line, and other inappropriate material on the Internet. The National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board explores a number of fundamental questions: Who defines what is inappropriate material? Do we control Internet access by a 17-year-old in the same manner as for a 7-year-old? What is the role of technology and policy in solving such a problem in the context of family, community, and society?
The book discusses social and educational strategies, technological tools, and policy options for how to teach children to make safe and appropriate decisions about what they see and experience on the Internet. It includes lessons learned from case studies of community efforts to intervene in kids' exposure to Internet porn.
Providing a foundation for informed debate, this very timely and relevant book will be a must-read for a variety of audiences.
Topics: Behavioral and Social Sciences » Children, Youth and Families | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
In the summer of 2002, the Office of Naval Research asked the Committee on Human Factors to hold a workshop on dynamic social network and analysis. The primary purpose of the workshop was to bring together scientists who represent a diversity of views and approaches to share their insights, commentary, and critiques on the developing body of social network analysis research and application. The secondary purpose was to provide sound models and applications for current problems of national importance, with a particular focus on national security. This workshop is one of several activities undertaken by the National Research Council that bears on the contributions of various scientific disciplines to understanding and defending against terrorism. The presentations were grouped in four sessions — Social Network Theory Perspectives, Dynamic Social Networks, Metrics and Models, and Networked Worlds — each of which concluded with a discussant-led roundtable discussion among the presenters and workshop attendees on the themes and issues raised in the session.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Behavioral and Social Sciences » Human Systems and Technology
This report presents the results of a workshop focusing on mathematical methods and techniques for addressing these areas. The goal of the workshop is to help mathematical scientists and policy makers understand the connections between mathematical sciences research and these homeland security applications.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Math and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
Since 1992, the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) has produced a book on principles and practices for a federal statistical agency, updating the document every 4 years to provide a current edition to newly appointed cabinet secretaries at the beginning of each presidential administration.
This third edition presents and comments on three basic principles that statistical agencies must embody in order to carry out their mission fully:
(1) They must produce objective data that are relevant to policy issues,
(2) they must achieve and maintain credibility among data users, and
(3) they must achieve and maintain trust among data providers.
The book also discusses 11 important practices that are means for statistical agencies to live up to the four principles. These practices include a commitment to quality and professional practice and an active program of methodological and substantive research.
Topics: Behavioral and Social Sciences » Surveys and Statistics | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
Computers and telecommunications have revolutionized the processes of scientific research. How is this information technology being applied and what difficulties do scientists face in using information technology? How can these difficulties be overcome?
Information Technology and the Conduct of Research answers these questions and presents a variety of helpful examples. The recommendations address the problems scientists experience in trying to gain the most benefit from information technology in scientific, engineering, and clinical research.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
The focus of this report is on artificial intelligence (AI) and human-computer interface (HCI) technology. Observations, conclusions, and recommendations regarding AI and HCI are presented in terms of six grand challenge areas which serve to identify key scientific and engineering issues and opportunities. Chapter 1 presents the panel's definitions of these and related terms. Chapter 2 presents the panel's general observations and recommendations regarding AI and HCI. Finally, Chapter 3 discusses computer science, AI, and HCI in terms of the six selected "grand challenge" areas and three time horizons, that is, short term (within the next 2 years), midterm (2 to 6 years), and long term (more than 6 years from now) and presents additional recommendations in these areas.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Military and Defense Studies
Americans are increasingly concerned about the privacy of personal data—yet we demand more and more information for public decision making. This volume explores the seeming conflicts between privacy and data access, an issue of concern to federal statistical agencies collecting the data, research organizations using the data, and individuals providing the data.
A panel of experts offers principles and specific recommendations for managing data and improving the balance between needed government use of data and the privacy of respondents. The volume examines factors such as the growth of computer technology, that are making confidentiality an increasingly critical problem.
The volume explores how data collectors communicate with data providers, with a focus on informed consent to use data, and describes the legal and ethical obligations data users have toward individual subjects as well as toward the agencies providing the data. In the context of historical practices in the United States, Canada, and Sweden, statistical techniques for protecting individuals' identities are evaluated in detail.
Legislative and regulatory restraints on access to data are examined, including a discussion about their effects on research.
This volume will be an important and thought-provoking guide for policymakers and agencies working with statistics as well as researchers and concerned individuals.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy
The tremendous growth in use of information technology (IT) has led to an increased interest in understanding its social and economic impacts. This book presents examples of crosscutting research that has been conducted to understand the impact of information technology on personal, community, and business activities. It explores ways in which the use of methodology from economics and social sciences contributes to important advances in understanding these impacts.
The book discusses significant research issues and concerns and suggests approaches for fostering increased interdisciplinary research on the impacts of information technology and making the results of this research more accessible to the public and policymakers. This volume is expected to influence funding priorities and levels of support for interdisciplinary research of this kind.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
Bits of Power assesses the state of international exchange of data in the natural sciences, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. The book makes recommendations about access to scientific data derived from public funding. It examines trends in the electronic transfer and management of scientific data, pressure toward commericalization of scientific data, the implications of proposed changes to intellectual property laws, and improving access to scientific data by and from the developing world.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data
The flood of information technology (I.T.) products and services entering the market place often obscures the need to nurture the research enterprise. But as I.T. becomes integrated into all aspects of society, the need for research is even greater. And the range of issues that need to be addressed is broader than ever.
This new book highlights the fundamental importance of research to ensure that I.T. meets society's expanding needs. Against the background of dramatic change in the I.T. landscape, the committee examines four key questions:
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
A remarkable creation, the Internet encompasses a diversity of networks, technologies, and organizations. The enormous volume and great variety of data carried over it give it a rich complexity and texture. It has proved difficult to characterize, understand, or model in terms of large-scale behaviors and a detailed understanding of traffic behavior. Moreover, because it is very difficult to prototype new networks—or even new networking ideas—on an interesting scale, data-driven analysis and simulation are vital tools for evaluating proposed additions and changes to its design. Some argue that a vision for the future Internet should be to provide users the quality of experience they seek and to accommodate a diversity of interests. Looking Over the Fence at Networks explores how networking research could overcome the evident obstacles to help achieve this vision for the future and otherwise better understand and improve the Internet. This report stresses looking beyond the current Internet and evolutionary modifications thereof and aims to stimulate fresh thinking within the networking research community.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
The Committee on the Future of Supercomputing was tasked to assess prospects for supercomputing technology research and development in support of U.S. needs, to examine key elements of context—the history of supercomputing, the erosion of research investment, the changing nature of problems demanding supercomputing, and the needs of government agencies for supercomputing capabilities—and to assess options for progress. This interim report establishes context—including the history and current state of supercomputing, application requirements, technology evolution, the socioeconomic context—to identify some of the issues that may be explored in more depth in the second phase of the study.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Computers | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
The Symposium on Electronic Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM) Journals and Its Implications addressed five key areas. The first two areas addressed—costs of publication and publication business models and revenue—focused on the STM publishing enterprise as it exists today and, in particular, how it has evolved since the advent of electronic publishing. The following section reviewed copyright and licensing issues of concern to the authors and to universities. The final two sessions looked toward the future, specifically, at what publishing may be in the future and what constitutes a publication in the digital environment.
Topics: Policy for Science and Technology » Policy for Science and Technology | Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Prevention, Security and Response
The Ada programming language was created by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) nearly two decades ago to provide a general-purpose programming language for defense and commercial use, but has evolved into a niche solution for safety-critical systems, primarily in defense applications. Ada and Beyond presents an approach for the DOD to move beyond the debate over its policy that requires the use of Ada for all new software development.
It describes the importance of the software engineering process and recommends to DOD mechanisms for more effective review of software development and improved collection of data on software project outcomes. The volume also analyzes the technical, empirical, and business cases for using Ada and other programming languages, makes recommendations regarding the appropriate conditions under which DOD should continue to require the use of Ada, and details activities that require funding by DOD in order for Ada to remain a viable programming language.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Security and Privacy | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Conflict and Security Issues » Military and Defense Studies
This book presents guidelines for the development and evaluation of statistical software designed to ensure minimum acceptable statistical functionality as well as ease of interpretation and use. It consists of the proceedings of a forum that focused on three qualities of statistical software: richness—the availability of layers of output sophistication, guidance—how the package helps a user do an analysis and do it well, and exactness—determining if the output is "correct" and when and how to warn of potential problems.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Math, Chemistry, and Physics » Math and Statistics | Surveys and Statistics » Surveys and Statistics
Information technology has been touted as a boon for productivity, but measuring the benefits has been difficult. This volume examines what macroeconomic data do and do not show about the impact of information technology on service-sector productivity. This book assesses the ways in which different service firms have selected and implemented information technology, examining the impact of different management actions and styles on the perceived benefits of information technology in services.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Information Technology
The entertainment industry and the U.S. Department of Defense—though differing widely in their motivations, objectives, and cultures—share a common, growing interest in modeling and simulation. In entertainment, modeling and simulation technologies drive multi-billion dollar markets in video games, virtual reality attractions and theme parks, and film. In DOD, modeling and simulation provides a cost-effective means of training troops, developing doctrine and tactics, and evaluating new and upgraded systems. Modeling and Simulation explores both entertainment and military applications of modeling and simulation technology and examines ways in which the two communities can better leverage each others capabilities to strengthen the overall technology base. It identifies common research challenges in immersive synthetic environments, networked simulation, and computer-generated characters, as well as the hardware and software tools needed to create simulated environments. The book also discusses the differences in the business models of the entertainment and defense communities and addresses the need for continued support of multidisciplinary educational and research initiatives in modeling and simulation.
Topics: Conflict and Security Issues » Military and Defense Studies | Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking
What most of us know as "the Internet" is actually a set of largely autonomous, loosely coordinated communication networks. As the influence of the Internet continues to grow, understanding its real nature is imperative to acting on a wide range of policy issues.
This timely new book explains basic design choices that underlie the Internet's success, identifies key trends in the evolution of the Internet, evaluates current and prospective technical, operational, and management challenges, and explores the resulting implications for decision makers. The committee-composed of distinguished leaders from both the corporate and academic community-makes recommendations aimed at policy makers, industry, and researchers, going on to discuss a variety of issues:
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Computers
Advances in the miniaturization and networking of microprocessors promise a day when networked computers are embedded throughout the everyday world. However, our current understanding of what such systems would be like is insufficient to bring the promise to reality.
Embedded, Everywhere explores the potential of networked systems of embedded computers and the research challenges arising from embedding computation and communications technology into a wide variety of applications—from precision agriculture to automotive telematics to defense systems.
It describes how these emerging networks operate under unique constraints not present in more traditional distributed systems, such as the Internet. It articulates how these networks will have to be dynamically adaptive and self-configuring, and how new models for approaching programming and computation are necessary.
Issues relating to trustworthiness, security, safety, reliability, usability, and privacy are examined in light of the ubiquitous nature of these systems. A comprehensive, systems-oriented research agenda is presented, along with recommendations to major federal funding agencies.
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Internet and Networking | Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Topics: Computers and Information Technology » Policy, Reviews and Evaluations | Education » Higher Education | Policy for Science and Technology » Research and Data