SAIC Helps Fight Agroterrorism

Working with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, SAIC has developed a computer-based tracking system for identifying agricultural assets and helping emergency officials respond more quickly and effectively to threats of agroterrorism or naturally occurring animal diseases.

Known as the Interactive Livestock Emergency Response Tool (ILert), the geographic information system (GIS) application provides 2-D and 3-D visual representations of agricultural assets such as livestock and food processing facilities, as well as data on testing laboratories, hospitals, transportation networks, and topography. The system is among the first designed specifically for the farming and livestock industries.

"The information provided by ILert is critical in mobilizing available resources and mounting a rapid response to a foreign animal disease outbreak," said Dennis Andersh, vice president and operations manager for SAIC's Champaign, Illinois, office.

In the case of an outbreak, it is imperative that the state be able to accurately locate animals at risk, slaughter facilities and warehouses, and be able to identify sensitive environmental concerns, according to Illinois officials. The information could be used to help quarantine areas to prevent the spread of infection, contamination, or fallout.

"Just as terrorists have become more creative in their methods, we too must be creative in developing defenses against them," said Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in announcing the state's initiative with SAIC to develop the model system.

As one of the nation's leading agriculture producers, Illinois generates nearly $7.5 billion annually in farm income, with the livestock industry generating $1.4 billion in cash receipts. Illinois is home to nearly 2 million cows, more than 4 million hogs, 120,000 dairy cattle, and 74,000 sheep and goats.

SAIC recently completed a successful pilot project to demonstrate the system in Clinton County, Illinois, which was chosen because it ranks first in the state for cash livestock sales and second in the state in the number of hogs.

ILert has garnered much additional interest in Illinois and throughout the nation, capturing the attention of other states and the media, Andersh said.

In developing ILert, Andersh and his team drew on their strong background in defense technologies, GIS data visualization, modeling and simulation, and database architecture. (Andersh was a former owner of DEMACO, Inc., a leading computational electromagetic center acquired by SAIC in 1999.)

When fully functional, the ILert system can provide additional capabilities such as predictive modeling for predicting how a disease might spread and the ability to deploy handheld systems to emergency response teams in the field.

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