Shannon Harper, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, is co-PI on granted funded by the National Science Foundation. The study is called “Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD): Quantifying Human Mobility using Topological and Time-Frequency Analysis.”
The research will develop novel algorithms for detecting anomalies within large spatiotemporal datasets. By mixing topological and Fourier-analytic methods, we will develop a new form of time series analysis particularly suited to spatiotemporal datasets. The goal is to leverage these new methods to build geometric models of anomalies, allowing for real-time detection and identification of significant events. Our novel algorithms will be designed for the purpose of developing quantitative models of human mobility and predicting events that are potentially harmful to society.