Data-Intensive HIgh-Density Computational Equipment for Research on Monitoring Cyber Warfare Tactics through Social Media
Abstract
Information is extremely critical for complex military operations, military-civil affairs, and public affairs across a broad spectrum of conflict and human security. However, more information does not always imply more effectiveness. With the advent of participatory media (or, social media), information analysts find themselves inundated with data (or big ÒsocialÓ data), which is further riddled with biases, rumors, and agendas. Often these sources are subject to deliberate deception campaigns, attempts to incite crowd violence, and provoke hysterical reactions. There is a need to systematically study these new artificial means of spreading rumors, hate speech, viewpoints, and opinions. Our current ONR-funded research develops models that bridge multiple social media platforms to identify top disseminators and polarizers, monitor their social media activities, and extract influential coordination structures that exploit troll armies and botnets to effect disinformation campaigns. For a limited data sample, the models have analyzed the disinformation campaigns during Ukraine-Russia and ISIS conflicts and identified highly sophisticated organizational tactics employed by the involved groups. However, much of the research is conducted at small scale, as computational analysis of massive social networks is extremely resource intensive. The requested equipment will provide a high-density computational environment that will help deploy the models and allow analysts to use the technological framework in gaining tactical and strategic advantage in conflict-embroiled regions. The equipment will enhance the ONR-funded research by making it scalable and efficient for processing, analyzing, and visualizing huge corpus of social media data. The equipment will support the interface between Blogtrackers and TweetTrackers (ONR-funded technologies) to facilitate cross-media conflict monitoring capabilities. By supporting a ÔdatabridgeÕ between Blogtrackers, TweetTracker, and ORA, the equipment will enable further discovery and analysis, data and knowledge exchange among stakeholders, and interface and integrate research findings with the Naval Postgraduate School s SmartCloud test and evaluation environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612016
Entities
People
- Nitin Agarwal
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Arkansas System