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PUBLICLY
AVAILABLE FEDERAL GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION OF LITTLE UNIQUE
USE TO TERRORISTS, RAND STUDY FINDS
Less than 1 percent of publicly available federal Web
sites and databases contain geospatial information not
readily available elsewhere that could help terrorists
and other hostile forces mount attacks in the United States,
according to a RAND Corporation (www.rand.org) study.
Geospatial information shows the location and describes
key features of particular places -- such as roads and
bridges, power plants and power lines, office buildings
and factories, military bases, mass transit systems, and
parts of the natural environment like forests and lakes.
Although publicly available geospatial information on
federal Web sites and in federal databases could potentially
help terrorists select and locate a target, attackers
are likely to need more detailed and current information
-- better acquired from direct observation or other sources,
according to the RAND study. These other sources include
textbooks, non-government Web sites, trade journals and
street maps.
RAND researchers also found no publicly accessible federal
geospatial information deemed critical to meeting attackers’
information needs. In addition, the researchers found
only four publicly available federal databases that had
information that is both useful to potential attackers
and could not be obtained from other widely available
sources. The four federal databases are no longer being
made public by federal agencies.
In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in
the United States, questions were raised about whether
the federal government makes geospatial information so
readily available that terrorists and other potential
enemies could exploit this information to plan new attacks.
Because of this concern, many federal agencies began restricting
some of their publicly available geospatial information,
particularly information accessible through the Internet.
The RAND report recommends the federal government work
with state and local governments and the private sector
to develop a consistent and uniform analytical process
that could be used to evaluate the utility and risks associated
with publicly available geospatial information.
“Our study suggests that decision makers need to
use an analytical process for identifying sensitive geospatial
information because no ‘one size fits all’
set of guidelines is likely to work,” said John
Baker, a RAND technology policy analyst who is lead author
of the report titled “Mapping the Risks.”
Other authors of the report are Beth Lachman, David Frelinger,
Kevin O’Connell, Alexander Hou, Michael Tseng, David
Orletsky and Charles Yost, all of RAND.
Federal agencies, state and local governments, industry
and other organizations all produce, distribute and use
a wide variety of geospatial information. This include
maps and nautical charts, aerial and satellite images,
and detailed geographic information system databases.
Public access to this vast quantity of federal geospatial
information has many benefits for the nation, the RAND
study said. For example, the information is used to assist
law enforcement agencies, advance scientific knowledge,
inform people about environmental risks, help communities
prepare and respond to natural disasters and other emergencies,
create more accurate maps, assist economic development
efforts, and help a wide array of government agencies
do their jobs more effectively. In addition, such geospatial
information is used to help protect, operate and manage
various U.S. critical sites.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency asked the
Intelligence Policy Center of RAND’s National Defense
Research Institute to undertake the independent assessment
of how publicly accessible geospatial information from
federal agencies could be exploited by terrorists and
other hostile forces.
RAND researchers proposed a framework that can help policymakers
evaluate the nature of the potential risks of making particular
geospatial information public. For the near-term, the
framework asks three questions: Would the information
be useful to attackers? Is the information available from
other sources? Is the cost of withholding the information
from legitimate use greater than the benefit such withholding
might provide in increased homeland security?
Over the long-term, the RAND study urges the federal government
to develop a more formal and comprehensive model that
can assess the homeland security implications of geospatial
information within the desired protection levels for U.S.
critical infrastructure facilities and installations.
RAND researchers analyzed the general information needs
for potential adversaries seeking to attack U.S. critical
sites, including infrastructure and other key assets.
The researchers concluded that potential attackers --
particularly terrorists -- have substantial flexibility
in choosing among potential targets, attack modes, and
the types of information they need.
Next researchers reviewed a cross-section of geospatial
information about critical sites, including more than
5,000 federal Web pages. Researchers also identified 465
federal sources (programs and major initiatives) providing
publicly available geospatial information. They gave closer
analysis to 629 federal databases identified as being
likely to contain geospatial information about U.S. critical
sites, such as power plants, chemical plants, military
installations, dams, and public spaces like national monuments.
In addition, researchers examined information from more
than 2,000 Web pages to identify more than 300 non-federal
sources -- including private, academic, state and local
government and foreign sources -- that provide similar
geospatial information.
The study was sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency along with its study partner, the U.S. Geological
Survey of the Department of the Interior.
RAND's National Defense Research Institute is a federally
funded research and development center supported by the
Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the
unified commands, and the defense agencies.
A printed copy of "Mapping the Risks: Assessing
the Homeland Security Implications of Publicly Available
Geospatial Information" (ISBN: 0-8330-3547-9)
can be ordered from RAND's Distribution Services (order@rand.org
or call toll-free in the United States 1-877-584-8642). |
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Publicly
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