Research Cell - Hotspot Geoinformatic Software Development

Geo-informatics for spatial and temporal hotspot detection and prioritization is a critical need in all areas such as Public Health, Ecosystem Health, Bio-Surveillance, Bio-Security, Sensor Networks, Robotic Networks, Social Networks, Video Mining, Homeland Security, Early Warning And Disaster Management.

A declared need is around for statistical geoinformatics software infrastructure for spatial and spatiotemporal hotspot detection, prioritization, early warning, and sustainable management. The responsible factors may be natural, accidental, or intentional. A hotspot can mean an unusual phenomenon, anomaly, aberration, outbreak, elevated cluster and critical area.

The Hotspot Geoinformatic software has two methodological components: hotspot detection and prioritization. The goal of detection software is to identify, delineate, and assess the significance of hotspots. Our methodology involves an innovation of the popular circle-based spatial scan statistical methodology. In particular, it employs the notion of an upper level set (ULS) and is accordingly called the upper level set scan statistic system, pointing to the next generation of a sophisticated analytical and computational system, effective for the detection of arbitrarily shaped hotspots along spatio-temporal dimensions.

While, the goal of the prioritization software is to canonically transform a partial order into a linear order of the objects. We also propose a novel prioritization scheme based on multiple indicator and stakeholder criteria without having to integrate indicators into an index, using Hasse diagrams and partially ordered sets. It is accordingly called Poset prioritization and Ranking System. The methodological toolbox and the software toolkit developed supports and leverages core missions of several agencies as well as their interactive counterparts in the society.

The algorithm like ULS Scan is used for Hotspot Detection. While, the algorithms like starter, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), POSET 1R, POSET 2R and Final Rank are used for Hotspot Prioritization. The algorithms have been implemented in the VC++ environment.

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