Multi-viz data fusion VAST 2010 Grand Challenge award: Outstanding debrief

In response to the 2010 VAST Grand Challenge our team developed an analytical pipeline combining manual analysis with automated entity extraction and visualization tools to gain insight into the complex source documents associated with a fictional illegal arms dealing network spanning multiple countries. This data was then integrated with data hospital records information and genetic data from the associated virus to determine the origin of the outbreak, and to identify how it was spread to various countries. Using our methodologies we surmised that a Ukrainian group served as the central mediators for a variety of deals, and that these deals culminated in a meeting that was attended by representatives from most of the identified countries in this network. One of the early attendees of these meetings was infected with this Drafa Fever virus and subsequently spread it to other attendees who then spread the disease in their respective countries upon returning home. While this scenario was fictitious, the methods developed could be applied to real-world scenarios, and with some improvements, in near real-time which could potentially allow decision makers to prevent a future pandemic.