You are here

Applying MOEs to web Based Activity (AMOEBA)

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Air Force
Contract: FA8650-10-M-6103
Agency Tracking Number: F093-033-0611
Amount: $99,974.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: AF093-033
Solicitation Number: 2009.3
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-05-06
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2011-03-06
Small Business Information
625 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
DUNS: 115243701
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Terry Patten
 Principal Scientist
 (617) 491-3474
 tpatten@cra.com
Business Contact
 Ninos Hanna
Title: Contract Specialist
Phone: (617) 491-3474
Email: nhanna@cra.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Effectively countering terrorist Web sites requires understanding how those Web sites attempt to influence their target audiences and how effective that influence is. This is difficult because the exact objectives and target audiences of those sites are not known and the available data is largely limited to the language of the Web sites and the responses to them. We therefore propose to exploit sociolinguistic register analysis to infer objectives and target audiences from the Web site language, and sentiments and attitudes from the responses. We note that sociolinguistic register analysis uses exactly the same statistical techniques as the fields of market segmentation analysis and sentiment analysis. BENEFIT: The ability to infer the objectives and target audiences of terrorist Web sites and to measure the effectiveness of those Web sites will provide a significant benefit to U.S. Government agencies trying to counter the influence of those Web sites. The proposed tools may also help U.S. Government agencies develop better influence operations of their own. Commercial tools based on this effort could also be used in commercial marketing and competitive analysis.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government