To counter IED threats, Army to use artificial intelligence e-tool

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 25

As the threat from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the country continues unabated, the Army is developing an artificial intelligence based e-tool for analysing past incidents and developing customised decision support models.

Called IED Database Management and Analytical Platform (IDMAP), the project is being executed by engineering training institutions and technical establishments under the aegis of the Army Training Command, sources said.

IEDs are defined as “homemade” bombs of varying shape and size, generally fabricated by terrorists or criminal elements from explosives and other openly available materials. These can be disguised as items of common use or be placed in bags and vehicles. IEDs can be quite effective against security forces as well as the public.

The terror attack in Pulwama earlier this year that killed 40 CRPF personnel is a recent example of an IED attack.

According to official reports, IEDs have killed over 260 security personnel in the past three years in India. Only today, the Delhi Police claimed to have averted a terror attack by arresting three persons and recovering an IED.

The IEDs have been extensively used in India by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast and by naxals in the red corridor as well as in other conflict-infected places such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ireland, Beirut, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. There have also been isolated instances of IEDs being used in other places. In Boston, a pressure cooker was used to construct an IED.

“IDMAP is being designed to compile a comprehensive database of IED-related incidents worldwide, analyse the type of the IED used, the manner of its deployment, the perpetuators of the incident and the political and security background in the affected area, and use artificial intelligence to throw up actionable solutions that can be applied in specific situations,” an officer said.

A key element of the system would be the domain knowledge base comprising standard operating procedures, training syllabus, available equipment and technical support, human resources and research literature on the subject, which can be integrated and collated. A user would be able to define his operational requirement and extract pertinent information.

An added feature of IDMAP would be a geographic information database containing digital maps, emergency centres such as police stations and hospitals, populated areas and important landmarks that could be used for situational awareness and decision support, sources added.