Analyzing real time terrorism data

Terrorism is a complex and evolving phenomenon, and terrorist groups are highly dynamic in terms of cooperation and locality. Terrorism data collection organizations such as the study of terrorism and response to terrorism (START) release terrorism incident data on a yearly basis. Such data is valuable for historical terrorism incident analysis. However, it is crucial that researchers have access to real time terrorism incidents data to perform analysis such as safety level estimation, monitoring or projections. We developed a novel system that automatically collects news data and analyzes them in real time for terrorism incidents. We developed a safety assessment formula based on recent terrorism incidents and time. Our system displays the safety level of countries and cities on a dynamic map, and it also allows to tracks the events of a selected terrorist group. Our results show that countries like Israel, Nigeria, Ukraine, Iran, and Afghanistan are currently among the most unsafe places in the world. Our system can assist counter-terrorism experts to plan counter-terrorism measures and potentially prevent incidents. Our future research focuses on projecting terrorism incidents based on recent events and other factors.