Official website: http://www.gtdv.org

GTDV interface:



Description of GTDV:

Introduction:

The Information Visualization work will be devoted to the issue of Global Terrorism based on an open-source database covering worlwide terrorist events, which have taken place between 1970 and 2004 (the coming period of modern terrorism). The Database is designated as GTD (the acronym for Global Terrorism Database) [1]. Terrorism, as we all well know, has been in the agenda of modern times, especially after the terrorist attacks against the Twin Towers in Manhattan on the tragic day of the 11th September of 2001. Further research must be done so as to successfully establish ongoing connections among the updated data on terrorist events on a worldwide grand scale so as to adopt action counter measures aiming at repressing and annihilating terrorist spotlighted trails. The Portuguese researcher Nuno Rogeiro remarks upon this matter the following: "European Council has celebrated a convention which sets forth the international cooperation towards the repression of terrorism and the set-up of extradition mechanisms, the colaboration among information and security intelligence, the collective surveillance of borders, etc. and several States are seeking to cut off the supply routes to the radicals, by targetting contraband of war operations, money laundering and drug traffic, as well as by proclaiming enforceable restrictive laws on the sale and usage of fire weapons and explosives" [2]. Even the United Nations had not ever reached a consensus as to bring forward substantial measures against terrorism. Only after 9/11, the 56/1 resolution comes up after the UN General Assembly Meeting, which agrees on the folllowing: acts of terrorism pose as a threat to peace and international security; one must acknowledge as well as reinforce the principle pledging individual and collective selfdefense; finally, one must urge the States to make efforts conducive to the arrest of every responsible, guilty or supporter of terrorist actions. In that same resolution, the UN repudiates the so-called "hatred" crimes and it "demands with urgency" that international cooperation and harmonized agreement among States may be enforced to deal with the "prevention and irradication" of terrorist actions posing as a threat to international peace and security [3]. Thus, it matters to establish growing international cooperation and mobilization to put forth terrorist events integrated within a growing worldwide matter of concern which the researcher Nuno Rogeiro refers to: the living existence of many active cells from Al Qaeda and of many supporting structures and of several ambitious operational plans, in at least 40 countries; watching out for new recruiting circuits, new supporters for the terrorist cause and new aliances within the Organisation; suspicion of the flourishment of Al Qaeda networks, though at a lesser extent, to training camps in the eastern region of Afghanistan, and especially to the south of Asadabad; the possibility of ongoing attempts, by Al Qaeda, to engage in their effort of terrorism war and so likely manage to get a "dirty" atomic bomb; the development of the exchange of information, police cooperation and the adoption of finantial control worlwide, as a need to deal with the global risks and challenges posed by the Bin Laden network; the superintendance and control of NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) as well as charity associations suspicious of financing, at least indirectly, the Al Qaeda; the simultaneous need to build up a solid list of the entities and individuals affiliated by proof to terrorist networks; the assumption that no country will be able to deal with this menace alone by itself; Summing up, to warn against its permanent "significant danger to global peace" [3]. All of these facts justify the ongoing need to search for new data within GTD to deal with future threats comprising a huge unpredictability of terrorist action, which the researcher Nuno Rogeiro well defines: the fact that many Al Qaeda headmen are still alive, and apparently, on the loose; the detection of tests aiming at regrouping cells, mainly in Asia, but also in the Western world; the existence of "sleepers" throughout many target-countries, including Canada; the maintenance of nuclei belonging to the Al Qaeda over at least 60 countries; the feeding development of a "muslim-factional fundamentalism", due to policies, social and geostrategic conditions [3]. The most outstanding aspect of the visualization is the one which defines the two analysis networking modules: the first aiming at identifying the terrorist groups and their ways of behaviour which somehow may contribute to a stereotypical portray of their modus operandi and according to their relations linked to standard terrorist actions, such as bombing attacks, kidnapping and hostage detention, armed robberies of every sort, etc... However, other types of data are also available, such as: the incidents dates; the geocodification of the incidents at an international level; the type of weapons used; the target features of the terrorist atacks; the listing number of casualties and of the wounded; material damages [4]. These networks matter, mainly, to the definition of universal policy practices likely contributing to a more accurate forecast of the events concerning terrorist attacks at a global level and especially considering an analysis of the number of variables relevant nowadays to modern societies and the media as well, which are a consistent part of this report: the terror dynamics; terrorism and ethnic politic violence; the perception of anti US feelings and Western World; terrorism and the threat of possession/proliferation of high-tech advanced weapons of mass destruction. Finally, we provide a brief statistical synopsis of the whole data. This visualization work aims at making known the full scale interest that this issue "Terrorism" has been revealing to the world leaders, academies and general people all over the world and to provide for relevant information that may help us understand better the phenomena of terrorist violence and to take measures which may protect us, prevent us and urge us to better deal with this developing menace worldwide.

GTD - Global Terrorism Database

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) is an open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world since 1970 (currently updated through 2004). Unlike many other event databases, the GTD includes systematic data on international as well as domestic terrorist incidents that have occurred during this time period and now includes almost 80,000 cases. For each GTD incident, information is available on the date and location of the incident, the weapons used and nature of the target, the number of casualties, and -- when identifiable -- the identity of the perpetrator.

Characteristics of the GTD:

• Contains information on over 80,000 terrorist attacks
• The main types of information found in the GTD are items that you would expect to find in a well written newspaper story
• about a terrorist attack: the type of attack, the number of persons killed, the group claiming responsibility, the date of the event and so on.
• The GTD is currently the most comprehensive unclassified data base on terrorist events in the world
• It includes information on more than 27,000 bombings, 13,000 assassinations, and 2,800 kidnappings
• The original data include information on over 45 variables; the new data include over 120 variables
• More than 75 data collectors with expertise in six language groups are currently engaged in collecting GTD data
• Data collection is supervised by an advisory panel of 12 terrorism research experts

Source: GTD. Link: http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/

The GTD database covers two main distinct temporal universes:
• GTD1 (cases from 1970 to 1997)
• GTD2 (cases from 1998 to 2004)

Source: GTD. Link: http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/
The GTD Story

The Global Terrorism Database -- or GTD -- began in 2001 when researchers at the University of Maryland obtained a large database originally collected by the Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services.
From 1970 to 1997, Pinkerton trained researchers -- mostly retired Air Force personnel -- to identify and record terrorism incidents from wire services, government reports, and major international newspapers.
In April 2006, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), working with the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (CETIS), received additional funding to extend the GTD beyond 1997.
During the next year the new data will be systematically integrated with the original data to form a single source of information on terrorist attacks, covering the entire period 1970 to 2007.
Source: GTD. Link: http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/

GTD Research

The research of the START center is divided among three thematic working groups.

Working Group 1: Terrorist Group Formation and Recruitment

The guiding assumption of Working Group 1 (WG1) is that terrorism is a tool available to many actors (whether at the state, sub-state, or individual level) who believe using it will advance their objectives. Thus WG1 examines differences between historical and contemporary terrorist organizations, as well as the bases of their potential collision. WG1 focuses research efforts on those terrorist organizations that pose a clear and present danger to the U.S. including al Qaeda and its network of global affiliates.

Working Group 2: Terrorist Group Persistence and Dynamics


Working Group 2's (WG2) interdisciplinary research focuses its efforts on understanding terrorist group dynamics. This requires understanding terrorism as politics. The guiding perspective of WG2 emerges from four observations.

• A terrorist group is only the apex of a much larger pyramid of sympathizers and supporters.
• The base of the pyramid includes all who sympathize with terrorist goals, even though they may disagree with terrorists' attacks on civilians. Higher levels of the pyramid are associated with increasing levels of mobilization, including increased support for unrestricted violence and increased behavioral commitment and risk-taking for terrorist causes.
• Persistence of a terrorist group depends critically on its connection to the larger pyramid for cover, information, money, expertise, supplies and, especially, new recruits to replace losses.
• A terrorist group must compete for the support of the pyramid, not only against more moderate representatives of the cause they claim to forward, but often against one or more competing terrorist groups claiming the same sympathizers.

Working Group 3: Societal Responses to Terrorist Threats and Attacks

Working Group 3 (WG3) provides scientifically derived insights on perceptions of, preparations for, responses to, and recovery from terrorist attacks, focusing on the domestic US setting. Investigators mine existing databases and literature to develop timely guidance on what is already known. Concurrently, WG3 conducts original research on issues that are poorly understood: risk perception and communication; household and community preparedness for terrorist attacks; likely behavioral responses by the public to a future terrorist attack; social and psychological vulnerability to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; and strategies for mitigating negative psychological effects and enhancing resilience in the face of the terror threat. Paralleling activities in the other areas rather than working on stand-alone projects, investigators collaborate on multi- disciplinary team activities.
WG3 activities assume that because a considerable amount is already known about risk communication, public preparedness for crises, and psychological impacts of extreme events, the most pressing need is to synthesize existing research findings in order to provide timely guidance for decision-makers and the public. While new governmental initiatives have set in motion many changes in domestic preparedness activities, there is a lack of a clear understanding of the consequences of these changes in domestic preparedness and vulnerability reduction. WG3 pays special attention on how diverse audiences react to and are affected by threats and preparedness efforts.

Source: GTD. Link: http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/

References:

[1] GTD - Global Terrorism Database. Acessível em: http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/

[2] Rogeiro, Nuno (2003). O Inimigo Público. Carl Schmitt, bin Laden e o Terrorismo Pós-Moderno. Gradiva.

[3] Resolução 56/1 da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas de 12 de Setembro de 2001. Acessível em: http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/TERROR/GA-R56-1.HTM

[4] LaFree, Gary (2007). Developing a Global Terrorism Database. Prepared for DHS University Network Summit. Acessível em: http://www.orau.gov/DHS_RE_Summit07/Presentations/LaFree.pdf

Other references
Gray, John (2003). Al-Qaeda e o significado de ser moderno. Relógio D´Água Editores.

Dugan, Laura & LaFree, Gary (2008). Building and analyzing a comprehensive open source data base on global terrorist events. University of Maryland.



GTDV was fully developed with open source software: processing.org and mysql


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