Human factors are a key area of interest in the fight against terrorism, says John Wood, Executive Chairman of CCD, a human factors and ergonomics consultancy.
Information and Intelligence gathering has long being a key weapon for government agencies. But now data ‘mining’ – a term more familiar to commercial organisations – is now being brought into use by Government agencies. Essentially, the aim is to ‘spot the hidden face’ in the picture by exploiting the human ability to recognise patterns in complex images. This relies on understanding how individuals recognize patterns, and human factors is important to ensure that systems are presenting information in the right way to operators – optimising the interface to maximise performance.
Another thread is data structuring – this is a technique that has been extensively researched by the military to structure the myriad of information sources that potentially overwhelm commanders at times when they need to focus on the key information…and reduce the ‘noise’ around it. Similar techniques offer intelligence gatherers ways of dealing with analogous problems – when there is a crisis, there is often a tsunami of information, and by using human factors techniques, intelligence gatherers can maximise their capacity to handle large volumes of data, and increase their capacity to retain and manipulate information.
Behavioural science is also being applied to the use of the all-pervading CCTV camera to spot ‘deviations from the norm’ which may be an early-warning sign for the authorities. By understanding human behaviour, models of normal behaviour can be identified – examples might include passengers crisscrossing a main line station or using multi-storey car parks. Once a model of normal behaviour has been developed, deviations (which may be suspicious) can then be identified and used as the basis for further investigation.
This type of modelling is being introduced into CCTV systems and allows them to ‘observe’ a location and bring to the operators attention behaviour which deviates from this norm. At this point the responsibility may then revert back to human intervention to interpret what is being presented, prompting a decision on further action.
Prevent – Preventing Radicalisation
Ideally, it is best to stop the development of radical thinking and behaviour before it starts, and here too, behavioural science can play a crucial role. Specialists in behavioural science concerned with the psychology of persuasion can predict the states of mind which makes individuals more open to radicalisation. Social sciences also bring to the problem an understanding of the wider influences that can impact on individuals. For example it is known that individuals who feel they are discriminated against, who feel isolated, who are not clear about their ‘identity’ and subject to a negative media image are vulnerable to radicalisation.
Protect – strengthening protection
Deterrence has a strong role to play when the potential terrorist does not have a clear idea of what measures are in place and how they might affect their plans. In these cases, too much transparency and openness about the measures that are being taken can be counter-productive. So it is not always a case of agencies being overly secretive for the sake of it, but rather this void of knowledge is a weapon in itself.
Architecture and design also has its role to play. Under normal circumstances designers will apply an ‘ergonomic approach’ to make life easier and more comfortable for users – but those engaged in counter-terrorism may well think in terms of making things more difficult. So lower level windows will be set above eye-height so that they cannot be looked into and access culverts made so small that the smallest individual cannot gain access – an application of ‘reverse ergonomics’. For these physical elements of the environment the behavioural sciences can offer information on body sizes, strengths and capacities.
One approach to strengthening protection is to create ‘safe havens’ where building inhabitants can congregate when other parts of the building become non-survivable due to fire or other attack. In designing ‘safe havens’ the designer will need to take into account basic survivability characteristics of humans – how much heat they can take, amount of air they require, minimum food requirements etc. Physiological studies on survival provide the answers to these questions. The psychological impact of crowding individuals in confined spaces raises further challenges into which psychological studies can offer insights and mitigations designed.
Prepare – mitigate impact of event
In the event of attacks such as the London Underground bombings, or the Madrid train bombs, human factors can contribute to the effective management of the aftermath. There are a range of areas where human factors becomes important – from the design of computer interfaces (reducing error, increasing response times and efficiency) to the design of personal protection equipment – the better it fits, the more effective the person wearing it.
Exercises are often used to help plan, train for, and optimise responses to terrorist activity. During these exercises, the behavioural scientist will be looking for sources of systemic inefficiency, human error and will help develop ways to eliminate or mitigate them. Taking lessons from the military, human factors engineers can design the structure and presentation of information for commanders such that what they require is readily to hand and in a form which can be easily digested.
