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Suggested Citation:"F--Acronyms and Definitions of Selected Terms." National Research Council. 2013. Engineering Aviation Security Environments—Reduction of False Alarms in Computed Tomography-Based Screening of Checked Baggage. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13171.
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Page 87
Suggested Citation:"F--Acronyms and Definitions of Selected Terms." National Research Council. 2013. Engineering Aviation Security Environments—Reduction of False Alarms in Computed Tomography-Based Screening of Checked Baggage. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13171.
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Page 88
Suggested Citation:"F--Acronyms and Definitions of Selected Terms." National Research Council. 2013. Engineering Aviation Security Environments—Reduction of False Alarms in Computed Tomography-Based Screening of Checked Baggage. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13171.
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Page 89
Suggested Citation:"F--Acronyms and Definitions of Selected Terms." National Research Council. 2013. Engineering Aviation Security Environments—Reduction of False Alarms in Computed Tomography-Based Screening of Checked Baggage. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13171.
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Page 90

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

F Acronyms and Definitions of Selected Terms ACRONYMS ATR automated threat recognition BA betaine aldehyde BHS baggage-handling system BIR baggage-inspection room BVS baggage-viewing station CC control computer CT computed tomography DAPI discontinuous atmospheric pressure introduction DART direct analysis in real time DAS data acquisition system DBDI desorption ionization DESI desorption electrospray ionization DHS Department of Homeland Security DHS S&T Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate DICOM Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine DICOS Digital Imaging and Communication in Security DOD Department of Defense DOT Department of Transportation EDS explosive detection system ETD explosive trace detection FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAT factory acceptance test FBP filtered back-projection FDA Food and Drug Administration FDRS field data reporting system HU Hounsfield unit HVPS high voltage power supply ID identification IED improvised explosive device IMS ion mobility spectrometry IR&D internal research and development 87

ITRS International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors LTP low temperature plasma MS mass spectrometry NEMA National Electrical Manufacturers Association NRC National Research Council O&M operations and maintenance ODT ordnance disposal team OEM original equipment manufacturer OSARP on-screen alarm-resolution protocol OSR on-screen resolution PBL performance-based logistics PD probability of detection PFA probability of false alarm PVS primary viewing station QRA quantitative risk assessment RDT&E research, development, testing, and evaluation ROC receiver operator characteristic SAT site acceptance test SOP standard operating procedure SSI sensitive security information SSR system status rate SVS secondary viewing station TSA Transportation Security Administration TSL Transportation Security Laboratory TSO transportation security officer XRD x-ray diffraction DEFINITIONS OF SELECTED TERMS alarm: A portion of a bag that is a potential threat as determined by the automated threat recognition algorithm. bag: Item scanned by the explosive detection system. This is usually a piece of baggage, but could be items in bins or small pieces of cargo. clearing: The process of the automated threat recognition (ATR) algorithm’s indicating that a threat is not present in a bag or that the decision of the ATR algorithm is overridden by secondary inspection. 88

explosive detection system: Used for checked-baggage screening at airports: computed tomography- based device for interrogating a bag; composed of a computed tomography scanner, automated threat recognition algorithm, a workstation, and a control computer. false alarm: Sometimes called a false positive; the automated threat-recognition algorithm signals an alarm, but no threat is present in the bag being screened. mis-track: A bag that cannot be tracked by the baggage-handling system. on-screen alarm-resolution protocol: TSA process by which a human screener resolves an alarm based on the image from the scanner shield: The condition that occurs when the explosive detection system cannot view a portion of a bag because the x-ray beam is extinguished by the presence of clutter. threat: A portion of a bag that is a potential threat as determined by the automated threat recognition algorithm. transportation security officer: Operator of the baggage-viewing station and worker in the baggage- inspection room. 89

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On November 19, 2001 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created as a separate entity within the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. The act also mandated that all checked baggage on U.S. flights be scanned by explosive detection systems (EDSs) for the presence of threats. These systems needed to be deployed quickly and universally, but could not be made available everywhere. As a result the TSA emphasized the procurement and installation of certified systems where EDSs were not yet available. Computer tomography (CT)-based systems became the certified method or place-holder for EDSs. CT systems cannot detect explosives but instead create images of potential threats that can be compared to criteria to determine if they are real threats. The TSA has placed a great emphasis on high level detections in order to slow false negatives or missed detections. As a result there is abundance in false positives or false alarms.

In order to get a better handle on these false positives the National Research Council (NRC) was asked to examine the technology of current aviation-security EDSs and false positives produced by this equipment. The ad hoc committee assigned to this task examined and evaluated the cases of false positives in the EDSs, assessed the impact of false positive resolution on personnel and resource allocation, and made recommendations on investigating false positives without increase false negatives. To complete their task the committee held four meetings in which they observed security measures at the San Francisco International Airport, heard from employees of DHS and the TSA.
Engineering Aviation Security Environments--Reduction of False Alarms in Computed Tomography-Based Screening of Checked Baggage is the result of the committee's investigation. The report includes key conclusions and findings, an overview of EDSs, and recommendations made by the committee.
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