Fall Seminar Series - December 1, 2005
University of Minnesota
School of Statistics
College of Liberal Arts

Deployment Designs for Detecting Biological Releases

Nicolas Hengartner
Statistical Science Group
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Thursday, December 1, 2005
3:30 PM, 115 Ford Hall
Minneapolis, East Bank Campus
Social at 3:00 PM, 300 Ford Hall

Abstract

Large area biological air monitoring of metropolitan areas enables early detection of terrorist biological releases. An important statistical question is how best to deploy the air monitors over such a region we want to protect. This talk discusses and compares spatial-temporal sampling designs using either moving or fixed air-sampling units for detecting the release of a biological pathogen into the atmosphere and subsequently for mapping its evolution in space and time. While this talk is motivated by problems in homeland security, the discussion and methodology are more generally applicable to environmental air monitoring.