Data Science

  • Report

    Report

    Data-Enabled Approaches for Enhancing the Air Force Transformational Capability Pipeline

    To aid the Air Force Transformational Capabilities Office, the authors of the report developed a data science tool to extract information from free-text descriptions. They demonstrate the tool and foresight methods in three case studies.

    Mar 23, 2023

  • Data and Devices

    Multimedia

    Devices and Data: The Information We Share

    RAND mathematician Mary Lee describes the wide variety of personal data collected by smart devices and applications, such as smartwatches, brain implants, and period trackers.

    Feb 28, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Facial Recognition, Gun Violence: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, regulating the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement, improving data collection on gun violence, and more.

    Feb 17, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Harnessing Mobile Technology to Enable U.S. Personnel Vetting

    The authors examined how U.S. government vetting could be enhanced with mobile technologies and platforms for the Security, Suitability, and Credentialing Performance Accountability Council Program Management Office.

    Feb 15, 2023

  • Facial recognition software used at an airport, photo by izusek/Getty Images

    Report

    Regulating the Use of Facial Recognition by Law Enforcement

    Facial recognition technology is developing rapidly and is increasingly being used in policing. What do policymakers need to understand in order to minimize the risks it poses, while also maximizing its benefits?

    Feb 15, 2023

  • Photos of mass shooting victims at a memorial outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, January 31, 2023, photo by Image of Sport/Sipa USA vie Reuters

    Commentary

    Addressing Gun Violence Requires Better Means of Measuring It

    Proposals to reduce firearm violence in the United States are often controversial, sometimes because there are no data demonstrating their effectiveness. The federal government has many of the requisite tools in place to collect the data, and it does it well on a wide range of other problems. Shying away from measuring this problem may also make it more difficult to fix it.

    Feb 13, 2023

  • Screen showing computer code with malicious code logged error, photo by solarseven/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Software Supply Chain Risk Is Growing, but Mitigation Solutions Exist

    Software supply chain security has emerged as a leading risk because of the massively fragmented and decentralized nature of modern software development. While we still have much to learn as a community about this risk, there are concrete steps we can take to better understand and mitigate it.

    Jan 26, 2023

  • Collage illustrating communication between police and community, photo by freshidea/Adobe Stock

    Essay

    Hackathon Focuses on Making Policing More Equitable

    Hackathons bring new ideas and perspectives to hard policy problems and introduce college students to the field of policy analysis. The latest hackathon, hosted by Pardee RAND and RAND NextGen, explored ways to make the criminal justice system more equitable and more effective.

    Jan 9, 2023

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: January-February 2023

    This issue explores the inadequacies of the current system of space governance; China's presence in the Arctic; abortion in the U.S. post-Dobbs; and the security and technology challenges related to Taiwan's domination of the microchip industry.

    Jan 6, 2023

  • People using smart watch and smartphone mobile devices to track health and fitness, illustration by Wanlee Prachyapanaprai/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Digital Health Products Miss a Massive and Crucial Piece of a Person's Health

    Our health is heavily influenced by our surroundings—including the health of the people around us. For digital health companies to credibly claim to improve people's health, their next step could be an increased willingness to look beyond an individualized notion of health and to work with public health agencies.

    Dec 27, 2022

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Dementia Rates, Deepfakes, Migrant Students: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the decline of dementia rates among Americans, the dangers of deepfakes, data privacy after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and more.

    Nov 18, 2022

  • Two colleagues looking at data on a computer with a transparent holographic display, photo by gorodenkoff/Getty Images

    Report

    Machine Learning in Public Policy

    Machine learning (ML) can have a significant impact on public policy by modeling complex relationships and augmenting human decisionmaking. But overconfidence in results and incorrectly interpreted algorithms can lead to peril. With interpretability, ML can achieve its promise of more-equitable policy decisions.

    Nov 15, 2022

  • Report

    Report

    Risk-Informed Analysis of Transportation Worker Identification Credential Reader Requirements

    This report assesses the cost-effectiveness of a U.S. Coast Guard rule that requires any facility handling certain dangerous cargoes to biometrically verify the identity of anyone accessing a secure area of that facility.

    Nov 10, 2022

  • Menstrual cycle tracker mobile app on smartphone screen in hands of woman, graphic representation of period calendar on pink background, photo by Lari Bat/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Privacy Rights Have Changed. Will Data Handling Follow?

    Until privacy protection laws are cemented into place, consumer privacy won't be assured unless consumers can effectively take the steps they need to take to protect their data. Tech companies might view this as a burden, but there will likely be profits for those companies that instead see it as an opportunity.

    Oct 24, 2022

  • A graph of a woman's voice as she speaks, image by andreusK/Adobe Stock

    Research Brief

    Can Machine-Learning Tools Tell If You're Lying?

    Four machine-learning models were tested to see how accurately they detected truthfulness and deceit during simulated security clearance background interviews. How people answered questions was just as important as what they said.

    Oct 19, 2022

  • Report

    Report

    Looking for Lies: An Exploratory Analysis for Automated Detection of Deception

    The authors of this report developed and tested the use of machine-learning methods to detect speech patterns that reflect attempts at deception or truthfulness during simulated security clearance background interviews.

    Oct 19, 2022

  • Report

    Report

    Modeling and Measuring the Effects of Economic Shocks on a Defense Industrial Base

    The purpose of this report is to assist Department of Defense decisionmakers called upon to respond to adverse economic shocks by identifying opportunities for improving analysis of shocks and their effects on U.S. defense postures.

    Oct 18, 2022

  • Report

    Report

    Employee Wellbeing, Work Behaviours and Work Outcomes in a Hybrid Work Context: A Study of the Relationship Between Work, Health and Performance Using Novel Workplace Data

    This study aims to build on the understanding of the links between employees' work behaviours, health and wellbeing and workplace outcomes by analysing an employee dataset incorporating Microsoft-collected workplace telemetry data.

    Oct 14, 2022

  • Digital padlock in light blue on a dark blue background, photo by ArtHead-/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Preparing for a Post-Quantum Future

    Future quantum computers could create a significant national security risk by enabling attackers to break a foundational element of security in America's networked communication infrastructure. The United States is taking strides to address national security risks from quantum computing, but there is a long road ahead.

    Oct 6, 2022

  • Tool

    Tool

    Permanent Supportive Housing in Los Angeles County: A Map-Based Tool

    This tool is a comprehensive attempt to combine financing data, land use, and service operation records for permanent supportive housing projects in Los Angeles County into a publicly available map-based database.

    Sep 27, 2022