Enabling Transnational Collection, Notification, and Sharing of Information

Abstract

We describe efforts towards, and results of, a transnational collaboration between universities, government agencies, and an international organization in applying information technology (IT) to a problem of international concern: detecting and monitoring activities related to the transnational movement of illicit drugs. Starting from a general vision of how IT could assist in achieving this objective, we have agreed on likely user scenarios, infrastructure requirements and specifications for a prototype system whose initial focus is on collecting and sharing information related to the migration of individuals across borders. Albeit on a reduced scale, this system concretely exemplifies how information about potentially drugrelated activities can be collected and accessed in different languages by privileged users through natural dialogue communication, and how it can be shared in a timely fashion to promote regional and international cooperation on solving the drug problem