For anyone interested in text analysis and automated traffic analysis, here's a passage from the UK Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill to set the proper mood: "Moreover, rapid advances in computing power now permit warehousing and "traffic-analysis" of unlimited quantities of communications data by automated tools[7] that derive "friendship trees" and can detect patterns of association between individuals and groups using sophisticated artificial intelligence programming. This method can be considered as a "suspicion-engine" which can identify new targets of investigation with complete generality without any access to the content of communications but which could subsequently serve as the basis for an interception warrant." *** Hm. Why not see what you can rig up yourself in 60 days... "Watson is a powerful analysis tool, supporting intelligence-led investigations and finding missing links in investigative paths. Its exclusive method, Visualization by Query, allows you to ask questions of your data to generate vital intelligence. With Watson's easy to use interface, questioning your data is quick and effective - and as intuitive as questioning a colleague. Watson answers your questions visually in clearly arranged charts. The charts enable you to analyze your data in important new ways. You can apply Watson's link, timeline and spatial techniques to uncover and explore patterns in your data. Watson enables investigative analysts and researchers to quickly interpret vast amounts of data. It aids managers deploying their resources more effectively and intelligently." http://www.xanalys.com/intelligence_tools/downloads/index_fs.html Even better... IBM: Intelligent Miner for Text Intelligent Miner for Text turns unstructured information into business knowledge for organizations of any size, from small businesses to global corporations. This knowledge-discovery "toolkit" includes components for building advanced text-mining and text-search applications. Features at a glance Intelligent Miner for Text offers system integrators, solution providers, and application developers a wide range of text-analysis tools, full-text retrieval components, and Web-access tools to enrich their business-intelligence and knowledge management solutions. With Intelligent Miner, you can unlock the business information that is "trapped" in email, insurance claims, news feeds, and Lotus Notes, and analyse patent portfolios, customer complaint letters, even competitors' Web pages. Find out more about this powerful decision support tool, have a look at the factsheet, and check out the product case studies for details on customer applications. Or get a free 60-day trial version. http://www-4.ibm.com/software/data/iminer/fortext/about.html#TrialLicense Toolkit Components: Intelligent Miner for Text includes Text Analysis tools such as a Feature Extraction tool, Clustering tools, a Summarization tool , and a Categorization tool. Intelligent Miner for Text also incorporates the IBM Text Search Engine, NetQuestion Solution , an Internet/intranet text-search solution, and the IBM Web Crawler Package. *** TOTALLY free stuff, if you can swing it... IBM Data Management is interested in forming linkages with higher education institutions. Together we can help to ensure that graduates have an opportunity to succeed in the fast-growing information technology market. DB2 Universal Database Version 7.1 - Now Available For use in teaching or research environments To best serve the students' needs, the DB2 Scholars Program has provided two options for you to obtain the database product : Download DB2 personal Developer's Edition V7.1 from the following site: http://www-4.ibm.com/software/data/db2/udb/downloads.html Please note, this is not a limited-time evaluation copy. Invite your professor to sign up for the Scholars Program and sponsor you in this program. DB2 Universal Database Products: DB2 UDB Enterprise Extended Edition (EEE) WIN/AIX/Sun/Linux/HP V7.1 DB2 UDB Enterprise Extended Edition (EEE) for NUMA Q V7.1 DB2 UDB Data Links Manager V7.1 for AIX or Windows NT or Sun Solaris Operating Environment DB2 Warehouse Manager (includes : DB2 QMF for Windows, OLAP Starter Kit, DB2 Query Patroller for AIX, Solaris, Windows NT, HP and NUMA-Q) DB2 Relational Connect DB2 Net Search Extender DB2 Spatial Extender V7.1 DB2 Everyplace Personal Edition V6.1 DB2 Everyplace Enterprise Edition - with Synch Server V6.1 DB2 Intelligent Miner for Text V2.3 DB2 Intelligent Miner for Data V6.1 DB2 Intelligent Miner Scoring V7R1 DB2 OLAP Server Developer's Edition 7.1 Program Package DB2 DataJoiner Have fun! :) ~Faustine. *** "Language is a labyrinth of paths. You approach from one side and know your way about; you approach the same place from another side and no longer know your way about." --Wittgenstein.
