Robert A. Norton Ph.D.

This article introduces Auburn University’s AU-BISR System, which is governed by a unifying Biosurveillance, Biointelligence, and Biosecurity (B3) operational architecture. AU-BISR is a directly applicable early-warning architecture for the food system to prevent foodborne illnesses and recalls before they occur.

Food safety begins in the field, the barn, and the watershed, not at the processing plant. The concept of preharvest biosurveillance—the systematic, continuous monitoring and management of biological threats before harvest—is now central to building safer and more resilient food systems. 

AI-enhanced biosurveillance, integrated sensor networks, and intelligent analytics have been framed as critical enablers of safer, more efficient food systems. At the same time, the field has begun to acknowledge that the same tools that drive efficiency and predictive power can also be turned against the food system itself. 

This article examines the need to always engage subject matter experts in the analysis of AI results for food safety in the context of biosurveillance and cognitive security.

Most prominent among wartime threats for U.S. food, agriculture, and water systems is the probability of continuous and coordinated cyberattacks and other forms of sabotage.

This article discusses an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) for biosurveillance, with the aim of ensuring food safety as part of a food defense program. ISACs collect, analyze, and disseminate actionable threat information to their industry members and provide members with tools to mitigate risks and enhance resiliency.

This article discusses biosurveillance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance for food processors, from a system design and operation standpoint.

Part 5 of this article series explores the mitigation of cognitive security threats in social media.

Part 4 of this article series explores techniques to identify and mitigate threats emerging from compromised business credentials.

Part 3 of this article series explores food safety and business cybersecurity (IT and OT), as well as cognitive security threat mitigation.