Articles by Robert A. Norton Ph.D.

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.

Coordination across the agricultural, food safety, cybersecurity, and emerging cognitive security landscape must become a top priority and be seamlessly integrated across the international and national biodefense enterprise. Part 2 of this column series explores food safety and business decision-making in the face of cognitive security threats.

Marking the intersection between human decision-making and biosecurity, deliberate attacks present risks like the poisoning or adulteration of food products, or cyberattacks targeting control or process systems. Collectively, "cognitive security"—or protecting the human decision-making process—needs to be a consideration for industry, government, and academia as an element of food security. 

U.S. federal, state, and local public health agencies authorities are currently investigating an ongoing outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or "avian flu," among dairy herds nationwide. This article advocates the need for new technologies to address current and future food safety needs.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and hyperspectral imaging are proposed in a One Health context to be applied to biosurveillance.

A Biosurveillance Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (BISR) system would address two mission-critical requirements for biosurveillance to detect and prevent outbreaks: rapid detection and predictive analysis.