Scholar Info

Sunandan Chakraborty

Human-Centered Computing
ude[dot]ui[at]kahcnus

An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Discovery, Analysis, and Disruption of Wildlife Trafficking Networks

This project aims to combat the illegal trade in wild animals, recognizing its global impact on society, crime, and the environment, with a focus on public health following the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative seeks to create innovative technological tools that enable experts to uncover valuable insights from various data sources related to illicit supply networks. It aims to improve the nation's ability to combat wildlife trafficking through data discovery, analysis, and modeling. The project will also promote research into online criminal activities, with collected data being made publicly available for research purposes. Collaboration with non-governmental organizations and law enforcement will refine disruption techniques and inform policy recommendations. This project employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining computer science, engineering, and wildlife criminology to develop advanced algorithms. These algorithms will enable the discovery and collection of wildlife trafficking data on a large scale and facilitate the study of global trafficking patterns and networks. Analytical techniques, such as crime mapping and social network analysis, will be used to investigate the scale and nature of illicit wildlife trade and develop practical disruption models. These algorithms can be applied to various domains and data types and will serve as the foundation for user-friendly tools for data discovery and monitoring by domain experts.