The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking at how it can integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its Geographic Information Infrastructure (GII), which is a shared sensitive but unclassified platform that provides critical geospatial capabilities across the Homeland Security Enterprise.

As reported on Meritalk, Matt Gilkeson, TSA’s Chief Technology Officer and Chief Data Officer, outlined how TSA is exploring working AI into its geospatial platform to improve real-time threat response and coordination with commercial stakeholders while speaking at the recent Google GEO for Gov conference.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) GII serves as a centralized geospatial data ecosystem for federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. 

Gilkeson noted that embedding AI into the geospatial platform presents a key opportunity to maximize its value, emphasizing that the DHS GII enables rapid tool deployment and fosters a shared operational picture among DHS and commercial stakeholders.

“Our approach is delivering the geospatial intelligence to understand the real-time, low-latency data to monitor transportation networks and respond to security threats in real time. We use that geospatial data to inform the airports and partners responsible for physical security, helping them mitigate risks,” Gilkeson said.

TSA is also exploring the utilization of AI in identifying explosives and other prohibited items during luggage screening, TSA Administrator David Pekoske revealed last year before the House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security subcommittee.

TSA is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate on a method to enable X-ray screening machines to detect explosives.