ATD: Quantum algorithms for spatiotemporal models with applications to threat detection

人类动力学用于通过采用统计模型来寻求对人类行为的理解。研究表明，某些人类行为可以使用社交媒体等代理工具进行定量建模。人类动力学领域在安全和防御领域获得了极大的关注，不仅因为它有可能检测人类行为的异常，而且还因为它有能力减轻潜在的灾难性损害和社会痛苦。尽管迫切需要，国家的最先进的计算工具，用于研究人体动力学仍然缺乏。然而，经典模型本身是不够的，捕捉不断演变的空间和时间的趋势，在人类动态。此外，时空模型在经典计算机上的计算成本非常高，对人体动力学数据的实时分析提出了挑战。 量子计算的最新进展展示了量子霸权，其中量子计算机在解决某些问题方面优于经典计算机。特别是量子并行，由于其能够在线性物理空间内以指数方式存储许多信息单元，因此绕过了与经典并行计算相关的时间/空间权衡。此外，量子计算机拥有经典计算机所缺乏的逻辑门，可以实现更快的计算。然而，量子计算在文献中的成就主要限于面向物理的问题，并没有引起数据科学界的关注。在这个项目中，我们的目标是利用量子算法的力量来建模人类动态，以提高威胁检测能力。 我们提出的方法是通用的量子计算工具，具有广泛的适用性。所提出的框架（i）可用于发现任何超大型数据集中的异常事件，（ii）激发了量子计算的新研究方向，及（iii）为学生提供一个独特的机会，参与切割-边缘和跨学科的大数据研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

Human dynamics are used to seek comprehension of human behaviors by employing statistical models. Research has demonstrated that certain human behaviors can be quantitatively modeled using proxy tools such as social media. The field of human dynamics has gained significant attention in the realm of security and defense, not only for its potential to detect anomalies in human behavior but also for its capacity to mitigate potential catastrophic damage and societal distress. Despite the pressing need, state-of-the-art computational tools for studying human dynamics are still lacking. However, classic models alone are insufficient for capturing the constantly evolving spatial and temporal trends in human dynamics. Additionally, the computational cost of spatiotemporal models on classical computers is prohibitively high, posing challenges for real-time analysis of human dynamics data. Recent advancements in quantum computing have showcased quantum supremacy, wherein quantum computers outperform classical computers in some problem-solving. Quantum parallelism, in particular, bypasses the time/space trade-off associated with classical parallel computing, thanks to its ability to store exponentially many units of information within a linear physical space. Moreover, quantum computers possess logic gates that classical computers lack, enabling faster computations. However, the achievements of quantum computing in the literature have been predominantly limited to physics-oriented problems and have not garnered much attention from the data science community. In this project, our aim is to harness the power of quantum algorithms for modeling human dynamics to enhance threat detection capabilities. Our proposed approaches are general quantum computing tools that are widely applicable. The proposed framework (i) can be used to discover unusual events in any super-large data set, (ii) inspires a new line of research in quantum computing, and (iii) offers a unique opportunity for students to participate in cutting-edge and interdisciplinary big data research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.