What We Do

Statistical Analysis: We use a wide variety of statistical methods and analyses, ranging from the simple to the sophisticated. To support varying analyses, our team is fluent in several statistical software packages. Our experts ensure quality, including the validity and reliability of results, from well-planned data collection through the selection of appropriate and comprehensive analyses.

• Sample applications: we have (a) used state-of-the-art data inference engines to produce rich datasets that allow statistical hypothesis testing of alternative theories concerning illicit and dangerous activities; and can conduct (b) descriptive analyses examining cross-sections of data displayed in contingency tables; and (c) confirmatory statistical techniques on available data to assess the validity of proposed measurement models for a variety of conceptual constructs.

Data Mining: Our modeling and analytics capability allows us to analyze large quantities of structured and unstructured data to look for patterns and trends using advanced statistical and artificial intelligence based on data mining algorithms.

• Sample applications: use data mining techniques to (a) classify credit applicants according to high, medium, and low risk; (b) identify insurance and medical fraud; (c) identify cross-selling opportunities; and (d) audience segmentation, e.g., dividing populations into groups according to various traits, such as purchasing habits or communication preferences.

Psychometrics: Our expert team is trained to assess, develop, and validate measurement scales or questionnaires. We understand the science of objective assessment and know how to help you construct instruments that will collect reliable and valid data.

• Sample applications: the NSI team can (a) identify ways to reconstruct existing scales to increase their precision; (b) design and tailor instruments for new populations and contexts; and (c) identify potential sources of measurement error.

Social Network Analysis (SNA): Our world-class mathematical sociologists can apply state-of-the-art SNA tools and algorithms to map out the structure of formal and informal relationships among and between people and groups, measuring who knows whom, who shares what information with whom, and who likes whom.

• Sample application: within an organization, SNA might be used to identify key actors, their role, their power, and the flow of information across the network, as well as relational insight enabling targeting of information and resources.

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM): SEM is a rigorous but flexible technique for testing whether assumptions about the interrelationships among key factors and their relationship to outcomes are correct by examining whether these implied models provide a good fit to the data. Our SEM expertise provides a powerful confirmatory, multivariate analysis technique to assess measurement and to test theoretical model hypotheses.

• Sample application: using SEM, it is possible to simultaneously examine the relationships among several predictors (e.g., ideology, emotions, attributions) and multiple outcome variables (e.g., support for distinct policy or political actions), while also testing whether any of these relationships are mediated (or explained) by intervening variables.

Decision Analysis: Our decision analysis capability spans normative/idealized decision models (e.g., game theoretic models, expected utility, rational decision models) to cognitive models that take into account personality factors (e.g., risk propensity, choice heuristics) and decision task effects (e.g., decision structure, stakes involved, time pressure for choice). NSI’s experts in discrete mathematics and cognitive psychology apply decision theory to model human decision-making in science, engineering and all human social activities.

• Sample application: NSI has designed rubrics that enable consideration of one's own and others' decision preferences and biases in order to produce more realistic scenarios of strategic and competitive interaction. Essentially, this capability allows for analysts/researchers to “get inside the mind” of primary decision makers to gain a deeper understanding of their goals and identify the most likely course(s) of action.

We design research projects that will meet your research objectives, keeping in mind what you need and how to most appropriately obtain those outcomes.

Experimental Research: Experimental research is a cornerstone of the empirical approach to acquiring data about the world and is used in both the social and the natural sciences. These designs require the right expertise to ensure that a rigorous methodology is applied and a solid scientific product is delivered. Our experts can help you design and execute experiments tailored to collect the right type and amount of data, as well as correctly analyze these data to maximize insight and solve practical problems.

Survey Research: Our highly-trained team can support all aspects of survey research (design, sampling, and analysis). Despite the popularity of surveys, when not executed properly, they will yield misleading or unusable results. We bring the deep knowledge and experience in survey design to ensure a rigorous science-based survey that produces quality data and insights.

Ethnography: The goal of ethnography is to describe a people’s life holistically, considering their behaviors, customs, economy, motives, beliefs, and values. Our researchers help our customers to understand people typically unfamiliar to Western society and also to gain insight into our own culture.

Focus Groups/In-Depth Interviews: We use a variety of qualitative interviewing formats, including traditional focus groups and individual in-depth interviews. We select the most appropriate interviewing formats and develop interview guides that will get the information you need.

Content Analysis: By applying content analysis, our experts can break down any form of communication (e.g., books, websites, newspapers) into manageable categories (themes). This approach can be used in numerous contexts such as to describe trends in content over time or to code open-ended surveys.

NSI is an industry leader in human, social, cultural, organizational, and behavioral modeling with a unique team combining breadth and depth of expertise in operations research, artificial intelligence, and social science modeling. NSI models can help you improve the performance of your own organizations as well as enhance your ability to understand, anticipate, shape, and respond to the behavior of your customers, constituents, competitors, adversaries, and the local populace.

Models of Evidence and Hypotheses: The fundamental problem faced by both military and competitive intelligence is that of divining the true status and intent of an individual of interest based on what you are able to observe. NSI models enable you to develop an accurate understanding of your target individuals in the face of incomplete, noisy, erroneous, and conflicting information by leveraging techniques such as structured argumentation, analysis of competing hypotheses, abductive reasoning, evidence and information theory, and reliability analysis.

• Sample application: NSI is experienced in the use of evidence nodes, probabilistic reasoning and the analysis of competing hypotheses, and has used these methods to conduct "what-if" analyses and to explore alternative strategic scenarios.

Complex Adaptive Systems Models: NSI has deep experience in a range of modeling techniques for complex adaptive systems, including agent-based models, system dynamics, and Bayesian networks, that can help you understand the dynamics of complex human and social systems, anticipate events and behaviors before they occur, project the likely second- and third-order effects of your actions in the system, plan for contingencies, and design strategies to influence and shape the system to achieve your objectives.

• Sample application: NSI has developed dynamic models of demography, migration, and message propagation that track the spread of conflict and the conditions for social instability in several regions of the world.

System Risk, Safety and Reliability Models: System accidents and natural disasters such as the Challenger explosion and Hurricane Katrina highlight the key role of human and organizational factors in our ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic events. Leveraging techniques such as probabilistic risk assessment, failure mode and effects assessment, common cause failure analysis, organizational risk assessment, and demographic and social impact models, our team can assist in both reducing the accident potential of high-risk systems and in anticipating and mitigating the effects of catastrophic accidents and events.

• Sample application: NSI is collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory and the US Department of Agriculture to develop a food protection model to prevent, respond to, and mitigate the risks of E coli contamination of the US food supply.

Process, Workflow, and Activity Models: Optimizing one’s own workflows and processes is a perennial challenge for any organization to achieve efficiency as well as enable the development of new capabilities. Equally important is the ability to avoid strategic surprise by being able to detect the hidden activities of a competitor or adversary before they evolve into a significant competitive or security threat. NSI’s modeling team is experienced in a range of relevant techniques including discrete event simulation, Petri nets, hidden Markov models, and partially-observable Markov decision processes.

• Sample application: NSI is collaborating with MIT Lincoln Labs to develop process models of terrorist attacks in support of Department of Defense training and simulation systems.

Requirements Analysis & Technology Assessment: The analysis of applied requirements, and the identification of technology to fulfill those requirements, is a critical component of any system design and development. Our technology experts are well-versed in the current state-of-the-art in social science tools—commercial, government, and open source. We can assist in structuring your requirements, mapping those requirements to relevant social science (and other) technology areas, identifying potential technology capabilities in those technology areas, and evaluating the capabilities in a defined, transparent methodology.

• Sample application: NSI has conducted extensive reviews of software and technologies of interest to its customers.

Technology Performance Evaluations: We offer program evaluations to assess how well a technology product is working and performance measurements to provide ongoing monitoring and reporting of technology performance against pre-established goals.

• Sample application: NSI personnel provide expert evaluations of technological programs and their levels of maturity to major U.S. government labs.

Operational Technology Transition & Support: Our analysts and technologists possess unique skill sets honed from years of experience working directly with customers to solve organizational objectives. We do not simply supply technology solutions or recommendations. We work side-by-side with you and are directly involved in the decision process. This is agile model or approach quickly builds upon smaller successes and avoids the rigid and wasteful overhead of more classical technology development and transition. Our staff has very rich experience in supporting both prototype and highly matured technical solutions.

• Sample application: NSI is able to prototype, solicit feedback, adjust, and refine the technical solutions much quicker than non-agile methodologies. We have also served as key participants in the incubation and evolution of COTS application for specific customers' needs.

NSI has had multiple projects that couple our computer science (CS) skills with social science theories, methods, and techniques. Our staff has significant CS experience and expertise from formal academic training, previous positions, and prior projects, including work for Government DoD contractors, FFRDCs, and academic institutions.

System Engineering & Requirements Analysis: In addition to Requirements Analysis & Technology Assessment, we offer corresponding support in understanding and developing your system requirements, and mapping those requirements both to existing system components (hardware and software, commercial and open source) and to components that must be specifically developed for your application.

• Sample application: NSI has worked cooperatively with customers to elicit, organize, and analyze system requirements, including requirements that flow down from larger systems-of-systems; and surveyed, investigated and analyzed existing technologies and components that can satisfy those requirements.

Software Design & Development: The NSI software development staff is qualified and experienced in all phases of software development processes, including: requirements definition, design (e.g., UML, mockups), and documentation; configuration management, bug tracking, integrated development environments (IDEs), continuous integration and testing, and spiral development techniques; agile software development; independent validation and verification (IV&V) of existing software; implementation (C/C++/C#, Java, Perl, Python, Ruby on Rails; Windows, OS X, Linux, Unix); and software program management.

• Sample application: The NSI team has developed desktop and web software applications for diverse applications, including scenario creation and simulation, decision support, and social network analysis.

Information Technology (IT) System Integration: Integrating commercial and government off-the-shelf (COTS/GOTS) systems into an effective, efficient architecture is an important capability of NSI, utilizing our synergistic understanding of social science and computer science technologies. We have demonstrated capabilities in end-to-end system architecture design and configuration and implementation, with a specialization in agile R&D and experimentation.

• Sample application: NSI served as lead system integrator on a complex system for social scientists that was deployed to two different theatres of military operation. NSI also provided configuration management, security accreditation, and evolutionary architecture support and recommendations.