| Designing effective aviation security systems has become a problem of national concern. Since September 11, 2001, numerous changes have been made to aviation security systems. Many of these changes have been politically driven, rather than driven by coordinated, systematic analysis and planning, and as a result, the analysis of how aviation security systems operate continues to lag well behind their actual implementation.; This dissertation applies operations research methodologies to aviation passenger screening problems, an important and highly visible aspect of aviation security. Effective passenger screening systems optimally allocate and use security assets and technologies to prevent terrorist attacks. Designing effective passenger screening systems becomes more critical as new screening technologies are made available and as security intelligence improves. Two basic passenger screening models are identified, and algorithms for obtaining optimal and near-optimal solutions for these problems are reported. One of the passenger screening models is extended to handle dynamic passenger arrivals. Exact and approximation algorithms are developed for three knapsack problem variations whose structures are similar to those of the passenger screening models. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis is performed to quantify the tradeoffs between having effective, expensive screening technologies and accurate security intelligence. The key implication obtained is that investing in new, expensive technologies for preventing successful attacks is warranted only if security intelligence is accurate.; Next-generation aviation security systems need not merely be makeshift political solutions for mending complex problems; they can be the result of modeling, analysis, and planning. This dissertation provides a systematic approach for designing and analyzing aviation security systems, which provides insight into the operation of passenger screening systems and guidance for the design of next-generation aviation security systems. |
