FBI to play 'I spy'

To combat increasingly sophisticated illegal activity, criminal analysts at the FBI will soon be using visual analysis software, which sifts through large amounts of data in various formats to identify links and patterns between seemingly unrelated elements.

The FBI last week awarded i2 Inc., a $2 million, three-year contract to provide the agency with i2's flagship visual investigative product, the Analyst's Notebook.

The tool enables criminal analysts to explore and analyze visual data from several perspectives to either confirm assumptions or reject hypotheses. It assists investigators by uncovering, interpreting, and displaying information in an easy-to-read chart form, said Michael Kennett, vice president and general manager of the Springfield, Va.-based company.

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, defense and intelligence agencies, and military security and investigative units use i2's analytical tools.