The "Open Source Challenge," a highlight of the 2008 DNI Open Source Conference, allowed analysts external to the Intelligence Community to test their skills against real intelligence problems using only publicly available intelligence.

Participants were given a one-week deadline to supply answers to one of two questions: (1) Is Al Qaeda a cohesive organization? and (2) Who will be the leader in alternative fuels? Entries were judged by a panel of senior IC representatives based on six criteria: precision, fresh insight, creativity, data visualization, sourcing and use of open sources, and timeliness.

Teams from Mercyhurst College of Erie, Pa. and iJET Intelligent Risk Systems of Annapolis, Md. were judged to have submitted the most compelling research and analysis. Both teams presented their work before a conference audience of 1,600 people. Click on the links below to review their submissions and Challenge guidelines:

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The 2008 DNI Open Source Conference, held September 11-12 in Washington, DC, increased understanding and use of open source information and provided a collective learning environment to foster new partnerships. Participants were from the IC and the broader open source community of interest, including academia, think tanks, private industry, federal, state, local and tribal entities, international partners, and the media. Topics included the evolving role of open source in homeland security; conducting counterintelligence in the world of open source; and managing the balance between privacy, civil liberties and national security with open source.