The Los Angeles Police Department's counterterrorism unit next month will begin using a new data-analysis system that's designed to identify and link related pieces of intelligence.

The new tools promise to help police deter and respond to terrorist attacks, officials said.

The LAPD Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau will use the US$1 million system to gather, track, analyze and distribute intelligence information, including tips and leads. It said it will also use the system to analyze data related to organized crime, gangs and money laundering.

The system is being built for the bureau by Memex Inc. and will include its data mining, analysis and visualization tools.

Connecting the dots