http://vacommunity.org/VAST+Challenge+2014 for more detailed instructions.

"UBA-Avila-MC1"

VAST Challenge 2014
Mini-Challenge 1

Team Members:

Pilar Avila, University of Buenos Aires, piwica@gmail.com PRIMARY
Valeria Burgos, University of Buenos Aires, valaburg@gmail.com
Amalia Guaymás, University of Buenos Aires acarolinagc@gmail.com

Student Team: YES

Analytic Tools Used:

Tableau

JavaScript library D3.js

Excel

Rapidminer

Approximately how many hours were spent working on this submission in total?

60 hours

May we post your submission in the Visual Analytics Benchmark Repository after VAST Challenge 2014 is complete? YES

Video:

video.wmv

Questions

MC1.1 – Provide a visual representation of the structure of the Protectors of Kronos network, with supporting evidence.

a. Who are the leaders?

b. Who is part of the extended network?

c. How has the group structure and organization changed over time?

d. Where are the potential connections between the POK and GAStech?

Provide novel visualizations appropriate for communicating key information to the busy leaders of the investigation. Please limit your response to no more than eight images and 500 words.

Who are the leaders?

Back in the late 90’s, Ale Hann, Valentine Mies, Jeroen Karel, Henk Bodrogi, Carmine Osvaldo, Joreto Karell and Yanick Cato organized themselves to form the Protectors of Kronos(POK). Bodrogi emerged as the main leader. In 2001, Bodrogi handed the leadership of the organization to Elian Karel, a dynamic and charismatic leader. After Karel’s unexpected death in prison, Silvia Marek took the leadership of POK but she is not widely respected in the organization. However, Mandor Vann, uncle of Juliana Vann, turned out to be a top political strategist of the organization and is widely respected by group members.

Who is part of the extended network?

Isia Vann, the older brother of Juliana Vann and nephew to Mandor Vann, is a POK member who supports a more forceful approach of protest. He works at GAStech. Lucio Jakab, joined POK in 2005 and is he is responsible for propaganda and slogans used by the group. Lorenzo Di Stefano is a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Abila and a POK activist.

How has the group structure and organization changed over time?

The structure of the group started with 7 members in 1997, Bodrogi as the leader. Around 1998, the POK membership kept increasing and by 2001, Bodrogi stepped down as leader of the group and handed this task to Elian Karel. All the other founding members also quit. Under Karel´s leadership, small activist groups joined with POK. When Karel died in 2009, Silvia Marek took the leadership. However, she is not widely respected among POK members and it looks like Mandor Vann might be an emerging leader. He has different points of view regarding the future of POK. From 2009 and on, POK protests have also been associated with an increase in civil disobedience, arrests and violent actions.

Where are the potential connections between the POK and GAStech?

The potential connections are represented in a group of GAStech employees whose last names are similar to some of the original founders of POK. We think that some of them might well be the descendants of the founders because, at the present time, the age range of these people is 22-30 years old (with the exception of Ruscella Mies Haber). More importantly, a strong link between POK and GAStech is represented by the employee Isia Vann. He is an active member of POK and brother of Juliana Vann and nephew to Mandor Vann, a potential leader of POK.

MC1.2 – Describe the events of January 20-21, 2014. What is the timeline of events? Please limit your response to no more than ten images and 500 words.

January 20:

• At 8AM: the executives of GAStech: Sanjorge, Vasco-Pais, Barranco, Strum and Campo-Corrente attended the annual meeting of the company.
• At 10.15AM: the fire alarm broke off in GAStech. Evacuation of the building proceeded and the situation was chaotic.
• At 10.20AM: firemen are seen entering the building but no smoke or fire is visible. A GAStech employee reports that the alarm was pulled off in response to a bomb threat.
• At 10.50AM: Sanjorge was seen arriving at the Capitol building. No signs of the other executives of GAStech.
• At 11.55AM: Abila Fire Department announced that the fire alarm was false and that the building is safe.
• At 12.20AM: Abila Police is called to GAStech headquarters for an unspecified emergency.
• At 12.25AM: GAStech executives have not arrived to the scheduled reception with government officials.
• At 12.30AM: A private plane departed from Abila Airport with unknown destination. According to an airport employee, there were 7-8 on board and in his own words, they looked "business type and they did not look relaxed". No confirmation of the identification of the passengers.
• At 12.32AM: Media are beginning to speculate that GAStech executives and Kronos officials have fled the country with their fortune and money from the Kronos coffers.
• At 13.30PM several phone calls were made to Barranco, Campo-Corrente, Vasco-Pais and Strum with no success.
• At 14PM a government automobile is allowed to enter to GAStech building.
• At 17.20PM GAStech employees continue to trickle out of the building. A few have agreed to talk to the press indicating that they were instructed not to say anything.
• At 17.44PM there are rumors of a possible kidnapping of several GAStech employees and the Protectors of Kronos (POK) are suspected of being responsible for this.
• At 18PM The GAStech executive jet arrived in Tethys a few hours ago and Sten Sanjorge was on board
• At 19PM Edvard Vann, a security employee, said that police interviewed him for hours and accused him of involvement in the kidnapping. Vann denied any connection to POK.
• At 19.35PM Abila Police confirmed that 14 employees of GAStech seemed to be missing. No kidnapping confirmed.
• At 20PM Goverment spokesman informed that President Kapelou has been moved to a secure location.

January 21:

• At 9AM: Abila Police indicated that they are working with law enforcement and government officials from Tethys. The number of missing employees has been revised from 14 to 10.
• At 11.53AM: POK released a message through a journalist that was picked up in public, took blindfolded to an unknown location and allowed to blog the upcoming of an important message.
• At 12.45AM POK took responsibility in the disappearence and made a ransom demand of $20 million from the company.
• At 10AM: At a press conference held at GAStech headquarters in Tethys, it was confirmed that Sanjorge was in transit from GAStech to the Capitol building when the kidnapping took place.

MC1.3 – Identify at least two possible explanations why the GAStech employees may be missing. What evidence do you have to support each of these explanations? Please limit your response to no more than three additional images and 200 words.

One possible explanation is that POK did participate in the disappearance through its connections to the employees identified with similar last names to POK members. Evidence:

• Frequent communication among these GAStech employees regarding suspicious subjects, such as “ARISE Inspiration for defenders of Kronos”.
• Three of these employees have recently joined the company (in 2013) to work in Security, a key area.
• On Jan 21, POK claimed responsibility and issued a ransom demand of $20 million to GAStech.

Another explanation: The GAStech executives and government officials fled the country taking advantage of the chaos and confusion during the evacuation of the building. They took their fortune and money from the Kronos coffers. Evidence:

• Recent new found fortune of the leaders of GAStech and the increase in violence and social tension triggered by POK during the last weeks in Kronos.
• A helicopter was seen leaving from the roof of the building during the evacuation.
• GAStech executives never arrived at the scheduled meeting in the Capitol building.
• Previous e-mails about “suggestions for an upcoming retreat”.
• Sanjorge Jr appeared in Tethys after the incident and President Kapelou was taken to a safe location.