The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a new initiative in place to help prevent human atrocities before they ever occur.

According to the Associated Press, museum, located in Washington, D.C., believes it is possible to stop genocide ahead of time through the use of an online tool known as the Early Warning Project. The system utilizes advanced statistical analysis in combination with feedback from experts to determine which countries are at the highest risk to go down this violent path.

The tool could prove potentially invaluable to many governments, scholars and activists in helping determine where to focus their efforts and resources.

"Studies of past atrocities show that we can detect early warning signs of atrocities and that if policy makers act on those warnings and develop preventive strategies, we can save lives," reads the website's opening statement. "Yet despite this awareness, all too often we see warning signs missed and action taken too late, if at all."

The Simon-Skjodt Center developed this tool with the help of the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College. For two years, they studied and researched countries worldwide, evaluating the statistical probability that a country may engage in mass killings.

Most of the world's populous nations are featured on the list, but those in jeopardy are highlighted on a world map, ranging from yellow to red. Myanmar is deemed the most at risk, followed closely by Nigeria, Sudan and Egypt.

"Most of these countries as you go down the list have some form of civil conflict involving the government and some insurgent group or rebel group, often divided along ethnic lines, and there's a risk of violence going in either direction, either the government killing civilians or the rebel group killing civilians," said Dartmouth professor Benjamin Valentino, who aided in the develop of the Early Warning Project.

Valentino says the Early Warning Project is unique from other watch lists due to its public access, and it's combination of statistical analysis and informed opinion. He hopes that even if mistakes are made and countries are overlooked, the tool will help to identify what went wrong and strengthen its prediction of future atrocities.