Maritime | Port Security

Featured Video of the Month

Part 2. Professor says government should stop pandering to special interests and start regulating

Carl Safina, conservationist, author and professor at Stony Brook University, argues that we’re drilling for oil a mile down in the ocean because we’ve depleted the easy oil. But if we trust our future to fossil fuels, we will create a security disaster for the country. We need to catch up to other countries that are investing in renewable energy sources such as sun, wind, tides and algae – or we will lose our leadership role and find ourselves dependent on those countries.

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News

DHS boasts about its aviation security efforts…and more
Wed, 2010-07-28 10:58 AM
DHS marked the sixth anniversary of the issuance of the 9/11 Commission Report by patting itself on the back for the progress it says it has made in a wide range of counterterrorism arenas, but most...
GAO says Coast Guard should have more fully disclosed its concerns during contract deliberations
Wed, 2010-07-28 09:11 AM
AMEC at work
The Government Accountability Office has sustained a contract award protest lodged by AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc., a huge design-build construction company headquartered in London, that felt...
The U.S. Coast Guard and the challenges ahead
Mon, 2010-07-26 05:01 PM
For over two centuries, the U.S. Coast Guard has safeguarded our nation’s maritime interests at home, in the ports, at sea, and around the globe, and looks to have more responsibilities today than at...
Obama issues executive order to safeguard oceans, coastal waters and Great Lakes
Thu, 2010-07-22 11:38 AM
After revoking an executive order signed by President George W. Bush in December 2004, President Obama issued a similar, though expanded, executive order on July 19 which aims to protect the health...
Senate appropriations panel boosts homeland security spending by 2.4 percent
Thu, 2010-07-15 10:25 AM
The Senate Appropriations homeland security subcommittee on July 14 completed its markup of the fiscal year 2011 spending program for homeland security by adding just over $1 billion to last year’s...
GSA is re-thinking its HSPD-12 implementation strategy
Wed, 2010-07-14 04:57 PM
The General Services Administration (GSA) is gathering information from government agencies as well as current and potential vendors of products and services related to the implementation of Homeland...
DNDO wants to develop a “global nuclear detection architecture”
Wed, 2010-07-14 04:51 PM
The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is worried that it might be losing sight of the forest because of all the trees. Rather than get lost in the development of individual devices intended to detect...
Louisiana Republican worries about terrorist threats against offshore drilling rigs
Wed, 2010-07-14 09:27 AM
With images of exploding offshore oil rigs and gushing undersea wells no doubt in his mind, a Louisiana congressman has introduced legislation that would establish a national commission to examine...
DHS wants whole body scanners that are portable
Thu, 2010-07-08 01:23 PM
Having become accustomed to stationary advanced imaging technology (AIT) systems – also known as full body scanners – the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now interested in acquiring portable...
CBP may procure up to 70 new coastal interceptor vessels
Thu, 2010-07-08 01:18 PM
Customs and Border Protection is planning to purchase as many as 70 high-speed “Coastal Interceptor Vessels,” which would operate off the coastline of the United States and perform patrol,...
CBP to examine environmental impact of its actions along U.S.-Canadian border
Wed, 2010-07-07 04:46 PM
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has decided to prepare four different environmental impact statements that will assess the effect of stepped-up patrols, surveillance, cargo scanning,...
Aspen Security Forum’s successful debut makes it a ‘must-attend’ event in future years
Fri, 2010-07-02 06:10 PM
The 1st Annual Aspen Security Conference, which was held at a resort in Aspen, CO, from June 28 through June 30, attracted such a stunning roster of current and former government officials, industry...

Commentary and Opinions

The NYC terrorist threat and how video analytics could have prompted a faster response

By Mark Gally

The recent bomb scare in New York City served as a wake-up call, highlighting that the U.S. is still vulnerable to an attack within our country. Though investigators say the bomb they found inside a parked car was not very sophisticated, it’s clear that terrorists with the determination and deadly materials could cause serious harm.

OPINION / Using good technology to find bad people

By Jonathan McDonald

Many government organizations are charged with combating terrorism, identifying criminals and effectively applying immigration policies. All these activities require that persons of interests (and organizations and networks) be accurately identified. Identification is an extremely complex process that is only compounded by increasing data volumes, complex relationships, and tightly coupled application and data architectures.

OPINION / Video conferencing technology offers new opportunities for homeland security collaboration

By William Sapp

In an operating environment where threats are imminent and the response must be equally swift, video communication technology can offer DHS and its communities of interest new ways to collaborate to improve homeland security operations.

Whether responding to a natural disaster or sharing intelligence to thwart a terrorist plot, video conferencing technology allows organizations to connect quickly and collaborate meaningfully.

Admiral Thad Allen’s final State of the Coast Guard Address

Editor’s note: The following speech was delivered at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2010 by Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Thad W. Allen, who is completing his four-year term as the Coast Guard’s 23rd Commandant.

 

OPINION / Two years later, where are we?

By Jim Giermanski

    In 2007, I wrote two articles on why 100 percent scanning was not doable. I laid out four fundamental reasons why 100 percent scanning would not work: its foreign acceptance, its limitation to seaports only, the non-existence of required technology, and the non-inclusion of land ports within the concept of critical infrastructure.

Two years later, where are we?

Company News

Advanced airborne video solution successfully demonstrated, says Hughes

Hughes Network Systems, LLC, of Germantown, MD, a provider of broadband satellite networks and services, announced on July 26 it has completed a successful demonstration of its advanced airborne video solution to a key government agency, confirming full D-1 video resolution at air-to-ground user data rates of over 2 Mbps. 

Syagen Technology to develop next generation, explosive trace detection

Syagen Technology, Inc., of Tustin, CA, has been awarded a development contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate to address the needs of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in effectively implementing its Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP).

 TSA developed the CCSP as a solution to help reach its mandate for conducting 100 percent screening of all air cargo on commercial airline flights after August 1, 2010.

‘Virtual perimeter’ from FLIR at Port of Portland

In a two-year project, the Port of Portland, OR, recently completed a security upgrade that implemented the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) standard for smart cards and improved access control for pedestrian, vehicle and rail routes leading to two multi-purpose, multi-modal terminals.

The program was funded, in part, by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

American Science and Engineering, Inc. receives $3 million order for ZBV Military Trailers

American Science and Engineering, Inc., of Billerica, MA, a worldwide supplier of innovative X-ray detection systems, has announced the receipt of a $3 million order for multiple ZBV Military Trailers from an international government agency it did not identify.

The ZBV Mil Trailer is a ruggedized version of the company’s patented Z Backscatter Van system which is used for screening vehicles for car and truck bombs.

Veritainer and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory launch joint R&D project for perfecting cargo scanning system

 Veritainer, of St. Helena, CA, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), of Livermore, CA recently announced a Cooperative R&D agreement for perfecting Veritainer’s Crane Mounted Scanning (CNS) system.

$11.4 million in orders from TSA for Smiths Detection’s advanced explosive trace detectors

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has ordered from Smiths Detection, of Morristown, NJ, $11.4 million worth of the company’s explosive trace detection technology.

The product, IONSCAN 500DT, which is intended for use at security checkpoints, identifies trace amounts of explosives collected on a single swab, in a matter of seconds. The technology uses ion mobile spectrometry technology in a dual tube design to provide the high sensitivity and accuracy needed to detect trace explosives.

Black Diamond releases new multi-biometric handheld device

Black Diamond Advanced Technology, of Tempe, AZ, announced the release of its new multi-modal biometrics collection system on June 9. The device, which upon first sight might appear to look like a digital camera, is equipped with a new embedded-processor dual-iris camera system, which is capable of outdoor, independent dual-iris image capture in less than five seconds on a rugged platform.

Unisys goes down south for port security

Unisys of Blue Bell, PA, announced a contract with the Brazil Special Secretariat of Port Development and Modernization (SEP) on June 10, to assist the South American agency in a key initiative aimed at enhancing operations, security and information exchange across the country's logistics operations and maritime ports.

 

Technology Sectors

Market Sectors

Recent Videos

Part 1. Professor Calls BP Oil Spill “Big Oil’s Chernobyl”

In part one of this GSN exclusive interview with Carl Safina, prominent author, marine conservationist, university professor and founder of the Blue Ocean Institute at Stony Brook University, Dr.

Sony Electronics

Miguel Lazatan, Senior Marketing Manager, explains that Sony’s Security Systems Group provides Video Surveillance products ranging from cameras, IP network cameras and recorders to video management software. With high-definition video, video analytics is increasingly important in government installations. The company’s View-DR wide dynamic technology includes dynamic frame integration, X4 sensor and visibility enhancement.

MorphoTrak

Gary Jones, Sr. Manager, Biometric Security, points out that MorphoTrak systems manage a combined 2.5 billion fingerprints in customer databases, not to mention a 60% worldwide market share of the biometric market and 50% of USA state and local biometrics. Jones demonstrates the Morpho Access 500+ series, the Morpho J Series, and the Morpho Outdoor Access Device, all of which are waterproof and dustproof. Another great year of customer feedback, he claims.

Morpho Detection, Inc

Garrick Bell, Eastern Regional Sales Director, explains that with the company’s ITMCS technology, Morpho’s products can identify small amounts of explosives and narcotics. New products at ISC West include the handheld Hard Mobile Trace Unit and the Itemiser DX desktop detector, which can get an accurate analysis of substances within 5 seconds. Customers include government, law enforcement, first responders and a growing commercial business.

Lenel Systems International, Inc.

Josh Phillips, Director of Marketing, describes the business of Lenel as providing integrated security technologies, bringing the best of breed software applications and multiple technologies into a single platform. Government markets include military and civilian buyers and the DoD, which use the OnGuard system, whose 2010 integrated access control, ID management and video surveillance system offers enhanced video surveillance.

More Recent Videos

Recent Webinars

A Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity Using Dynamic Traffic Intelligence
Thu, 06/10/2010 - 1:00pm

GSN Webinar - A Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity Using Dynamic Traffic Intelligence

No vendor can solve the entire problem. Learn how to use...

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Five Ways to Maximize Perimeter Security
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 11:00am

Date: Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Time: 11 A.M. Eastern Time

An Educational Webinar Sponsored by BIGBOOTH.COM and GSN Magazine

Budgets...

An Effective Approach to Continuous Monitoring Requirements under FISMA
Tue, 04/27/2010 (All day)

Recently, the OMB established a task force to develop new metrics to measure the performance of information security at Federal Agencies. Among other things, the new metrics...

More Recent Webinars

New Products

ICx introduces ClearPoint bottled liquid screener

Arlington, VA-based ICx T...

IDenta says explosives ID kits identify underwear bomber’s PETN

Add Jerusalem-based Identa Corp. to the handful of companies that issued statements in the wake of the failed...