Homeland Security and Imaging Technology

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was founded after the attacks of September 11, 2001 to protect our nation's transportation systems and keep the traveling public safe. At TSA, the testing and use of emerging technology is critical to achieving that mission and staying ahead of known threats to transportation security.

Since 2007, TSA piloted state-of-the-art advanced imaging technologies that can detect a wide range of threats to transportation security in a matter of seconds at airports across the country to protect passengers and crews. This imaging technology is an integral part of TSA's effort to continually look for new technologies that help ensure travel remains safe and secure by staying ahead of evolving threats.

Currently, there are 40 millimeter wave imaging technology units in use at 19 airports. Six machines are used as primary screening at six airports and 34 machines are used for secondary, or random screening, as an alternative to a pat down at 13 airports.

TSA has tested both millimeter wave and backscatter imaging and announced that it plans to purchase an additional 150 backscatter units.

Use of advanced imaging technology is optional to all passengers.

How the Technology Works
Millimeter Wave

• Millimeter wave technology beams millimeter wave radio frequency (RF) energy in the advanced imaging spectrum over the body's surface at high speed from two antennas simultaneously as they rotate around the body.

• The energy reflected back from the body or other objects on the body is used to construct a three-dimensional image.

• The three-dimensional image, with facial features blurred for privacy, is displayed on a remote monitor for analysis.

Backscatter

• Backscatter technology uses low level X-ray to create a two-sided image.

• TSA is testing backscatter with an algorithm applied to the entire image to further protect passenger privacy.

Protecting Passenger Privacy

• Strict privacy safeguards are built into the foundation of TSA’s use of advanced imaging technology to protect passenger privacy and ensure anonymity.

• The officer who assists the passenger never sees the image the technology produces.

• The officer who views the image is remotely located, in a secure resolution room and never sees the passenger.

• To further protect passenger privacy, millimeter wave technology blurs all facial features and backscatter has an algorithm applied to the entire image.

• The two officers communicate via wireless headset. Once the remotely located officer determines threat items are not present, that officer communicates wirelessly to the officer assisting the passenger. The passenger may then continue through the security process.

• This state-of-the-art technology cannot store, print, transmit or save the image. In fact, all machines are delivered to airports with these functions disabled.

• Officers evaluating images are not permitted to take cameras, cell phones or photo-enabled devices into the resolution room.

• Each image is automatically deleted from the system after it is cleared by the remotely located security officer.

What are my Options?

These technologies are optional for all passengers.

• Passengers who do not wish to utilize this screening receive an equal level of screening and undergo a pat-down procedure.

• Multiple signs informing passengers about the technology, including sample images, are displayed in plain sight at the security checkpoints, in front of the advanced imaging units.

• Many passengers prefer advanced imaging technology. In fact, over 98 percent of passengers who encounter this technology during TSA pilots prefer it over other screening options.

• Additionally, passengers with joint replacements or other medical devices that would regularly alarm a metal detector often prefer this technology because it is quicker and less-invasive than a pat down.

Spring 2010 Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute

May 2-7, 2010, Coronado (San Diego), Calif.

Application Deadline: Extended! February 8, 2010

Description:
For the eighth year, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is sponsoring a Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute. This technology institute will be held May 2-7, 2010, in Coronado (San Diego), Calif., and is targeted/designed for the command staff/supervisory personnel of rural and small law enforcement agencies containing fewer than 50 sworn officers. Law enforcement personnel will learn about and discuss technology initiatives and issues affecting the rural and small law enforcement community. Participants will receive information and assistance on existing and developing technologies, work through problems relating to technology implementation, and exchange technology lessons learned that are important to the rural and small law enforcement community.

As part of the program, participants are required to give a brief (no more than 15 minutes) PowerPoint presentation on a technology issue that their department has encountered or is in the process of implementing (e.g., implementation of a crime mapping program, new communications system or automated booking station). The presentation can be either an issues to be dealt with or a lessons-learned format, depending on whether the program has been completed, and must be submitted on CD-ROM with the application.

There is no registration cost and all travel, food and lodging expenses are paid. However, only 35 individuals will be selected to attend. Previous attendees of the NIJ Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute or the NIJ Technology Institutes for Law Enforcement or Corrections are not eligible to attend.

For a copy of the application form go to:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/training/rural-institute.htm

The deadline for submitting an application is February 1, 2010. Applications not received by that date and/or applications submitted without a CD-ROM containing the PowerPoint presentation will not be considered. The application and PowerPoint CD-ROM should be mailed to the following address:

Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center

ATTN: Rural LE Tech Institute

101 Bulldog Lane

Hazard, KY 41701

For additional information, please contact Scott Barker, Deputy Director-Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center, at (866) 787-2553 or e-mail ruletc1@aol.com.

DISA’S NEXT STEP IN COLLABORATIVE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT IS PROJECTFORGE.MIL

Arlington, Va. - The Defense Department's newest collaborative software development tool just entered limited operating availability capacity for individual DoD projects or programs. ProjectForge is the newest offering in the Defense Information Systems Agency’s family of services enabling continuous collaboration among DoD software developers, testers, certifiers, operators, and users. Its private project portals expand on SoftwareForge’s capabilities in hosting public projects for software reuse and collaborative development.

“ProjectForge is the next logical step in the Forge.mil program that’s surpassed all expectations,” said Rob Veitmeyer, DISA’s Forge.mil program manager. “It was time to address the needs of software developers looking for application lifecycle management tools but who aren’t developing open source software, and ProjectForge is the perfect vehicle,” he added.

Broader in scope yet complementary to SoftwareForge, ProjectForge is one of DISA's On-Demand cloud computing services designed to reduce the time and costs that software development projects typically face in creating their own software development environment as well as deliver enhanced capability over those available from stand alone development tools. It’s a fee-for-service capability that will be delivered on-demand by DISA Computing Services and hosted in a Defense Enterprise Computing Center.

Forge.mil enables collaborative software development and cross-program sharing of software, system components, and services in support of net-centric operations and warfare. It will ultimately comprise five components that include SoftwareForge and ProjectForge: CertificationForge, which will support agile certification; StandardsForge, which will drive collaborative standards development; and TestForge, to provide on-demand software testing tools. Forge.mil’s won Information Week’s 2009 Government Innovators Award and Government Computer News’ Great dot-gov Web Sites 2009.

With more than 4,000 registered users on 170 hosted projects and over 500 software releases available for download, Forge.mil has also been granted Authority to Operate on SIPRNet, DoD’s classified version of the civilian Internet and is available on NIPRNet, DoD’s unclassified Internet. It’s available to the U.S. military, DoD government civilians, and DoD contractors for new and existing projects, enabling the organizations to save money, improve software development efficiency, and drive collaboration that helps deliver better software faster to the warfighter. To register or host a project on Forge.mil, visit http://www.disa.mil/forge. You can also follow it on Twitter at @ForgeMil.

DISA, a Combat Support Agency, engineers and provides command and control capabilities and enterprise infrastructure to continuously operate and assure a global net-centric enterprise in direct support to joint warfighters, National level leaders, and other mission and coalition partners across the full spectrum of operations. We are leaders enabling information dominance in defense of our Nation.

Mapping an Emergency

Making communications among first responders interoperable

Natural disasters rarely color inside the lines. Like a toddler with his first box of crayons, they leave a mess all over the map—spilling across federal, state, and local lines. To clean up, different agencies and jurisdictions must come together and share what they know. But far too often, critical information goes unseen by those who need it most: our emergency responders.

In the past, there were incidents where deficiencies in communication caused problems for the emergency response community. In one case, while the National Guard was dispatching hundreds of trucks to a hurricane-ravaged area in the Southeast, drivers were unaware of a key road closure. In another instance, a neighboring state did not receive notification that planned evacuation routes were jammed with fleeing motorists. And at times, responders hurrying to aid residents outside their jurisdictions had limited information on what local resources were available.

Even though many authorities track incident management data, these records typically are walled off from one another by incompatible computer systems, proprietary technological platforms, or simply a culture of reluctance to share information.

Recognizing this urgent predicament, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is working on a solution. Led by Dr. David Boyd, director of the Command, Control, and Interoperability Division (CCI), and patterned after the state of Alabama’s Virtual Alabama program, the project has been dubbed “Virtual USA” (vUSA). Its goal: to create a nationwide capability to share and standardize life-saving emergency data in real time.

A collaboration among CCI, first responders, and state governments, vUSA provides a 3-D platform of interactive maps that displays the location and status of critical assets—helicopter landing sites, evacuation routes, shelters, gas supplies, water lines, power grids, and everything in between. Whether you’re a county firefighter on the scene, a state-based EMT en route, or a federal FEMA official at your desk, the system equips responders at all levels with the same richly detailed data.

This coordination makes information sharing more comprehensive and decision making more informed, which is why vUSA was included in the recently announced White House Open Government Initiative, which emphasizes transparency, participation, and collaboration.

But one of vUSA’s most exciting attributes is platform agnosticism—the ability to integrate disparate data sources seamlessly (as long as the sources use the same standards). To a layman, this might not sound like a big deal. But to a first responder, who must contend with Alabama’s preference for Google Earth, Virginia’s need for ArcGIS, and X’s comfort with Y, interoperability constitutes a revolution.

Most importantly, the price is right. Typically, when an IT department is told it needs a new software system, what it hears is a request for a large amount of money. But whereas proprietary systems can fetch up to $5 million, the enterprise license—in perpetuity—for Google Earth costs about $150,000, which makes vUSA a relative bargain.

Since February, Virtual USA has been operating as a pilot program in eight southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. In September, CCI met with five northwestern states (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming), followed by talks with six northeastern states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont) earlier this month. The goal: to match the number of vUSA states with the number of stars on the American flag.

Yet, according to Director Boyd, standing up an interstate initiative rivals the difficulty of running it. “Just to socialize the concept of data-sharing—to get everyone communicating, to localize solutions—takes six months,” he says. But that’s not the end of the process. A plenary meeting for technical and governance matters comes next, after which a plan is designed. By this time, almost a year has passed.

Indeed, the chief challenge that vUSA faces isn’t the lack of data. It’s the lack of interoperable data. In order for data to be shared, you need to get people to share them. Put another way, mastering the software is the easy part. Getting human beings to collaborate is the hard part.

“Too many federal and state programs fall short of their potential because they’re driven from the top-down without buy-in at the local level,” Boyd continues. So in order to facilitate steadfast local participation, vUSA starts from a set of three principles:

1. You collect it; you own it. If, for example, a county funds and processes the collection of aerial photographs, then the county—not Washington—owns these data.

2. You own it; you control it. Decisions related to who the data is shared with—and when, how, and what to share—are at the discretion of the data’s owner.

3. You control it; you make the rules. Instead of having to adapt your data to accommodate others, you can continue to use your existing software and do business your way.

Shaped by this bottom-up foundation, Virtual USA is helping responders across the country to communicate better, to work together, play nice in the sandbox and share their crayons.

Contact
To request more information about any of these stories, please e-mail st.snapshots@hq.dhs.gov

New Research Findings Can Improve Avian Flu Surveillance Programs

Genetic analyses of avian influenza in wild birds can help pinpoint likely carrier species and geographic hot spots where Eurasian viruses would be most likely to enter North America, according to new U.S. Geological Survey research.

Persistence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) virus in Eurasia and Africa, and concerns that the virus might be transported among continents by migratory birds has resulted in global surveillance programs. In the United States, state and federal agencies tested more than 326,000 wild bird samples from across the country from 2005 to 2008.

The new work by USGS has nationwide importance because it offers a method for avian influenza surveillance programs to target their efforts for the right species and in the best locations.

In the study, USGS scientists conducted the first-ever survey of avian influenza gene variation in a single host species -- the northern pintail -- at each end of the bird's migratory flyway in North America: Alaska and California. These birds migrate between North America and Eurasia and in Japan and China have been known to occur in outbreak areas of HPAI H5N1.

The researchers discovered that some avian influenza viruses recovered from the North American pintails contain genes that are more closely related to influenza viruses in Eurasia, and that the greatest number of these genes occurred in pintail viruses from Alaska. In contrast, northern pintails sampled on their main wintering areas in California had few Eurasian virus genes.

The researchers speculate that Euasian flu genes become less prevalent as birds migrate southward in fall due to rapid mutation and reassortment, common to influenza viruses, and dilution by existing North American flu viruses. Reassortment, a shuffling process among viruses that infect the same host, occurs in all types of influenza A viruses, including H1N1 and H5N1.

“Our research demonstrates a genetically based technique for prioritizing wild bird species that are targeted for surveillance,” said Dr. John Pearce, a USGS scientist and lead author of the study. “Refining the list of priority species for surveillance by this method can reduce time and effort involved in surveillance sampling and is needed not only for Alaska, but also for those species along the North

Atlantic coast of North America that may engage in transcontinental migrations, such as shorebirds and gulls,” Pearce said.

With few exceptions, genetic evidence for transcontinental avian influenza virus exchange in North America has come from coastal regions closest to Europe or Asia – Alaska and the North Atlantic.

These areas, said Pearce, probably represent the first or primary areas of contact for foreign viruses, yet only about a third of birds tested for HPAI H5N1 in the United States so far have been from these regions.

“Based on this new genetic evidence, one possible new strategy would be to target surveillance efforts on species in these coastal regions that are geographically closer to current sources of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus,” Pearce said. “If there is no evidence of transcontinental avian influenza virus gene exchange for a certain species or regional pathway, then those species and areas could be deemphasized in future surveillance programs.” The research was published in the November 2009 issue of Evolutionary Applications, and was authored by scientists from three USGS centers: the USGS Alaska Science Center, the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, and the USGS Western Ecological Research Center.

Ohio ANG expands 180th solar field

By Capt. Gary Bentley
Ohio National Guard

(1/5/10) - The 180th Fighter Wing announced further expansion of its highly successful alternative energy solar field here at the Air National Guard Base Jan. 5. Rep. Marcy Kaptur joined Col. Mark Bartman, the 180th commander, and other unit members and guests to celebrate the fourth phase expansion of what was already the largest solar field in Ohio and the largest on any National Guard base in the country.

The expansion is expected to increase the solar power produced to a total of about 1.2 megawatts, or 37 percent of the base’s electrical needs, said Lt. Col. William Giezie, 180th Civil Engineering Squadron commander.

Development and construction of the solar field began in 2006 when Kaptur obtained Department of Defense Research and Development Testing and Engineering funds for the base to develop a renewable energy site.

Giezie said after extensive evaluation of the available technology combined with the environmental conditions found in Northwest Ohio, they determined that a cadmium telluride thin film semi-conductor would produce the greatest quantity of electricity with the low and diffuse light conditions present in the Toledo area.

These factors led to contracts with several Northwest Ohio companies, including Rudolph Libbe Inc., Advanced Distribution Generation, Romanoff Electric and First Solar.

More than 95 percent of the major components, technology and labor used to produce the solar field has been developed, produced and constructed by the citizens of Northwest Ohio, Bartman said. “The 180th Fighter Wing is a community-based organization and its members are proud of the solar field and of being good stewards of the environment,” Bartman said.

In 2008, Kaptur and Bartman pulled a symbolic electrical switch to officially open the solar field as guests while visitors cheered. Since its inception, the field has produced a total of 827 megawatt-hours or 21 percent of the base’s total electrical requirements.

In less than two years, the base has saved about $140,000 in electricity costs, and the hope is to fill the remainder of the 10-acre site with more solar panels and to put solar panels on rooftops, Bartman said.

The wing also has plans to convert many of its current vehicles from gasoline to electric power to take further advantage of its increasing production of solar power and purchase vehicles that operate on biodiesel fuel.

In addition to using alternative forms of energy, the 180th is committed to reducing its overall energy usage, Bartman said.

“We have upgraded boiler systems to high efficiency modulating units in 9 of our buildings and have installed high efficiency LED lighting around the base,” he said.

Kaptur said the 180th’s solar field is “a model for our nation.”

Access & Independence Through Technology

Today, technology "levels the playing field" for many people with disabilities at home, school, and in the workplace. This section of Disability.gov has information on assistive and adaptive technologies such as communication devices, equipment to improve mobility and other technologies designed to maximize the independence and productivity of people with physical, intellectual, and other disabilities. There is also information about laws that encourage the development of, and access to, assistive technologies.

More Information
http://www.disability.gov/technology