22 Sep 10. Lockheed Martin and ZyGEM Corp. Ltd. unveiled a new DNA analysis system that has potential to transform how law enforcement, homeland security and defense communities use DNA-based identification in support of their missions. The prototype, called RapI.D.(TM), will be previewed at a 2010 Biometric Consortium Conference special session on Rapid DNA. The day-long session is sponsored by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division. Developed in collaboration with ZyGEM as a Lockheed Martin Technology Innovation Initiative, RapI.D.(TM) leverages the latest in microfluidic research and development to accelerate the DNA identification process–essentially building a laboratory on a small, single chip that reduces the processing steps and time needed for analysis. The RapI.D. (TM) platform is currently in prototype at ZyGEM’s Charlottesville, Va., MicroLab laboratories, with a Beta version expected to be released for testing in select laboratories early next year.
22 Sep 10. Battelle selected by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for $350m task-order contract. Battelle will provide test and evaluation services to the TSA under a five-year, multiple award contract with a $350m ceiling. As part of the contract Battelle will bid on task orders to provide test and evaluation services to the TSA on security equipment in government testing facilities and when it is installed at airports around the country. Battelle has supported the test and evaluation of security equipment used to protect the national transportation infrastructure since 1997. The contract includes supporting an integrated evaluation strategy, including all data collection and analysis services required to support TSA security equipment testing objectives. A portion of this test and evaluation support will be performed at the TSA’s Systems Integration Facility (TSIF) at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
21 Sep 10. BAE Systems was selected to provide critical information security safeguards, including certification and accreditation, to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of FBI computer networks in the United States and around the world. Under a $40m order, BAE Systems serves as the prime contractor offering information security risk assessments, a form of quality control. The information assurance process is cyclical and is continuously monitored and improved as risks change so that data, some of it classified, is transmitted, stored and protected safely.
27 Sep 10. Smiths Detection today announces the award of an order valued at $43.5m from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for its Advanced Technology X-ray systems to be deployed at airport checkpoints across the United States. The order for HI-SCAN 6040aTiX systems is one of the first delivery orders placed against a five-year, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a ceiling of $325m. The award of the IDIQ contract was announced earlier in September. (Source: ASD Network)
29 Sep 10. QinetiQ’s OptaSense® technology has been chosen as the security system for the 1,770 km BTC pipeline on the Turkey section. The phased roll out of the system which commenced this week will see a further 600km of pipeline monitored by the OptaSense® fibre optic security system, also known as the Optical Fibre – Pipeline Intruder Detection System (OF-PIDS), following successful installation along 100km last year. The BTC is one of the longest crude oil pipelines in the world and the Turkish section of the BTC export system includes four pump stations, two pigging stations, 52 block valve sites and the Ceyhan marine export terminal. Operating since 2006, over 1 billion barrels of crude oil have been exported to world markets through the Ceyhan Marine Terminal. The BTC pipeline is operated overall by BP, and the designated operator for the Turkey section is Botas International Limited (BIL).