Government Facilities- Optical Intrusion Alarm for Defense of Critical Infrastructure Under Conditions of Fog, Smoke or Fire
Dr. Robert Cohn with the University of Louisville is developing a low-cost, optical sensor network suitable for broad area surveillance of the perimeter surrounding critical infrastructure. The system can be designed to sense the intrusion by humans and vehicles including their position, trajectory, size and shape. Systems based on the optical sensing concept are intended to and appear capable of performing this surveillance in the presence of fog, rain, smoke, and flames, and underwater through turbulence and turbidity.
The Challenge
The task of assuring the security of our homeland involves protecting the citizens of the United States, the nation's critical infrastructure and key assets. This is necessary to sustain the nation's vitality against terrorism and other threats. This protection must originate at the community level. It requires discovering, developing and deploying new technology that will support first responders and key decision makers in local communities.
The Mission
NIHS' mission is to discover, develop and deploy solutions that protect and preserve the critical infrastructure of the nation's communities.
The Institute
NIHS aligns projects and research objectives with the needs and requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The strategy is to manage a distributed research enterprise that effectively transitions research and development into solutions. NIHS works with DHS to determine technology needs at the community level. Then, teams are quickly assembled from multiple universities to develop solutions to the needs.
The Strategy
Through management of the Kentucky Critical Infrastructure Protections Program (KCI), the National Institute for Hometown Security (NIHS) provides an ongoing, integrated program dedicated to developing new technologies and devices. NIHS works through qualified academic institutions to accomplish the technological objectives.
