Newswise — WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today announced a new 18-month, $2.9 million contract award to ENSCO, Inc. for continued work on SenseNet, an effort to develop a low-cost integrated sensor system that can detect biological health hazards in buildings and other high-occupancy indoor facilities. DHS initiated the SenseNet program to improve biological detection system performance by further integrating and fusing multiple sensor types, and developed strategies to share the cost burden of a system through commercial utility and application.
“Biological and environmental health hazards can pose a high threat to our nation. S&T is working to develop an innovative solution to this evolving problem using sensors that not only quickly and accurately detect possible hazards, but also distinguish between naturally occurring events and those that may be threats,” said William N. Bryan, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology. “SenseNet is a key example of how S&T is creating new approaches to help protect American citizens and infrastructure.”
During prior phases of the program, ENSCO designed, developed, and successfully demonstrated a prototype system that could be adapted for a variety of building layouts. This current effort will build an architecture that integrates multiple sensor types that are potentially highly distributed and will generate data that can be collected and analyzed in the cloud for rapid situational awareness and response.
With this new award, ENSCO will continue to develop, integrate, test, and demonstrate a tiered aerosol detection system that combines low-cost and rapid dedicated environmental monitoring sensors with newly emerging commercial sensors being used by citizens and facility owners for air quality, pollution tracking, and building efficiency purposes.
For more information about S&T, its sensor portfolio and its work securing critical infrastructure, visit scitech.dhs.gov.
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