from January 10, 2003, News-Sentinel
original URL:
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/ornl/article/0,1406,KNS_347_1663656.00.html
ORNL installs anti-terror sensors in Washington
By Frank Munger, munger@knews.com
January 10, 2003
OAK RIDGE - Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have installed about 20 sensor packages in Washington, D.C., as one of the first tests of the SensorNet system to combat terrorism.
The chemical and radiological sensors are being tested in conjunction with meteorological equipment installed earlier by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Biological detectors are not part of the Washington test but will be included in future operations.
Dick Reid of ORNL declined to specify the location of sensors in the nation's capital, but he said they are positioned on rooftops, at street level and on cell-phone towers. Workers began installing the sensors in November, he said.
ORNL researchers will use chemical simulants to test the effectiveness of detectors, as well as the communications network. The Washington system will remain activated to provide alerts in case of an actual release of hazardous materials.
"It's a pilot system, but it's also a leave-behind,'' Reid said. "When we're finished testing, we'll leave the sensors behind.''
Reid said workers are setting up a SensorNet command center at the National Transportation Research Center in Knoxville, where information from a variety of test sites will be received and evaluated. The command center could be operable by the end of January, he said.
ORNL has proposed SensorNet as an early-detection system for terrorist attacks involving chemical, biological and radioactive agents. The system of modular detectors is designed for deployment on cell-phone towers around the country, using wireless and satellite communications to relay data quickly to first responders. The goal is to have information to responders within five minutes of detection.
Last year, the lab successfully demonstrated the capabilities with tests in Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga.
Reid said the federal laboratory expects to receive $3 million in funding this year to pay for additional research, testing and refinement of the prototype system.
Other plans include:
Installation of video equipment and additional detectors at the I-40 East weigh station in Knox County, where the U.S. Department of Energy and the state Department of Transportation recently set up a system to detect radioactive materials in trucks. Chemical detectors will evaluate levels of toxic industrial materials, as well as chemicals possibly linked to terrorism. Meteorological equipment will be incorporated into the units. Work is expected to begin within the next couple of weeks.
Installation of test apparatus at ORNL and the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. Information from these detectors also will be fed into the command center at the National Transportation Research Center, located off Pellissippi Parkway near Hardin Valley Road.
ORNL officials were negotiating with emergency planners in New York City and Atlanta for possible pilot projects in those cities, but Reid said the projects have been put on hold. He said it's still possible that the lab may participate "on the periphery'' of a test conducted by the New York Port Authority.
Plans for SensorNet in Atlanta suffered a setback when U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., one of the project's supporters, was defeated in his reelection bid, Reid said.
Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 342-6329.
