True Port Security Requires Better Technology: UM Experts

Regardless of who manages U.S. ports, new technology can significantly improve security at these facilities, according to experts at the University of Maryland.

At present, more than 95 percent of shipping containers enter the United States without examination, says Kenneth Gabriel, an engineering program manager at Maryland's Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise. Supported by recent federal grants, Gabriel and other Maryland researchers are developing systems that can increase port security, as well as the safety and efficiency of freight as it moves from point of origin to final destination.

These experts can explain technologies now on the horizon that can help plug what is widely regarded as a major vulnerability in homeland security.

For example, Gabriel and his team are working to integrate current technology into a system that can precisely track the movement of specific shipments, locate their position within very large shipping containers, detect tampering, sense dangerous contraband, transmit this information in real time to authorities and then feed it into an easily searchable database. The plan is to have the system operational within three years.

Contact information and profiles follow the sample quotes below

SAMPLE QUOTES

Kenneth Gabriel
Senior research scholar and director, University of Maryland Center for Integrated Security and Logistics and Center for Automatic Identification Research

"It's not just who's watching the ports. The most dangerous aspect of port security is that only a tiny fraction of current shipments get any kind of examination. Existing scanning technology lacks precision. By blending a variety of sensing and communication technologies into a workable chain, we can provide real-time monitoring of shipments, detect tampering, intrusion or certain threats and then automatically send specific actionable information. We hope to have a working demonstration in a year."

William Lucyshyn
Director of research and senior research scholar, Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise, University of Maryland

"One of the main problems with port security is the tyranny of numbers. Inspecting all the containers is neither practical nor affordable, as evidenced by the small number currently inspected. But the risk of smuggling in a weapon of mass destruction is real, and the price of failure is unacceptable. The only solution is to physically inspect the high risk containers and leverage near-term technology to monitor the others."

Jacques Gansler
University of Maryland vice president for research; Roger C. Lipitz Chair in Public Policy and Private Enterprise; director, Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise

"Port security will be significantly enhanced by a combination of technology and international cooperative agreements. Inspecting every container as it enters U.S. ports will remain prohibitively expensive and highly disruptive to international trade. However, tagging each container with small, secure Radio Frequency Identification tags (RFID) and antitamper devices would be sufficient, provided the contents were validated prior to sealing on the international shipping end."

Hani S. Mahmassani
Charles Irish Sr. Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering; director, Maryland Transportation Initiative; leads Center for Intermodal Freight Transportation Mobility and Security

"The real-time component is what makes these various technologies so promising in providing greater freight security and efficiency. By offering economic as well as security advantages, they will be far more likely to be widely adopted. We're learning how to apply smart transportation technology to manage traffic and this is a logical extension of that work."

Number of experts found: 3

		Jacques S. Gansler Professor; Vice President for Research Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise
Expertise Key Words: Advanced homeland security and defense technology; defense supply-chain; defense industries; government acquisition
Contact Information:
Work phone(s)     E-mail(s)     301 405 4794 jgansler@umd.edu
Show all information about Jacques S. Gansler

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