Trial results conducted by multiple Canadian government agencies of the recent covert technology developped by Tektrap to trace and track the integrity of maritime containers worldwide

Abstract

iCargo is an easy-to-install miniature covert electronic device combining GPS and door lock tracking with wireless and satellite communications to remotely track the status and position of maritime containers worldwide. A system of strategically placed readers combined with satellite or cellular communications and redundant technologies ensures that security breaches are detected early and reliably anywhere along the supply chain. iCargo provides a GPS trace of where a container has travelled and where the container might have been opened. Deviations from the expected itinerary in time and/or distance are detected and the container can be flagged for physical inspection. Such a system helps borders authorities to focus their energy on suspicious cargo with the overall impact of speeding the flow of all cargo. iCargo uses a patented technique to convert the metal structure of the container into an antenna thereby allowing it to be installed behind the rubber seal of the door in a truly covert fashion. Other technologies are visible from the exterior and vulnerable to tampering and damage during container handling. The location within the door gasket is ideal for monitoring the door open/close status as well as for acting as a communications gateway to optional internal sensors. There are approximately 7 million maritime containers entering/leaving North America every year. The interiors of such containers are rarely inspected. Such containers may include contraband, hazmats, weapons or illegal items that present an economic or security risk. Despite significant security improvements since Sept-11th, only 5% of the maritime containers go through physical inspection. The use of the iCargo mounted on a container at the point of departure will assist government authorities in making better decisions about which containers to inspect thereby speeding up the overall throughput of all containers. In today's lean economy, goods in transit do not contribute to economic growth but instead are added costs to customers and shippers. With rising fuel and transportation costs, delays at borders are becoming increasingly expensive. Early detection via the iCargo system will help to reduce these costs by not only helping to shorten inspection delays but by also allowing officials to focus their energy on suspicious cargo thereby improving border security. Tektrap has been selected for the Pool of Pre-qualified Proposals for the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP). CICP is a very competitive program that targets recent innovations, especially in the field of national security, which are ready for the beta phase of product development. Within this award, iCargo will be evaluated during spring and early summer 2012 by Canada Border Services Agency for Canadian-US border application, by Defense Research and Development Canada, DND, for land, rail and air applications in the Canada Nordic environment, and by Transport Canada for trans-Canada land/rail and Asia-Canada sea conditions. In addition to presenting the results of these multiple trial results, this paper covers the innovative engineering aspects of using the metal enclosure of a maritime container as a VHF, cellular, satellite, GPS and Wifi antenna, thereby eliminating the need to add any external antenna and achieving the goal of being 100% covert.