The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget request for 2005 was $40.2 billion, and it is estimated that that the combined private and government spending in Homeland Security in the U.S. will reach between $130 and $180 billion in 2010. Two of the most critical areas of concern for DHS involve the management and monitoring of U.S. borders and intermodal container traffic at 361 official ports of entry.

Intermodal Container Security

Each year, over 7 million shipping containers are unloaded at U.S. ports, with less than three percent being subjected to official inspection. The U.S. Department of Commerce forecasts that annual container volumes will more than quadruple by 2025 to approximately 30 million containers. To address the security issues raised by potential terrorist use of containers to introduce weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear and biochemical weapons), balanced against the need to ensure the steady flow of cargo moving in international trade, DHS has promulgated initiatives such as the Container Security Initiative and the Advanced Container Security Device Program. The goals of these programs are to assure physical security of containers, identify container status change and detect dangerous cargo. Mesh Systems offers the ideal countermeasure to container security threats with its cost-effective, low-power, self-organizing, self-healing multi-hop wireless sensor network solutions. These solutions can monitor a broad range of parameters, including seal breach, intrusion or tampering, diversion, the presence of humans or animals, high-energy release materials and chemical, biological and radiological threats. Combined with global positioning systems, Mesh Systems can provide first responders with real-time, comprehensive situational awareness, allowing for interdiction of high risk containers at a safe distance.

Border Security

The U.S. and Canada share a 5525-mile border and the U.S.-Mexico border is 1989 miles. The sheer size of the area to be monitored makes it virtually impossible to assure border integrity using traditional monitoring and surveillance methods. Inadequate border security leaves the U.S vulnerable to the introduction of illegal immigrants, drugs and other contraband, and terrorist threats. Mesh Systems offers reliable wireless sensor network solutions that provide unattended, optimal real time monitoring, surveillance and data collection, 24/7, no matter how remote or inhospitable the terrain. Advanced motion detection sensor technology combined with interconnected IP video cameras can provide simultaneous intrusion alerts (with specific geographic location information) and real-time feeds to all agencies and authorities having jurisdiction.