SAN JOSE, Calif., 17 May 2005. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded a Phase II Marine Asset Tag Tracking System (MATTS) contract to iControl Inc.
MATTS is part of the Future Smart Container initiative, which establishes the architecture and standards necessary to secure shipping containers from the factory to the warehouse. Phase II culminates in the demonstration of iControl's solution in a global operating environment.
While industry has focused on supply chain management and "port-centric" communications, iControl's MATTS solution will provide Homeland Security and first responders with "anytime, anywhere" access to a container's status.
"Managing the supply chain is not the same as securing the supply chain," states iControl's MATTS program manager, Diane Quick. "Terrorists do not fill out manifests or use RFID tags on their shipments. A compromised container is a threat not only to ports, but also to urban areas and critical infrastructure it passes while in transit. Securing populations, property, and economies requires continuous container tracking and monitoring."
The MATTS architecture consists of container tags, gateways, and a Data Center. iControl's use of its existing commercial products as a baseline for the MATTS solution substantially reduced cost, risk, and development time. In addition, iControl was able to concentrate on technological innovations that would overcome limitations identified in other industry and government efforts. The result is an adaptive, multimode location determination and communications system that will operate anywhere in the world.
Fred Tubb, iControl's CEO, elaborated on the advantages of iControl's approach. "The MATTS program requirements represent a challenging, yet logical extension of our commercial product capabilities. During Phase II, iControl's container tracking device will be deployed as a miniaturized System-On-Chip (SOC) design. It provides substantially superior processing, communication range, and worldwide tracking capability when compared to RFID technologies. Strategically, we have chosen international standards to improve overseas adoption, to speed deployment, and to minimize installation."
iControl is a leader in remote monitoring and control via the Internet. Products include iDAC data acquisition and control units, iGATE wide-area network gateways, and iVIEW data fusion, display, and reporting suite of web-based tools. iControl is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. For more information, see www.icontrol-inc.com.
