The Coast Guard has received $18 million in research and development funds in the FY ’17 omnibus appropriations act to examine the feasibility, costs, and benefits of using land-based, long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the transit zones. The legislation directs the Coast Guard to work with Customs and Border Protection and the Science and Technology branch of the Department of Homeland Security to do an analysis of alternatives on “available systems and mission equipment packages before conducting a proof of concept demonstration of selected systems.” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft has said that he wants to use land-based UAS to patrol the transit zones to help interdict drug traffickers.
The Kantara Initiative has received multiple research grants from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology branch valued at up to $2.4 million to develop three innovative digital identity and privacy solutions using smartphones including mobile device attribute verification, mobile authentication and physical access control. The initiative includes Lockstep Technologies, Gluu Inc., and Exponent Inc., Kantara, and the Command, Control and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis at Rutgers Univ.
Booz Allen Hamilton [BAH] has received a potential four-month $631,359 task order from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology branch to continue supporting the First Responders Community of Practice website while the website is transitioned to a government-hosted website. The award brings the value of the existing task order to $10.4 million.
Crossmatch earlier this month filed a suit against Integrated Biometrics in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging that numerous Integrated Biometrics scanners infringe four Crossmatch patents covering core functionalities of fingerprint scanners, including auto-capture, print error detection and capturing roll prints. Crossmatch seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting Integrated Biometrics’ sale of infringing products, as well as monetary damages. Integrated Biometrics calls the suit “frivolous” and a ploy by Crossmatch to slow its “rapid growth and presence in the biometrics market.” Integrated Biometrics also notes that that his has been a “key technology provider for Crosssmatch” for nearly five years.