Johnson Controls Introduces New Gunshot Detection System
Johnson Controls [JCI] has released the new Detect360 Active Shooter Response system, which combines gunshot detection with notification technology to provide immediate warning when a gunshot is fired within a building. “With the ever-increasing threat of active shooter events, having a system that provides early and accurate gunshot detection combined with clear, precise communication is now a necessary part of a life safety strategy for any building,” says Thomas Connell, senior manager, Life Safety, for Johnson Controls. The company says its Detect360 gives occupants time to find safety and allows police and security personnel to mitigate the threat up to 60 percent faster. The system uses acoustic sensors with multiple microphones to detect the sound of gunfire. Algorithms are used to analyze the acoustic signature to confirm the sound was produced by a gun. The system displays the location of the shooter on a map-based graphical user interface.
FaceTech Touts Performance of ZoOm 3D Face Authentication Technology
FaceTech says its ZoOm 3D FaceMap technology is 668 percent better performing than the operating point of the National Institute of Standards and Technology top leaderboard entry, making it the best performing 1 to 1 face matching algorithm in history. FaceTec says its technology has a real-world false acceptance rate of one in 4.2 million with less than a 1 percent false rejection rate. The company says its software creates 3D face maps using common 2D cameras.
Pennsylvania Participates in DHS Cyber Security Exercise for Election Security
The State of Pennsylvania says it, along with county officials, this month it participated in a national cyber training exercise hosted by the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The Tabletop the Vote 2019 exercise helps election, information technology and security personnel train for cyber incident response by simulating scenarios that could impact voting operations. Participants reviewed best practices and areas of improvement in cyber incident planning, identification, response and recovery. “These exercises provide us with an invaluable opportunity to test our response plans and share best practices among our federal, state and local partners,” says Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar.
Raytheon Teams with Black Sage on Counter-Drone Technology
Raytheon [RTN] this month said it has teamed with counter-drone technology supplier Black Sage to provide an integrated solution to mitigate threats from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for civil, critical infrastructure and military applications worldwide. Under the teaming arrangement with Black Sage, Raytheon will provide its Windshear command and control system and integrate in Black Sage’s sensors, artificial intelligence and radio frequency jammers, creating a system a single operator can use to “safely and quickly track, take over or land drones flying where they shouldn’t,” Raytheon says. Civil authorities and owners and operators of critical infrastructures such as airports worldwide are interested in C-UAS systems that can detect, track and mitigate potential drone threats without interfering with other electronic systems nearby or impacting nearby populations and physical infrastructure. “As we saw at Gatwick and Heathrow airports, drones operating inside commercial air corridors are posing a real challenge,” says Todd Probert, vice president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “And though Raytheon has developed a range of counter-drone systems, from missiles to lasers to high-powered microwaves, authorities also need a system that can safely stop and land a drone where it may not be safe to shoot them down. That’s why we’ve teamed with Black Sage on a solution safe enough to operate in a populated area.”