Aug 25 2010
USIS, an Altegrity company, today announced the release of a new proprietary mobile construction surveillance system—SiteBoss™—for high-security government construction projects.
This technology revolutionizes the methods used by Construction Surveillance Technicians (also known as CSTs) on the nation’s most secure construction sites—bringing construction security practices into the digital age. CSTs, security officers with extensive expertise in architecture and construction, have become more common over the past 25 years since the date in August 1985 when work on the U.S. embassy in Moscow was halted after a U.S. inspection team discovered numerous eavesdropping devices in the building.
SiteBoss™ from USIS is a revolutionary electronic capture system developed specifically for high-security construction projects. According to Jesse Sanders, project manager, “Before we had this tool, CSTs were tracking and documenting everything that occurs during construction by writing in notepads.” Now, Windows-based Toughbook laptops with 10- to 12-hour battery life have replaced pen and paper, and the SiteBoss™ system from USIS allows security officers to record every detail—in real time—that is occurring on the jobsite. SiteBoss™ features 256-bit encryption, runs on Windows Mobile, and can file construction data reports at a rate of 31 pages per day in a 24-hour cycle. The SiteBoss™ system also syncs data to a server, permitting technicians to see information in real-time on a dashboard.
Mr. Sanders explains, “The system offers tremendous functionality. It allows users to view data, extract and edit it, and record observations. A report at the end of the day enables the client to view everything and anything that happened on the project, offering a previously unheard-of level of oversight and assurance.”
The need for this kind of solution was clear. According to Jeff Vining, vice president for security technology at the analyst firm Gartner, “The need for innovation in new security processes and technologies continues to increase in the face of pressing national security concerns. New oversight technologies are a critical component to stem the threat of terrorism, as well as fraud, waste and abuse in the construction and renovation of secure government facilities.”
USIS proposed the concept of SiteBoss™ to a government client in 2008 with the aim of capturing all construction information in electronic format. Eighteen months of development led to the first pilot project in spring 2009. According to the president of the USIS Security Solutions Division, Michael Fraser, “SiteBoss™ offers our government clients significant benefits. It eliminates daily transcription, creating much greater efficiency and enhancing the accuracy of the data. Security incident reports also can be attached through a process much like email, broadcasting an emerging situation to everyone connected in real time, and enabling a swift response with improved coordination.” Mr. Fraser continues, “Most important, SiteBoss™ makes information immediately accessible for both daily decision-making and long-term analysis. With the old process, documentation would be stored in boxes, warehoused, and never seen again, making it extremely difficult to use.”
Mr. Sanders added, “With all of the buildings being renovated and reconfigured, architects, engineers, and construction personnel can now have insight into that process, no matter what raises the question in the future.”
Source: http://www.usis.com/