Date: Oct 27, 2014 Source: Company Data (
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U.S. Department of Interior is sponsoring research and development efforts bringing together industry and university experts to deliver oil spill tracking and response systems
ANN ARBOR, MI — Evigia Systems, Inc., in collaboration with URS Inc., Midstream Technology and the College of William and Mary, has won two contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), part of the United States Department of Interior, for the research and development of new tracking technology for two major areas of concern -- oil response equipment and oil spills underneath ice floes.
As part of these contracts, Evigia, Midstream, and the College of William and Mary will be designing and developing new, cost-effective, long-lasting active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that are ruggedized to withstand harsh marine and artic environments to track oil spill response equipment. The team will deliver an integrated technology package that includes enhanced capability Geo-Referencing Identification (GRID) tags built upon Evigia's commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) wireless sensor and tracking technologies. The tags will be modified to withstand harsh salt-water and extreme temperature conditions and will employ new ultra-low power technologies to deliver 25% better operating life -- at a cost that is one-third that of any comparable technology. The tags are deployed with satellite links which allow response coordinators to tag and track assets anywhere in the world in preparation for and during an oil spill response. The system is expected to dramatically improve the ability to stage, transport and deploy equipment and resources during time-critical response operations.
The team will also be developing a new class of sensor-based tags with innovative acoustic beacon tracking for on-ice and under-water identification (UWID) deployment to track oil spills trapped underneath ice floes and enable recovery efforts. This collaborative R&D effort will deliver an innovative system of radio/GPS marking devices that can be affixed on or under an ice floe to mark the location of spilled oil. The tags communicate with satellite gateways and can be precisely deployed by ground observers or by use of unmanned aerial/ underwater (UAV / UUV) vehicles. The system will enable accurate tracking of trapped oil in conditions where weather, currents, and floe movement often complicate recovery efforts, greatly improving the effectiveness of environmental restoration.
Dr. Navid Yazdi, President of Evigia, states "This is a great opportunity to bring together the engineering and technical expertise of leading private firms along with highly specialized university researchers to deliver a solution for significant global issues. We have worked with Midstream Technology for years and they bring exceptional holistic understanding of the various tracking technologies involved. William and Mary's world-renowned Applied Science Department brings deep understanding of the complex underwater acoustic tracking requirements, and URS brings significant expertise in both oil spill response and technology to backstop every phase of our collaborative research effort. We have a great team to deliver on the vision that the Department of the Interior has for taking oil spill response capabilities to the next level."
About Evigia
Evigia is focused on innovation in integrated MEMS sensors, ASICs, and wireless technologies. Our core expertise is in MEMS multi-sensor design, integrated wireless connectivity, advanced fabrication and packaging. We have pioneered multiple proprietary sensor designs and IC fabrication techniques, with 20 patented/pending design and fabrication technologies in our portfolio. We are committed to providing connected multi-sensors and the enabling technologies that will allow for the mass and ubiquitous acquisition of data in manufacturing and process industries, biomedical and pharmaceuticals, power generation, and consumer applications.http://www.evigia.com
CONTACTS:
Evigia Systems, Inc.
Michael Young
+1 734-945-5305
mjyoung@evigia.com
