Protecting Private Facilities from Terrorists
Sporting events and other large gathering places are high profile targets for terrorist REDs and Dirty Bombs.
Sporting events such as the Super Bowl or World Series and malls or resorts with lots of people gathered, are high profile terrorist targets. The Department of Health and Human Services has identified Radiological Exposure Devices (REDs) and Dirty Bombs, also called Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs), made using sources stolen from a hospital, as significant threats. Interruption of an event or normal business by even the threat of an attack could be very costly.
GammaPix protection from REDs
First Layer of Protection A single, already installed surveillance camera equipped with GammaPix software can spot a RED from 100 yards away in under a minute. Surveillance at night, when a RED is likely to be planted would provide a warning to security personnel, during the planting of the first RED, facilitating the capture of the terrorist before more REDs could be planted.
A second layer of protection can be provided by security personnel smartphones or tablets equipped with GammaPix. These devices can also detect a RED within 100 yards for interdiction of the attack or post attack emergency response.
A third layer of protection can be provided by personal smartphones carried by spectators and customers. Geo-tagged and time-stamped radioactivity readings automatically collected by the Image Insight server can be fed to security personnel.
Protection from lightly shielded Dirty Bombs
Unlike the RED, whose source must be fully exposed to be effective, the Dirty Bomb or RDD can be shielded to avoid detection prior to detonation. RDDs could be carried into a large crowd, say by backpack, the method used in the Boston Marathon bombing. Such RDDs whose shielding is limited by the weight that can be carried are detectable with GammaPix. Data transmitted to a command center can lead to interdiction of the attack.
If a radiological terrorist attack or accident should occur
In the event of a radiological terrorist attack or accident, GammaPix-network equipped smartphones and video surveillance cameras, transmitting data to a Command Center, can allow quick assessment of the location and extent of the danger to facilitate emergency response.