European science and technology leader QinetiQ has announced that it is
developing an enhanced GPS technology which is up to 1000 times more
sensitive than existing GPS receivers, making it possible for signals to be
picked up inside buildings and in extreme outdoor environments.
With the prisoner community growing dramatically in recent years and Home
Office figures indicating that inmate numbers could increase from 72,500 to
more than 109,900 by 2009 if present trends continue, QinetiQ's enhanced
GPS could be used to relieve pressure on the UK's burgeoning prison
population. GPS enabled 'bracelets' can, for example, be used to detect the
movement of day-release and home-based prisoners, with the QinetiQ system
able to extend GPS tracking into buildings, vehicles and into difficult
outdoor environments such as densely wooded areas.
In addition to being much more sensitive than competing GPS systems and
offering a rapid-time-to-first-position, the new technology is far more
robust than competing technologies. This makes it more suitable for use in
tracking released offenders, where convicted criminals would need to be
constantly monitored for the programme to be effective and acceptable to
the public.
QinetiQ manager Richard Noel says that the technology could create
'geofenced' areas for active or reactive use. A 'geofence' is an
established geographic area of a map and may include rectangles, circles,
ellipses, regions, or 'buffers' such as an object a set distance around
other objects. A geofence can be regarded as a virtual boundary that will
trigger a predefined response when crossed by an object or a person. In the
context of prisoner tagging, a geofenced area is an area defined by its GPS
co-ordinates where the tagged offender could either be restricted from
leaving or prevented from entering. An 'active' system - which immediately
relays signals every 30-seconds to relevant authorities - could be
complemented by a 'reactive' system where data could be downloaded for
analysis later.
"Today, no truly successful correctional system can operate exclusively as
a lock-up service; 'security' is a far broader concept than bricks and
mortar and CCTV cameras. GPS technology is about crime prevention and
taking a more intelligent, cost-effective approach to imprisonment and
prisoner management," said Noel.
A key advantage of the QinetiQ GPS system is it that it requires only a
very small antenna, thereby reducing complexity, bulk and costs.
Acknowledging the problems associated with attaching unwieldy GPS
technology to prisoners, correctional services around the world are looking
at widening the adoption of discretely sized electronic wrist and ankle
bracelets.
Recent instances of successful arrests recorded by the US Department of
Corrections indicates that the use of GPS ankle bracelets and has helped
place tagged prisoners at the scene of robberies and violations of
probation. The Department of Corrections in some US states ultimately wants
to place the tracking bracelets on all high-risk offenders.
GPS was created by the US military for the provision of accurate position,
movement and time measurement. The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978
and the system declared operational for civilian use in 1995. It currently
operates 28 satellites in orbit 20,220km above the Earth. These
continuously broadcast position and time data and are distributed so that a
minimum of six satellites is generally in view anywhere in the world.
In addition to prisoner tracking devices, QinetiQ's GPS technology platform
sits at the heart of a wide variety of new Location-Based Services (LBS),
technologies which allow mobile phone users to determine their position and
take advantage of a variety of useful new applications. These applications
include services such as turn-by-turn navigation, mobile resource and
logistics management, and other enterprise LBS applications.
http://www.qinetiq.com/news_room/newsreleases/2003/2nd_quarter/gps_tagging.html
QinetiQ today announces the signing of a 25-year contract with MOD for Test
& Evaluation services. Known as the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA),
this contract, which takes effect from 1 April 2003, covers the management
of the MOD's 22 principal ranges and is worth up to £5.6 billion.
The contract replaces the short-term contracts under which QinetiQ has
previously operated the sites. LTPA provides the basis by which QinetiQ is
able to invest up to £150 million in the modernisation of the ranges and
thereby deliver savings to MOD customers of £700 million over the period of
the contract.
The conclusion of the QinetiQ PPP with the introduction of the Carlyle
Group as an investor has provided QinetiQ with the ability to fund its
investment. Carlyle has taken a 33.8% stake in the company and around 2000
QinetiQ employees have taken up the opportunity to invest in equity
amounting to 3.7%.
Glenn Youngkin (The Carlyle Group managing director), Colin Balmer (chief
financial officer MOD) and Sir Denys Henderson join the QinetiQ Board.
Other non-executive members are Dame Pauline Neville-Jones (chairman) and
Jonathan Symonds. Executive directors are Sir John Chisholm (chief
executive), Graham Love (chief financial officer) and Hal Kruth (group
commercial director).
When making the LTPA announcement in the House of Commons today Defence
Minister Dr Lewis Moonie said: "I am confident that the Long-Term Contract
with QinetiQ will deliver very substantial savings to the taxpayer. Most
importantly, the LTPA will provide a framework within which innovation and
efficiency are encouraged and rewarded."
Sir John Chisholm said the completion of the PPP marked a major milestone
in releasing the power of QinetiQ's science and technology to the benefit
of its commercial and military customers. Further, the LTPA enabled QinetiQ
to; "Invest in creating the kind of world class facilities which will
provide our customers with the service they need at a price they can
afford, while allowing our staff to participate in a challenging and
rewarding future".
http://www.qinetiq.com/news_room/newsreleases/2003/1st_quarter/qinetiq4.html
