Vistascape tests system along U.S. border

ATLANTA - Video surveillance software company Vista-scape Security Systems has garnered its largest contract to date in a pilot project that will test the company’s system along a 12-mile stretch between the Mexico and United States border. The project marks the first border application for Vistascape’s software, which integrates with an existing surveillance system and helps manage data. Using this data, the software reports real-time graphical images of the region under surveillance to a Windows-based PC that serves as a command and control center. The software can detect, classify and track suspicious activity and then issue an alert. Glenn McGonnigle, president and chief executive officer of Vistascape, said the system should be installed by October, with the pilot project expected to last a few months. McGonnigle was unable to disclose the specific location of the pilot project or the project amount. Though Vistascape has installed its software in other government applications, such as at the Naval Base in San Diego, the agreement with the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection could become the company’s largest contract ever. The CBP is responsible for monitoring 7,200 miles of border between Mexico and Canada and the United States. It currently uses a combination of manpower, seismic sensing technology, cameras and other technology to monitor the border. McGonnigle said if the pilot project passes muster, the CBP could deploy Vistascape’s data management software along other areas of the United State border. That decision, however, will not be made for several months.