U.K. marketCompany profile: Radiation Watch
Company’s products are versatile, offering performance over a wide dynamic range of measurement, from very low to very high values, in one instrument
Radiation Watch specializes in threat assessment, providing technology and products for radiation detection and measurement that separate out the genuine threat from the mass of tangential information, such as that supplied by a sensor network or a complex of multiple sensor types. The company, based in Cowes, Isle of Wight, operates in the United States as well as the United Kingdom, both on its own and in partnership with American companies. Its products are versatile, offering performance over a wide dynamic range of measurement, from very low to very high values, in one instrument. A variety of styles of issuance software permits a single device to be configured, for example, as a survey meter for investigative operations or to function in a personal dosimetry role.
Two noteworthy Radiation Watch products are the Threat Engine (for anomalous behavior detection and tracking) and the SmartSurvey (which simplifies compliance survey execution and documentation).
(1) The first of these, the Threat Engine, is a software tool offering an intelligent core for integrated sensing systems, centered on the development of algorithms and the selection of information from surveillance devices.
The Threat Engine can function as the core of a full CBRNE system to pull together and analyze data from disparate sensors, or it can constitute the hub of a distributed/ubiquitous sensor system to extract signals of interest or to discern trends or changes in those signals. The software uses a highly adaptive Meta Pattern RecognitionTM system and intelligent front- and back-end processors. These allow introduction of multiple sensor types and operation in different modes, as well as fully programmable linking to alert mechanisms or networks — including CAP and ANSI N42.42 formats.
Radiation Watch said the effectiveness of the Threat Engine has been demonstrated both in a recognition mode (specifically, isotopic ID) and in a comparison mode (identifying similarities or differences among nominally like items). An extensive development kit is available to help establish the operational parameters for use of the Threat Engine in a number of different applications.
Radiation Watch is working with OEM customers to implement the Threat Engine in various types of integrated sensor systems.
(2) SmartSurvey, by providing for automated survey report generation, facilitates compliance survey execution and documentation, simplifying the work of the RSO and staff.
The application works with the Radiation Watch SM100 lightweight, hand-held survey meter, allowing regular surveys to be defined and then loaded to the device. The menu on the SM100 handheld unit thereupon prompts for the specific locations for the capture of data. All data are automatically downloaded and a survey report generated. The report shows the dose rate measurements in a timeline graphical format, from when the device was issued to when it was returned. Specified survey locations are highlighted and summarized, and all events tagged with start and end times. Surveys may also be set up without specified locations, data to be tagged by the user as areas or events are investigated.
A GPS add-on module allows locations to be automatically detected and recorded in either predefined or ad hoc operation. Programmable thresholds provide safety alarms for dose and dose rate to ensure user protection at all times. Password-controlled administrative levels in SmartSurvey ensure that only approved personnel can establish safety policies, and that the user of the device cannot change any operating parameters. Set-up and data download are implemented via BlueTooth wireless for ease of use and for verified data integrity. Options are available for WiFi and other wireless modes for interoperability or teledosimetry.
Said company founder Mike Anderson: “Radiation Watch is committed to the implementation of advanced technology in all areas of HS radiation sensing, and to the development of leading-edge solutions. In many instances new technology will give the sharp end of Homeland Security capabilities to help them detect and deal with the threats from the rogue elements in this world.”
