Investigate Existing Non-Intrusive (NII) Technologies for Port Cargo Inspections
Qi Yi, Yasamin Salehi and Yubian Wang, Texas Southern University, September 2011, 61 pp. (161042-1)
The quantity of cargo handled by United States ports has increased significantly in recent years. Based on 2004 data, almost 2.7 billion tons of cargo passed through the ports in one year. To protect the U.S., all of this cargo must be inspected by U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP) officials in the most effective manner possible. Existing non-intrusive inspection (NII) technologies have significant strengths, but they also have some weaknesses, such as a low detection rate and a long inspection time. Fortunately, there are newer and more advanced technologies that can be used to inspect cargo with higher accuracy and less delay. The goal of this research was to identify the most effective and efficient combination of NII technologies for inspecting cargo arriving at U.S. ports. For this purpose, a discrete-event simulation model was developed to simulate the cargo inspection procedure. By simulating the operations of different combinations of NII technologies, the effectiveness and efficiency of the various combinations were evaluated. This information was used to provide recommendations about the most effective and efficient combinations of NII technologies for detecting a wide range of contraband. The results of this research are helpful in making decisions concerning the appropriate choices of NII technologies for use in inspecting cargo that is entering U.S. ports.
Keywords: Non-intrusive Inspection (NII), Advanced Spectroscopic Portals (ASP), Passport Systems (PS), Arena Model, Discreet Simulation
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