Port of Houston Authority purchases situation-planning technology

The deployment of Situator is scheduled to begin in early August, according to Orsus.

The project will integrate hundreds of cameras and access points, plus other devices for the port authority’s public terminals. Situator also will bring together video management, video analytics, visitor management, police-dispatch software and weather-alert systems for the Port of Houston Authority, according to the company.

The technology will enable the port authority to integrate with multiple internal and external communication systems, including Houston TranStar, a partnership of four government agencies to provide transportation management and emergency management services to the greater Houston region.

“Once we implement the Situator system, PHA will have enhanced capability for integrating our security technology,” said Wade Battles, managing director for the Port of Houston Authority. “An added benefit of the new software is that it is more user-friendly.”

The Port of Houston is made up of the Port of Houston Authority and 150 private industrial companies located along the 25-mile stretch of the Houston Shipping Channel. In 2007, more than 225 million tons of cargo passed through the Port of Houston.

With Orsus’ Situator, the Port of Houston Authority can integrate incident reporting, simulate security-related events for training purposes and integrate system-analysis tools to provide a comprehensive security approach, according to Orsus. The technology will enable the port authority to improve risk management, minimize vulnerability and comply with security regulations governing port facilities, the company added.

“The Port of Houston is home to the second-largest petrochemical complex in the world and ranked first in the United States for foreign waterborne tonnage and second in total tonnage, which makes it a priority for the most advanced security solutions,” said Gal Oron, president Americas at Orsus.