LOVELAND, CO, Mar. 31, 2009 -- The GuardianBlue® Early Warning System (EWS) from Hach Homeland Security Technologies (HST) was selected as the top new product in the Homeland Security category at a special awards program sponsored by Security Products magazine. The program recognized outstanding IT products showcased at the GovSec, U.S. Law Conference and Exhibition Mar. 11-12, 2009 in Washington, DC.
The GuardianBlue EWS analyzes drinking water to guard against contamination and is the first and only early warning system for drinking water certified and designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an approved product for security. Once every minute the system measures and analyzes sensor data for five water quality parameters and calculates a trigger signal, which indicates a deviation from the water quality baseline. If significant deviations occur, the trigger signal alarms security officials in real-time and can instantly signal automatic samplers to capture real-time water samples at designated monitoring locations. The system then analyzes the GuardianBlue Agent Library to assess and classify the deviation. The library contains fingerprints for a wide variety of threat contaminants, ranging from VX and ricin to arsenic and herbicides.
"Hach HST is extremely proud to have its GuardianBlue EWS recognized with this prestigious award," says Katy Craig, director of Hach HST. "Hach's commitment to developing innovative and breakthrough technologies begins with a strong commitment to ongoing research and Hach HST has one overarching goal: To ensure the safety and quality of the nation's drinking water."
GuardianBlue Early Warning Systems were intensively used last year for the Beijing 2008 Olympics to protect the 10,000 athletes, 30,000 journalists, 80 heads of state and others who had gathered in and around the National Stadium the Olympic Village and a number of surrounding hotels. The systems provided continuous and accurate screening for toxicity that would characterize an intentional contamination of the water supply.
Hach Homeland Security Technologies, formed by Hach Company in 2002 as a separate research and development division, focuses on the development of innovative and breakthrough technologies that can be used to detect contamination events, terrorist activity, and improve general operational control in both water and air.
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