U.S. airport security experts ask industry for enabling technologies in open-architecture threat detection

May 1, 2024
Agency seeks to boost TSA officer vigilance during screening, exposure to emerging threats, performance measurement, operational testing, and research.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – U.S. airport security experts are reaching out to industry to find companies able to provide open-architecture enabling technologies in a future connected transportation security system of systems.

Officials of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Springfield, Va., have issued a request for information (TSA25-04-03789) for the agency's Open Architecture Initiatives program.

TSA's primary technology interests are digital imaging and communications in security image data; detection algorithms; common workstations; and threat image projection.

Digital imaging and communications in security image data consists of data collection; data standardization; data harmonization; image data annotation; data archiving, accessibility and distribution; and data maintenance.

Related: TSA approaches industry for open-systems passenger- and baggage screening technologies for airport security

Detection algorithms seek to enable rapid deployment and evaluation of enhanced and new anomaly and threat detection algorithms.

Common workstations seeks to standardize the physical and graphical user interface across screening to reduce training, certification, and complexity for TSA officers.

Threat image projection will support threat detection and mitigation using an artificial threat injection tool that projects images such as explosives, guns, knives, and other prohibited items in passenger bags. Detected will be projected onto X-ray systems for TSA officers to investigate at airports.

This approach will help support TSA officer vigilance during screening, exposure to emerging threats, performance measurement, operational testing, and research.

Related: TSA airport security experts eye $99 million program for enabling technologies to speed passenger screening

TSA’s open-architecture approach seeks to use standardized interfaces, data formats, communication protocols, and related solutions, and to establish infrastructure to make security screening data accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Agency leaders seek to use commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products as much as possible.

Companies interested should email responses no later than 3 June 2024 to the TSA's siobhan.mullen at [email protected], and to Siobhan Lawson at [email protected].

Email questions or concerns no later than 17 May 2024 to the TSA's siobhan.mullen at [email protected], and to Siobhan Lawson at [email protected].

More information is online at https://sam.gov/opp/fbe7075cb182462eb3c0c66d827a2b7d/view.

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