JETC GeoWerx - Collaboration for national security
Presentation at the 2024 GeoWerx conference in Orlando, Florida. Photo provided by Dan Mummert, PE, Senior Engineer, Innovation, Pickett and Associates, LLC
We can’t worry about threats to our national infrastructure all the time, but there are people who make it their life’s work to identify and resolve national security infrastructure-related challenges. Recently, Berntsen had the opportunity to gather with this group of dedicated professionals for a collaborative conference centered on strengthening national security.
Sumukh Ramesh - Software Product Manager for InfraMarker, highlights the collaborative features of InfraMarker Connected RFID for GeoWerx participants.
The Joint Engineer Training Conference (JETC) gathers experts from across the architecture, engineering and construction industries to collaborate with the Society of Military Engineers (SAME) to share new technologies and approaches to resolve pressing challenges. The conference offered more than 70 sessions on a range of topics, including sessions on cyber resiliency for defense-critical infrastructure, digital twinning installation operations, the U.S. National BIM program. Berntsen and InfraMarker were proud to participate in the JETC GeoWerx event for the first time this year.
Focus on GeoWerx
Molly Holt, an Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure team civil engineer for Hurricane Ian recovery, conducts a rapid evaluation safety assessment at Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Oct. 19, 2022. Edited image. Original photo by Patrick Moes, Army Corps of Engineers.
One of the key disciplines within the JETC is geospatial engineering – using resources and processes that enable high fidelity location-enabled products and services. This focus is called GeoWerx, a working group of geospatial professionals focused on leveraging geographic information systems (GIS) to better protect and manage infrastructure. This group offered a series of 20-minute presentations by members and sponsors highlighting the newest geospatial approaches in disaster recovery and asset management. Berntsen shared how its InfraMarker RFID leverages GIS to locate, identify and verify infrastructure assets after natural disasters.
InfraMarker RFID for disaster recovery
This technology is particularly well-suited to disaster recovery, where rapid access to accurate infrastructure information is crucial. Emergency crews must swiftly locate shut-off valves, identify asset ownership and communicate hazards to ensure public safety.
After a disaster, GIS alone is not sufficient to identify the location of infrastructure that may have shifted during the event. A digital map directing field staff to the former locations of critical shut-off valves and switches is helpful. Adding RFID to assets is a game-changer. RFID provides asset verification on site when time is of the essence. Emergency workers can quickly scan, identify, and verify tagged assets wherever they lie.
Passive RFID tags don’t require power – they activate when scanned by the battery-powered reader. RFID doesn’t require line-of-sight, so if assets are buried or lie under wreckage, they can still be located, identified, and tied to their record in GIS to quickly direct emergency workers to the right place.
Radio Frequency Identification is the fastest growing asset ID technology in the world. It is ideally suited for infrastructure asset marking because it’s passive, rugged and works even when buried.
Berntsen was thrilled to share this technology with the Society of Military Engineers other agencies and organizations that can benefit from it’s versatility and scalability – a simple method to leverage the power of GIS to mark and manage any assets, wherever they are.
See you next year at GeoWerx
We are grateful to the opportunities provided at the JETC conference and look forward to the exciting results of new collaborations – and to next year’s conference at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky on May 13-15, 2025.