DHS awards contract to develop wayfinding technology for airports, CBP checkpoints

Arup USA, Inc. has been awarded $104,140 through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) to develop wayfinding technology to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) navigational resources for international travelers.

The funds will support the New York City-based company’s efforts to develop real-time navigation and orientation capabilities for processing travelers at airports and CBP checkpoints. Using cloud services, smartphones and augmented reality, the technology would be integrated with nearby low-energy beacons and would provide real-time data on wait times and queues to improve customer service.

“Arup USA proposes a novel way of helping travelers understand and complete the CBP inspection process,” Arun Vemury, program manager of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, said. “Accessible and integrated mobile wayfinding will enhance the efficiency of traveler navigation and interactions with CBP, alleviating some of the stress of international travel.”

Plans call for the technology to require little maintenance, low startup costs and to be available to all smartphone users. The service would be available online and offline, and it would users to opt-in or opt-out to ensure security and privacy.

“We are excited to see Arup USA be the first to join our portfolio of Wayfinding technology companies,” Melissa Ho, managing director of SVIP, said. “In this first phase of SVIP, the company will provide a proof-of-concept for its technology that subject matter experts in DHS S&T and CBP will review for potential next-phase funding. Arup USA has joined a rigorous program that is designed to help its product become more viable for DHS use-cases.”

Arup USA plans to develop the technology with Pointr, a United Kingdom-based company that focuses on indoor location technology.