The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is seeking commercial technologies to enable night vision for first responders.
Interested parties should submit their products by 5:00 p.m. EST on Dec. 10 for inclusion in a market survey by S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory.
Night vision technologies are important tools for responder agencies to secure communities, to spot movement at checkpoints, for search and rescue efforts on the ground and by air, for police searches, and for EMTs supporting law enforcement operations and incident response.
Submissions can be monocular or binocular and should utilize image intensification (I2) technology or integrated night vision capabilities. Devices with only thermal imaging capabilities are not being included in this market assessment.
“I2 devices use light amplification to enable visibility in low-light environments,” NUSTL test engineer Joseph Jankovic said. “Integrated night vision devices couple I2 technology with thermal imaging to provide an image of the surroundings that also allows for the detection of objects or targets of interest by their thermal signatures.”
The market survey report—produced by NUSTL’s System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program—will be posted to the SAVER Document Library on the S&T website.
“This project aims to provide information about advances in the image intensification type of devices commonly used by first responders,” DHS project lead Karin Decker said. “It will also highlight the benefits of devices that integrate that technology with thermal imaging, which responders may not have much experience with.”