A Wireless Location Network for Marine Asset Tracking

Pharad LLC proposes to design and develop a fully automated marine asset tracking system that incorporates active ¿smart¿ Container Tags and a wireless communication network for precise container position location and monitoring. Such a system is vital for securing maritime cargo shipments and protecting US sea borders. Pharad¿s container tracking system will feature a location precision not available with existing systems, achieved via innovative design solutions for the Container Tag, Antenna Base Station and Central Station controller. The Container Tag will feature unique security features for detecting tampering or intrusion and other environmental conditions. The system will provide real-time visibility of all shipping containers in the terminal facility and onboard the ship, including current cargo location, transit history, container status information, and automatic alerts based on sensor alarms. For our solution, we are proposing a radio-based tag tracking system. To achieve the required location precision, we will undertake feasibility studies of the various tradeoffs in position location approaches, carry out accurate simulations of the radio signal propagation paths, develop new radio signal processing techniques, investigate a range of state-of-the-art RF and DSP technologies, and develop novel Container Tag and Base Station antenna designs.