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NOGALES BORDER CROSSING

Project Name: Nogales Epic II Electronic Clearance System
IRD Contract #: Phase I = 10165 / Phase II = 10203
Client Name: Arizona Department of Transportation
End User: Arizona Dept. of Transportation & US Dept. of Homeland Security
Value of Contract: Phase I = $504,228.00 USD / Phase II = $167,000.00 USD
Total Value of Contract: $671,228.00 USD
Date of Award: October 2002
Date of Completion: Phase I = April 2003 / Phase II = February 2004
Location: Located at the border crossing of Nogales, Arizona and Mexico.

Project Description: The EPIC II system software is a modern Port of Entry (POE) screening and customs enforcement system. The software integrates several different border management and ITS technologies together including:

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tracking
Slow Speed Weigh In Motion (SSWIM) scales
Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) traffic control
Data Entry and Vehicle Display Workstation
Central Server system
Fiber Optic LAN

Phase I was the implementation of hardware and phase II was the implementation of the central server system which will integrate the other technologies and departments together.

As vehicles approach the Nogales POE, cars are directed to the Customs building and commercial vehicles proceed to the initial pre-screening area. At the pre-screening location, all commercial vehicles are weighed, photographed, and checked for AVI transponders. An IRD computer merges the information together in such a manner that it can be displayed at any workstation upstream from the pre-screening area.

The commercial vehicles proceed to a “super booth” where the information is gathered at the pre-screening area and will be reviewed. The system determines an inspection strategy and directs the vehicle to the Department of Agriculture, US Customs, Xray, etc.

The EPIC II system is designed to improve the efficiency and security of port operations through:

Automation of referrals which allows Port Authorities to create vehicle screening rules that will generate a referral to an inspection station based on driver, vehicle or commodity characteristics.
Tracking of vehicles within the compound which allows Port Authorities to determine where a vehicle has been, where it needs to go before it exits the compound, and the status of its crossing
Tracking of vehicles over time which allows Port Authorities to review information obtained during previous crossings to assist in processing procedures and determining patterns.
Report generation which allows Port Authorities to view statistics on number, status and duration of crossings and inspections.

In addition to these features, work is underway to add interfaces to CVISN (Commercial Vehicle Information System Network), to FAST (Free and Secure Trade system), and to ACE (Automated Computer Environment). This was accomplished by developing a database structure that facilitates the addition of system modules to interface to OEM hardware components (RFID readers, radioactive detectors, cameras, container seals, etc.) and to external information sources such as State or Federal OEM databases (MS SQL, Oracle, DB2, etc.).

Arial view of the clearance system at the border of Nogales, Arizona

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