Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) comprise explosives, flammables, oxidizing substances, poisonous gases, and radioactive materials. By definition, they can be extremely harmful to the environment and to human's health, since exposure to their toxic ingredients may cause injury or even death.

Their effects are an apparently inevitable consequence of the industrial processes dictated by the life style of our modern society. It follows that transporting these materials, often in populated or environmentally sensitive areas, is also inevitable. Reducing the potential negative impacts of transporting HAZMAT is an important task faced by communities, governments, HAZMAT producers and shippers. Routing HAZMAT wisely and designing safer networks for doing so are powerful means to achieve this end. A fundamental requirement of route design and assignment is to minimize the risk imposed by shipments traversing each link in a network.

The procedure for finding the route consists of:

1. Create buffers of specified widths (based on the type of chemical) for severe and less intense areas to all links.

2. Generate all available paths between origin and destination and find the total population coming in the buffer area by overlay.

3. Select the path which is having minimum population exposure.

4. Show the total population coming in each buffer.

Considering the complexities in developing, updating, managing and processing of the transport network data, there is an urgent need to adopt new concepts of information technology in design and development of information system for efficient transportation network management.

Reltronics Technologies provides HAZMAT Tracking System which is a complete solution to handle this kind of environment with the integration of GIS, GPS and RFID technologies. This solution provides the hub technology for planning, deploying, operating, and optimizing transportation systems. Solution provides for cheaper and faster data collection tools and the availability of high-quality commercial data sets. Transportation professionals can use HAZMAT Tracking System to integrate mapping analysis into decision support for network planning and analysis, vehicle tracking and routing, asset management, inventory tracking, route planning and analysis, and everything in between.

Reltronics Technologies understand the importance of handling Hazardous materials carefully without affecting surrounding environment. This leads to careful planning and dividing each process to complement the system deployment, which in-turn provides for efficient working of the entire system to meet the objectives set forth.

Problem

1. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requires cradle-to-grave tracking of all hazardous waste.

2. This is difficult when the cradle (generator) is in one part of the country and the grave (receiving facility) is in another.

3. Strict adherence to the statutory laws of state of origin and state of destination is must in this case.

4. Current paper-based system does not allow for timely confirmation of disposition.

5. There is a need to provide more effective compliance monitoring.

6. Clear down level visibility should be provided and every movement of the hazardous material transportation has to be tracked and well informed to the authorities who are dealing with it.

7. Disaster management and recovery system should be on alert while transportation work is being carried out, till it finishes.

8. Real time information to be furnished with on demand reports to all the stakeholders at all levels.

Solutions

1. GPS and GIS integration will provide tracking of movement of vehicles with respect to its surroundings in the real time.

2. RFID is a commercially ready tracking technology which helps in down level visibility and strict maintenance of security all through the transportation channel.

3. Using GIS, GPS with RFID to physically track shipments of hazardous waste across the state and country strengthens environmental compliance.

4. HAZMAT Tracking System helps in increased coordination between environmental authorities will facilitate increased security of these shipments.

5. Drums can be effectively tracked from the generator to the receiving facility.

6. Accurate, timely notification can be sent to governing authorities and provide down level visibility when waste enters receiving state from the state of origin and till it reaches the designated treatment storage or disposal (TSD) facility.

Verification

Verification study is being conducted under the Environmental Technology Verification / Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluation (ETV/ESTE) Program.
Various transportation scenarios will be performed to demonstrate the performance of the HAZMAT tracking technology with the integrated GIS, GPS and RFID technologies.
Scenarios will be conducted by Reltronics Technologies in the state of origin. Once the feasibility of the HAZMAT Tracking System is confirmed, a field test will be conducted.

Performance measures will include:

1. Tracking Vehicles and providing each vehicle’s information with its contents at real time.

2. Tag read rate.

3. Tag read distance.

4. Frequency.

5. Interferences. (metal, liquids)

6. Security.

7. Ability to produce actionable data to enforcement and governing authorities.

8. Ease of use.

Benefits

1. Physical tracking with Reltronics HAZMAT Tracking System will augment paper-based manifest system and provide sustainable documentation for compliance.

2. HAZMAT Tracking System will provide near-real-time notification to governing officials when hazardous waste enters the receiving state from the state of origin and till it reaches the TSD facility.

3. HAZMAT Tracking System’s RFID-tagged material can streamline border crossings by providing additional information to Customs.

4. HAZMAT Tracking System will increase environmental protection along the border zone, reducing illegal dumping of hazardous waste.

5. GIS and GPS enabled HAZMAT Tracking System can track and inform even minute level of details to governing officials at real time to carry out the required actions.

6. HAZMAT Tracking System makes effective Disaster management possible at the time of crisis by reporting to the authorities at real time.

Features

1. Provide end-to-end visibility of hazardous materials transportation and storage life cycle.

2. Supply critical data to emergency responders.

3. Confirm hazardous waste reaches the proper TSD facility.

4. Increase security of hazardous waste shipments.

How Reltronics Technologies can assist :

Reltronics Technologies specializes in Security and Tracking Solutions. Appropriate team members can be assigned who can provide expertise in manufacturing, deploying, and monitoring Security & Tracking systems. The team can assist in integrating systems which involve technologies such as radio frequency identification, fire, security, GPS, wireless technologies, critical condition monitoring, intrusion, access control, fire protection, RFID, data encryption, closed circuit television (CCTV), and electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. The experience that Reltronics Technologies has garnered in deploying numerous security systems, including GPS and wireless based automated vehicle location systems, asset management systems, record management systems, automated content management systems, automated sensor systems, and fire and security systems, can easily be translated to meet any requirement in the Security and Tracking arena. Reltronics Technologies has and continues to add installers, value-added resellers (VARs), distributors, and dealers that enable implementation of Security & Tracking Systems worldwide. For further information, contact us at (585) 427-2550, Toll-free at (877) 283-7826, or via email at contact@reltronicstech.com.