Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) announced today a collaboration with Gulf Coast State College (GCSC), the Port of Panama City and Gulf Power to create a high fidelity training and evaluation environment for products and services targeting the rapidly expanding Internet of Things market. This joint effort seeks to set an example of how new quality jobs can be created by combining the individual strengths and attributes of local businesses, educational institutes and government agencies. Local jobs in engineering, global logistics, cloud computing, big data analytics, cyber security, field engineering and customer support are anticipated.
The collaboration is an expansion of a joint effort between GCSC and Cubic which began in October 2011. The effort’s focus is to exploit technologies from an eight year, $30,000,000 jointly funded research and development program between Cubic and the U.S. Department of Defense that produced an advanced mesh networking protocol called mist®. While mist® related services have produced significant savings and improved data reliability during three years of operation at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait tracking and monitoring the tens of thousands of pieces of equipment, it is just beginning to be evaluated for commercial use. The validated security, scalability and power efficiency of mist® is unsurpassed making it ideal for application in the expanding Internet of Things market.
“It is time to take the mist® mesh network technology commercial and I can’t think of a better place to demonstrate that than Panama City, Fla.,” said Randall Shepard, vice president of Technology Innovations, Cubic. “The adjacent locations of GCSC and Port Panama City combined with the collaborative spirit of Gulf Power and the catalyst provided by the new Advanced Technology Center (ATC) make it unbeatable. Plus our local NGWC development team has over thirty years of continuous operations in Panama City.”
The next step in this collaborative effort extends the GCSC mesh network across Highway 98 to include Port Panama City (an ideal evaluation environment). “The Port of Panama City is excited to contribute to this effort. By providing a realistic environment for the evaluation of the latest technologies, we get to see first-hand what works for us while providing real data for students and industry to develop commercially viable products and services,” said Wayne Stubbs, director, Panama City Port.
“This joint effort represents the true essence of why we were so resolute in seeking the funding and development of the Advanced Technology Center,” said Dr. James Kerley, GCSC president. “I feel this will serve as a model for collaboration between educational institutes, government agencies and the private sector resulting in quality local jobs and economic expansion. This is just the beginning.”
One of the first applications planned for evaluation is the advanced notification of in-bound traffic to the Panama City Port. This will entail the installation of self-contained readers on Gulf Power poles reporting the passing of tagged vehicles, chassis, and containers 10-15 minutes prior to arriving at the port. This will minimize the in-processing time for vehicles, saving the drivers’ time and reducing the potential for long queues which cause traffic congestion and increased pollution at larger ports and border crossings. The equipment and operating costs are forecast to be a fraction of current approaches for similar services.
“Gulf Power is excited to participate in this effort by helping to form a strategic network across Bay County,” said Jennifer Conoley, Gulf Power Economic Development Representative. “Because this program has other benefits, such as student training and local job creation, we see this as a win-win for our local community.”
Dr. George Bishop, vice president for Academic Affairs said, “the College’s agreement with Cubic and the Port along with the cooperation of Gulf Power is a great example of a partnership that provides tangible benefits on all sides—an open product development and demonstration site for corporate and government partners, and equipment and ‘live’ data for students in our Network Systems Technology program.”
Professor Guy Garrett, leading cyber security and information technology programs in the Advanced Technology Center, has been working with Cubic to teach students how to harness the information that is constantly taken from the mist® mesh network. GCSC students are designing the software and interfaces that will enable business and industry to more efficiently manage transportation and logistics through Automated Identification Technology (AIT) and wireless mesh networks.
About Cubic Corporation
Cubic Corporation is the parent company of three major business segments. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions. Cubic Defense Systems is a leading provider of realistic combat training systems and secure communications. Mission Support Services is a leading provider of training, operations, maintenance, technical and other support services for the U.S. and allied nations. mist® is a registered trademark of Cubic Corporation.