U.S. Border Patrol is Using Video Games Technology to Help Keep Border Safe

By Mickey McCarter, FOXNews.com

After spending $1 billion on a virtual border fence that it does not plan to complete, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investing another $1.6 million to test video game technology to help improve its decisions on where to spend its border security funds.

In January, citing missed deadlines and cost overruns, the Obama administration scrapped the virtual border fence project, which was a system of sensors, radar, video and other technology as a way of spotting illegal immigrants crossing over.

Now, with funding from the DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is exploring ways, through video game simulation, to make sure the same mistakes aren’t made again — and work out questions like how much fence and what kind of fence is needed or how sensors, vehicles and other technical equipment can best be used. The virtual games allow users to track people moving across the border, see how agents respond and control outcomes to apprehend suspects.

Users can also see how many suspects have been apprehended, what resources went into them, as well as the dollar amount spent.

“It’s a lot more than a video game,” said Mark Borkowksi, the assistant commissioner for Technology Acquisition and Innovation at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

To read more, visit:  http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/28/border-patrol-using-video-games-technology-help-border-safe/

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