A stealth sensor network locates clandestine drug labs and explosives makers
European citizens and its millions of global visitors annually appreciate the relative safety of European cities. Nevertheless, Europe is not an exception to the growing threat of illegal drug manufacture and home made explosives with their widespread societal and economic impact. The EU-funded SYSTEM project set out to enhance the security of European civil society against these threats while making respect for fundamental rights a priority. The team’s customised and comprehensive sensing system for the detection of hazardous substances in utility networks and public spaces has checked all the boxes.
Sensors target illicit drugs and home-made explosives
Criminals manufacturing illegal drugs and explosives in abandoned warehouses, apartment buildings and homes leave chemical traces of their clandestine work in the air, sewage systems, garbage bins and more. SYSTEM aimed at detecting traces of chemical precursors and by-products of these activities hiding in plain sight. According to the project co-coordinators Lorenzo Di Matteo and Beatrice Errico of FORMIT – Foundation for Research on Migration and Integration of Technologies, “the project brings together combinations of very different sensing and sampling technologies in a modular approach. The sensors can be placed at different points of the sewage network, on waste collection trucks, in garbage bins and mounted on drones.” Detection of illicit substances by sensors is the first step, but action on the part of authorities is only possible with data fusion, analytics and a user-friendly interface. “The technologies can send real-time data to a monitoring centre and provide ‘alarms’ related to events likely connected to the production of illicit drugs or explosives. SYSTEM carried out demonstrations in seven European cities in five countries to ensure they work in highly demanding environments,” adds Di Matteo. The data fusion capability developed in the project enables the determination of synthesis processes, trafficking, transit storage time and preferred storage locations for chemical precursors as well as preferred locations for clandestine laboratories for illicit drugs and explosives production. Thus, it provides law enforcement agencies with a solution that supports uncovering clandestine criminal activities.
From chemical threats to environmental monitoring and policymaking
“A major advantage of SYSTEM’s technology is that it is not specific for certain substances. The implementation of several sampling systems into the sensor strategies enables application to analytes not targeted by the project. The technology can detect the abnormal use of any chemicals transported to or provided by an entire urban area,” explains Errico. The ability to collect and aggregate data for visualisation by the end-user is another feature that can be replicated for other purposes. The modular approach was selected with foresight regarding the technology’s potential use for environmental monitoring by utility operators to guarantee high-quality service to utility network users. Some consortium partners have already signed new research agreements to adapt the technology to the specific needs of utility network operators in the consortium.
SYSTEM’s sustainability
SYSTEM’s long-term and widespread impact is certain. In addition to the new markets of applicability, the project’s integration of law enforcement agencies, utility operators and sensor developers paves the way to further interdisciplinary innovation and provides robust evidence for EU policymaking.
Keywords
SYSTEM, explosives, sensor, illicit drugs, sewage, utility network, data fusion, law enforcement agencies, policymaking, drones
