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US Customs Service North American Trade Automation Prototype (NATAP)
NATAP is a notable initiative for the use of advanced communications technologies to facilitate the flow of commercial vehicles, involving collaborative efforts of the US, Canada, and Mexico Customs offices. The prototype efforts have included development of common data elements and processes incorporating EDI, radio frequency identification (RFID), and vehicle roadside communications technologies (VRC) to process commercial cargo shipment data at the Canadian and Mexican land borders. By automating data transmission to obtain cargo clearance, NATAP eliminates redundant cargo clearance data entry across myriad US agencies and their counterparts in Mexico and Canada. A shipper would transmit shipment information via an Internet web site serving the border agencies. Pre-filing the EDI document would allow the customs officials to use internal criteria to determine whether the shipper is in compliance with cargo admissibility criteria while the vehicle is still in transit. As the shipment approaches the border, the RFID/VRC reader transmits a transaction identifier to the Customs computer systems. Upon arrival, the vehicle receives a green light if clearance is granted, or a red light if there are missing data or need for cargo examination. Field demonstrations of NATAP are conducted at Detroit, Buffalo, Otay Mesa, El Paso, and Laredo. The US DOT is participating in the operational test and coordinating with the safety inspection programs in place at the border. The USCS International Trade Data System project office is currently in the process of evaluating the operational test results.
US Immigration and Naturalization Service Pre-Clearance Operational Tests
INS has developed the secure Electronic Network for Traveler Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) system to provide needed driver background information for pre-clearance checks. SENTRI is a dedicated commuter lane pilot project currently tested at Otay Mesa, California. Using electronic vehicle and driver identification technologies (facial and voice identification), the initiative is designed to speed the flow of non-commercial vehicles by pre-screening drivers and passengers. The tests have proven successful in speeding the flow of commuters. The commuter sees a dramatic decline in processing times. The successful application of the SENTRI test has important implications for commercial border crossings. They have a congestion-reduction impact on non-commuter lanes, and provide data points and lessons learned from on successful implementation of electronic clearance.
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The US DOT Border Automation Operational Tests
In the past several years, the U.S. DOT has conducted a number of ITS/CVO border crossing operational tests to assess the feasibility of deploying advanced communications technologies for facilitating border clearance. The tests have been undertaken in coordination with the Canadian and Mexican governments and the USCS and INS. On the US-Mexican border, tests have been completed in Otay Mesa, Nogales, and Santa Teresa. On the US-Canadian border the tests sites are at the Detroit/Windsor River’s Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Port Huron, and Buffalo:
- Otay Mesa - In Otay Mesa, California, the international border electronic crossing is designed to expedite cross-border commercial traffic by implementing electronic communication between various stakeholders, demonstrating the non-stop container transit from port of Los Angeles to maquiladora loading docks–which currently takes 2 to 5 days. At the port of Los Angeles, the container is electronically sealed, and the trip itinerary is dispatched to Mexico before the container arrives, allowing a more rapid clearance decision by Mexican Customs officials. The cargo information is pre-processed and transmitted to the US and Mexican Customs electronically, all in coordination with the US Customs’ prototype
- Santa Teresa - The Santa Teresa Intermodal Facility operational test consists of 1) a border crossing process map that shows the flow of maquiladora freight shipments in the Santa Teresa vicinity (El Paso and Juarez) involving data exchange among customs services, manufacturing shippers, rail carriers, and customs brokers; 2) a Secure Electronic Commerce (SEC) system involving encrypted data shared over the Internet and safeguards to protect information by digital signature; and 3) a shipment monitoring and remote tracking (SMART) system that is physically attached to an intermodal container or trailer to track location and status of the cargo. In the SMART system, the location and sensor status data (such as container internal temperature and door opening/closing) are sent via satellite to a ground station that displays the shipment information on digital maps. The software can retrieve cargo location and status information and send it through the SEC system so that any authorized user can retrieve live shipment information on the Internet. This information is displayed on digital maps, along with estimated time of arrival to given points on its route.
- Nogales - In Nogales, Arizona, the commercial vehicle clearance test is designed expedite land border movements of the commercial vehicle carrying cargo from Mexico to the US. It demonstrates electronic vehicle clearance, using technologies such as: WIM, AVI, cargo seals, License Plate Recognition, and digital photography.
- US-Canadian Gateways - On the US-Canadian border, operational tests at Detroit/Windsor River’s Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Port Huron, and Buffalo, have applied advanced vehicle identification technologies to facilitate the flow of cross-border commercial vehicles, and will involve AVI, WIM, in-vehicle displays, and license plate readers. The US DOT’s technology application program has also consisted of information systems for commercial traffic checks and information processing in the form of Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) have facilitated the state access to key databases for pre-arrival checks to ensure safety and regulatory compliance. CVISN allows each state to have access to Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange through an interface with the national database. California, for instance, has developed the California Credential Interface that is used by the California Highway Patrol to access carrier safety compliance data. Other CVISN components available to border inspection personnel and carriers are Carrier Automated Transaction (CAT), a software that allows carriers to register to obtain credentials and permits; the SAFER software that enables on-line submission of inspection reports, in addition to providing a snapshot of the carrier, driver, or vehicle safety status; and the Inspection Selection System software that allows inspection officers to target vehicles/drivers for inspection.
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Southern California Commercial Vehicle International Border Operations System(CVBIOS)
CVBIOS is a prime example of regional planning efforts to meet the needs of a rapidly growing NAFTA border region in southern California. CVBIOS is a coalition of Federal, state, local, ports, academic, and private stakeholders, developed to meet the infrastructure needs of the region through application of advanced technologies. The coalition addresses an array of regional issues, including the need for a comprehensive regional goods movement strategic plan; the need to reopen rail line between the Imperial Valley and San Diego; and correct for inadequate border access infrastructure and rail access at the Port of San Diego. CVBIOS proposes the following program elements for streamlining border trade operations in the region by deploying ITS/CVO and Commercial Vehicle Information System and Network (CVISN) user services:
- Otay Mesa Road improvements - Currently all traffic from Otay Mesa to San Diego moves on Otay Mesa Road, a four-lane arterial street, which is inadequate to handle the high volume of commercial traffic. The proposed showcase involves widening the Otay Mesa Road to six lanes, and deploying ITS/CVO systems to raise its level of service until SR-905 is completed. The technologies will include a "truck-stop" to provide commercial vehicle information; a traffic management center for the corridor; video surveillance of key intersections; enhanced traffic signal control equipment; an incident response team designed to reduce response time; a database providing real-time traffic operating condition reports; a hazardous materials shipment management system; and an advanced traveler information system (ATIS) for commercial vehicles.
- On-dock rail access, cargo tracking capability, and short-haul rail markets development – This project will improve rail access to Port of San Diego through an on-dock rail terminal at the port for the direct rail-to-ship interchange of cargo. The system will include an automated system for cargo tracking and identification, and will have the capability to monitor the entrance and exit into the facility, and screen for eligibility to cross the border. Also, given that a large number of the vehicles crossing the border will deliver their cargo in destinations less than 60 miles away, a survey would be conducted to identify the short-haul carriers’ operational scenarios and collect data that allow the port agency to accommodate their support requirements.
- Commercial vehicle safety screening and clearance - A key component of the Commercial Vehicle International Border Operations System is an automated system for identifying vehicles, carriers, and drivers, verifying Federal inspection status, and enforcing the state border traffic safety laws. The proposed system will be an integrated information management system that is interoperable with existing border agency systems including the Treasury’s International Trade Data System (ITDS), INS’ Secure Electronic Network for Traveler Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) system, the California’s version of FHWA’s Credential Interface / Commercial Vehicle Information Exchange (CI/CVIEW) and Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER), and the California Highway Patrol roadside inspection system. The corridor AVI system will interrogate the participating vehicles and create the linkages to relevant safety and credential records, thus integrating and automating the entire border clearance safety, customs, and immigration checks.
End Note
Today’s Internet originated in DARPA’s research into packet-switching technologies that would enable undisrupted communications even if major switching centers were incapacitated. In 1977 DARPA developed two packet switching protocols (where the message is broken into chunks or "packets), which differed significantly from the circuit-switched system (based on a direct circuit from the message’s origin to its destination). Another key step in the evolution of the Internet was the establishment in 1986 of several super computer centers by the NSF, that funded a network to link the supercomputer sites and offered to let regional and university computer networks link to this "backbone." In addition to using the network to remotely access the NSF supercomputers, the research community developed applications such as: electronic mail, file transfer protocols, and news groups to facilitate information sharing with colleagues. The linking of university networks to the NSF backbone network, initially to gain remote access to the supercomputer sites, was the genesis of today’s Internet. It wasn’t until the development of the World Wide Web and the advent of graphical Web browsers that the Internet began to generate broad interest outside the academic and government research communities.
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