American companies have varied approaches to the creation of network operation centers, disaster recovery facilities and backup storage locations. What is unwavering is the resolve among corporations to ensure that proper facilities are in place. They want more comfortable work environments at operation centers, dedicated emergency office space at co-locations and added space at branch offices for disaster situations. Ken Seaton, vice president with Chicago-based engineer Environmental Systems Designs, says, "We have noticed that disaster recovery sites are not just black boxes anymore and companies are getting away from retaining data at one location." More and more companies are opting
They're called "coyotes" or migrant traffickers who sneak thousands of Hispanics across the 2,000-mile-long U.S. border each year. The alien smugglers are often ruthless and elusive, recognized for being chingones, Spanish slang for "hard core." They're a Hispanic immigrant's hero and a U.S. border agent's nightmare. Where previously a majority of migrants crossed alone, today 90% rely on coyotes or polleros. The service, which can cost $2,000 to $4,000 a piece, carries no guarantees. Over 1.5 million Mexicans are deported from the U.S. every year, yet for many, it's worth the risk. Immigrants stand to earn four to five times
Two recent coal mine accidents in Appalachia have led to calls for establishment of national standards for documentation of underground mines and for a reassessment of the state of technologies, such as remote sensing and mapping, available for the task. But experts in the field say the rough terrain and geology of the eastern U.S. coal regions will make this a particularly difficult problem for any one technology to solve. "There is no silver bullet," cautions Don W. Steeples, professor of geophysics who specializes in remote sensing at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. ROBO BAT Robots that crawl or
It may be that the only thing faster than a laser scanner these days is the pace of change in the laser scanning industry. "Its moving quickly toward more speed and accuracy," says Michael R. Frecks, head of the 3D service department at Lamp, Rynearson and Associates Inc., engineers, surveyors and planners in Omaha. "The hardware and software are rapidly getting new tools and development." RETROFIT Laser scanning made new equipment for Detroit power plant a clean fit. (Photo courtesy of WGI Laser Scanning Services) LRA has used a variety of products since it began offering laser scanning services more
The emerging electronic bidding process for construction projects is gaining new players. A Pennsylvania vendor has rolled out a system adaptable for public and private owners and a New York firm is taking aim at state transportation markets. The Allegheny County (Pa.) Public Works Dept. recently used an Internet-based system from Pelleon L.P., Wexford, Pa., to bid the Painters Run Road reconstruction, a $2.8-million project. The process "went pretty well," says Don Killmeyer Jr., the county's deputy director of engineering, although he says the county has no immediate plans to adopt e-bidding across the board. Click here to view graph
On a continuous adrenaline rush, a hyperdedicated team working in the wings of Ground Zero has been bounding toward a goal once considered unachievable-completion of the $50-million renewal of the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center by the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The effort to repolish the architectural gem of lower Manhattan, a cavernous steel-and-glass skylight smashed close to smithereens by the collapse of the 110-story One World Trade Center, owes it success in large part to a brilliantly conceived exterior hoist-and-trolley system. The contraption not only sped the roof steel rehabilitation, it compressed the reglazing
There is a hole in the heart of America that is as big as the World Trade Center towers were tall. A year ago, terrorists struck at what they thought was the symbol of American business. That they succeeded in bringing down the twin 110-story skyscrapers that had defined the New York City skyline for 30 years is a testament to their determination, their hatred of America and their willingness to sacrifice their lives and the lives of almost 3,000 innocent people. But they were mistaken in their belief that their action could seriously damage or weaken a nation and
The battered, 32-story telecommunications center that looms over the north side of the World Trade Center site has a toughness much deeper than its stout 76-year-old steel frame and brick and limestone facade. With only a pause between the death of its backup batteries at 10:21 p.m. on Sept. 11 and the restoration of emergency power on the night of Sept. 16, the center has continuously processed millions of calls and data transmissions daily through banks of delicate equipment that have been smothered by corrosive dust, exposed to the elements and even, in some cases, suspended in space by cables
The 40-story Banker's Trust Building still has a 15-story gouge on its north face. The 15-story Fiterman Hall of the Borough of Manhattan Community College has a corner sliced off. The 26-story 90 West Street, a New York City landmark, has at least $70 million in fire and other damage. These and several smaller buildings are the ghost buildings of Ground Zero. Having sustained collateral damage on Sept. 11, they remain gashed, slashed, gouged, contaminated and otherwise compromised. And they stand in stark contrast to their repaired neighbors. Frozen in time, these haunted sideliners, stabilized and either mothballed or simply
The terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center's subway station on the 1/9 line and shut Port Authority Trans-Hudson commuter train service from New Jersey exacted a terrible price in death and destruction. It also provided a rare opportunity for New York City to reconfigure a key hub in its transportation network. Working 24-7 since last September 11, two New York-area transit agencies and their contractors are pushing to restore and interconnect key transportation links near Ground Zero. The Metropolitan Transit Authority will resume full 1/9 subway service Sept. 15, a month ahead of schedule, with the joint venture
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