Time Resilient System among Top 100 Inventions Of The Year
In early November, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) received an R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine for inventing a new technology that safeguards GPS-dependent systems from potential cyber threats. R&D Magazine recognized the discovery as one of the 100 most significant innovations of 2016.
SDG&E and SwRI invented the new technology, called the Time REsilient System (TRES), to protect GPS-dependent networks and applications used in energy infrastructure from potential cyber attacks and other threats. This innovative technology does this by maintaining the integrity of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) time data, which along with measuring precise geographic locations also provides exact time measurements. SDG&E and SwRI developed TRES to identify and fight through GPS disruption events to maintain time synchronization in critical energy infrastructure applications.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified cyberattacks as a high risk to critical infrastructure, including the electric power grid,” said SwRI’s Gerardo Trevino, who helped develop TRES. “Using inexpensive hardware and sophisticated software, TRES protects critical infrastructure from GPS jamming and hacking to maintain the precise time synchronization needed for operations.”
SDG&E and SwRI developed this innovative solution by working to protect energy infrastructure in the field from potential GPS-related vulnerabilities. TRES uses inexpensive, commercial-off-the-shelf hardware modified to monitor GPS time signals and make sure they are from a trustworthy source. This added protection will help ensure a reliable and safe flow of energy to San Diego area customers.
“SDG&E takes cybersecurity and safety very seriously and is constantly working to protect energy infrastructure and our customers from a range of potential threats,” said Brian Proctor, SDG&E’s team lead for information security and co-inventor of TRES. “We are excited to lead the way in innovation and to develop this new technology that can help strengthen GPS security in a range of different industries and applications.”
While the technology’s first application was for energy, this solution is expected to have many applications in the financial, transportation and other industries. SDG&E and SwRI worked in partnership to invent this technology. SDG&E and SwRI are aiming to bring this dynamic and effective solution to the marketplace to help secure America’s way of life on a national level.
SwRI and SDG&E will continue to use the technology to protect energy infrastructure and are aiming to present it to a wider audience in 2017.