Ohio Valley Correspondent

A new supercomputing center in Wheeling focused on developing smart sensor technologies should be operational in a matter of weeks.

The Wheeling Smart Sensor Supercomputing Center will be developed by TTi, a Wheeling-based cybersecurity solutions specialist, and Vista Research Inc, a California-based developer of smart radar surveillance systems. The Center will provide continued development of Smart Sensor algorithms for the U.S. Army and other defense agencies. 

WV-SSSC will be based in the Stone Center in Wheeling. Officials said workers at the Center will work to improve surveillance capabilities, saving the lives of American troops and reducing manpower costs.

TTi President Theodora Titonis, a native of nearby Martins Ferry, Ohio, said ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have underscored the need for “persistent surveillance of facilities and roadways, and more efficient force protection and border/facility security.”  

“It’s important to all the parties involved. It’s important to the Wheeling area because of the economic stimulus it will bring and the jobs that will be created,” she said. “And it’s important to our troops: This is protective technology, and ultimately, it will help save the lives of troops in Afghanistan.”

Titonis said the supercomputing project will build on technology developed by Vista. Initially, she said it will create 10 new jobs, all of them paying in the $50,000-$100,000 range. But the number of employees will likely grow as the funding stream grows, meaning that by next year, 30 more jobs could be added.

Titonis said the project should generate more than $15 million in revenue within West Virginia, “directly contributing to the long-term economic development [in] downtown Wheeling.” She adds the Wheeling area is ideally suited for the project, given the low cost for necessities like electricity and office space.

 “If you put the same supercomputer center in the Washington, D.C., area or California, the cost would probably be three-times as much,” she said.

Wheeling Mayor Andy McKenzie sees it as a unique opportunity to focus national and international attention on the benefits of doing business in the Northern Panhandle.

 “Not only will it mean great-paying jobs and investment in downtown Wheeling, but it’s an opportunity to have national and international (visitors)” from the military and non-military sectors, he said. “This will have huge ramifications.”

TTi and Vista three weeks ago won a $5.9 million contract to establish the center. Another $10 million has been written into the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill, money that will enable them to hire the additional workers next year.

The Air Force Research Laboratory and Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate are sponsoring the project.