LI's Morelly Center ships its first product

The first piece of technology to have been created at the Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage has been shipped out the door to the U.S. Homeland Security Department in Washington, D.C., marking the beginning of what Morrelly officials hope is the start of a new phase at the center: production.

Balfour Technologies Llc, one of 16 tenants at what is officially known as the Applied Science Foundation for Homeland Security, in Bethpage, shipped its Regional Common Operating Picture (RCOP) solution to the DHS late last month. RCOP is a browser that allows users to view multiple pieces of information on a single screen. It manages, correlates and shares information from diverse systems and sensor sources at local, state and federal levels.

Therefore, emergency preparedness agencies can keep an eye on large crowds at sporting or other events. RCOP was tested in 2009 at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

"We feel great," said Scott Meyers, Balfour's chief operating officer, referring to the delivery of RCOP. Balfour had a contract for just under $1 million for RCOP and was a subcontractor to the Long Island Forum for Technology. LIFT is the parent of the Morrelly Center and its tenants.

Meyers said Balfour and LIFT hope to sell RCOP to police and other agencies across the country in the future. Bill Wahlig, LIFT's executive director, said the overall DHS contract was $3 million. LIFT managed the contract.

"This is a big deal," Wahlig said. "This is the first of hopefully many products that will be developed and produced" by the center.

The center opened in spring 2010 and was named after Ken Morrelly, a veteran Long Island technology executive who played a leading role in the development of the facility, which is on the grounds of the Northrop Grumman Corp. Morrelly, 64, died unexpectedly in October 2009, five months before the center opened.