VIA and ReconCraft Launch Groundbreaking NIST-Compliant Predictive Maintenance Initiative for US Military Vehicles
Somerville, MA – April 27, 2018 – VIA, a leader in solving energy industry problems using artificial intelligence and blockchain, is pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement with ReconCraft to provide one of the first NIST-compliant predictive maintenance solutions for military equipment using its AI and blockchain technologies.
ReconCraft designs and manufactures innovative technologies to support US military marine vessels, submarines, and tactical vehicles as well as vessel fleets for law enforcement and emergency response teams. Through this partnership, VIA will predict risk levels to maintenance issues for vessel engines and power supplies. Historically, predictive maintenance using machine learning has not been widely implemented in US military equipment due to the distributed and classified nature of the data. Using VIA’s Trusted Analytics Chain (TAC) application, this data will remain distributed, private, and anonymous, making AI analysis possible across a fleet of vehicles for the first time.
“What makes this project particularly exciting is that we’ll be collaborating closely with ReconCraft to develop an application that meets the US military standard of data privacy,” said Dr. Jeremy Taylor, Chief Scientific Officer of VIA. He continued “TAC uses differential privacy as well as a NIST-compliant form of homomorphic encryption. This is a level of security that all US federal agencies should follow.”
VIA has developed AI solutions for the energy sector, where data collected from pieces of equipment like substations, transmission towers, and utility poles has similar confidentiality requirements.
Jonathan Hoflich, Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer at ReconCraft described the reason behind selecting VIA on this first ever initiative for the company: “Operational availability, readiness, and reduced lifecycle costs are key features of our vessel fleets. Adding advanced predictive maintenance algorithms to our boats is strategically aligned with our mission. VIA’s history of working with government agencies, their experience in predictive maintenance, and their data privacy approach made them our top choice for a partner. Through our joint efforts, VIA will further increase the operational readiness of ReconCraft boats during deployment and operations worldwide.”
About VIA
VIA helps energy companies across the globe realize the value of their data through AI and blockchain. Since 2016, the company has worked with the world’s largest utilities and government agencies on AI initiatives like predictive maintenance and contingency planning. VIA has developed a blockchain-based application, Trusted Analytics Chain (TAC) to help energy companies reduce the burden of preparing and sharing their data. TAC (patent pending) is the bridge that securely connects power company data, distributed across many locations, to potential AI solutions. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, VIA has been featured in Wired and Inc. Magazine for its leadership in technology innovation. For more information, please visit www.solvewithvia.com.
About ReconCraft
ReconCraft designs, develops, and manufactures multi-mission offshore, coastal, and riverine vessels up to 60’ feet for military, law enforcement, and commercial use. ReconCraft is founded and managed by former military operators with extensive experience in vessel operations, maintenance, and training. ReconCraft vessels are specifically designed for high duty cycles and in areas with little to no infrastructure and minimal maintenance resources. Operational Services include tactical boat operations, vessel maintenance, and law-enforcement training. ReconCraft’s headquarters is located in Boston, MA, while its vessels are manufactured at the Company’s West Coast facility nearby Portland, OR. ReconCraft has been featured in Inc. Magazine as the 205th fastest growing private company during the 32nd Annual Inc 500 review and recently received an award from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their outstanding performance on a major DHS acquisition.
