India Awards Tsunami Buoy Contract to SAIC

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI] today announced it has been awarded a contract for the production and delivery of three SAIC Tsunami Buoy (STB) systems and long-term maintenance services to the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences in Hyderabad, India.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100224/PH59894)

The STB systems will be deployed at locations in the Bay of Bengal and off the northwest coast of India near the Makran subduction zone. These systems represent a part of a larger network of tsunami buoy systems that will provide the entire region with critical data to assess the magnitude of tsunamis generated in the Indian Ocean. The eastern Bay of Bengal, one of the most seismically active regions in the world, is near the origin of the Boxing Day mega-tsunami that claimed over 220,000 lives in 2004.  

"The deployment of these STBs will provide the Indian regional tsunami forecast center with a foundation of reliable and technologically sound deep-water tsunami assessment systems," said Tom Baybrook, SAIC senior vice president and business unit general manager. "SAIC looks forward to a long term relationship with INCOIS supporting their extensive tsunami assessment network."

The STB system consists of three subsystems: a surface communications buoy, a buoy mooring, and a bottom pressure recorder. The bottom pressure recorder includes a highly accurate sea floor pressure sensor which can detect earthquakes and sea level changes. Acoustic communications transmits the pressure data to the surface buoy which then relays the data by satellite communications to oceanographic forecast centers for analysis. Once processed, the data can provide real-time assessments of the characteristics of the tsunami in deep water. This data is then used with forecast models to predict the height of the wave and inundation when it arrives at a particular coastal location.

"We are looking forward to working with SAIC for the deployment and maintenance of the STB systems to provide reliable open ocean sea-level data for tsunami early warning," said Dr. Satheesh Shenoi, director, INCOIS. "The data from these buoys is expected to complement the data from other observing systems that India has put in place for detection and monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis."

About SAIC

SAIC is a FORTUNE 500^® scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world, in national security, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure, and health.  The company's approximately 45,000 employees serve customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. Government civil agencies and selected commercial markets.  Headquartered in McLean, Va., SAIC had annual revenues of $10.1 billion for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2009.  For more information, visit www.saic.com.  SAIC:  From Science to Solutions^®

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in SAIC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 31, 2009, and other such filings that SAIC makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE SAIC

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