Abstract: A method and device for detecting explosive compounds in an air sample in which the air sample is filtered with activated carbon treated with a weakly basic solution, after which the air sample is divided into two parts, with one part being heated at lower temperatures to decompose non-explosive nitrogenous compounds and the second part being heated at higher temperatures to decompose explosive nitrogenous compounds. Nitrogen dioxide is measured in both portions of the air sample with a spectrographic detector, and the presence or absence of explosive nitrogenous compounds in the air sample is determined.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to an apparatus and method for detecting explosive compounds by air sampling followed by subjecting the air sample to a detection method. In one embodiment, a test area is sampled by drawing air from the vicinity of the test area, heating or irradiating the air sample and subjecting the irradiated sample to a detection method. With respect to nitrogen-containing explosive compounds, heating or irradiating the air sample produces nitrogen dioxide (NO2). With respect to non-nitrogen-containing explosive compounds (e.g., oxygen-containing explosive compounds), the air sample may be exposed to a source of nitrogen monoxide (NO) to generate nitrogen dioxide (NO2). With respect to nitrogen-containing samples that preferentially generate nitrogen monoxide (NO) rather than nitrogen dioxide (NO2), gas titration may be integrated into the system to convert nitrogen monoxide (NO) to nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

Abstract: Location data corresponding to the geographic location of a particular event is obtained in response to information concerning the event and received at a computing device present at the geographic location. The geographic location information is used to produce a map or other visual display corresponding to the event and to the geographic location thus obtained. The geographic location information may be obtained from any appropriate source such as a GPS receiver or wireless system capable of providing geographic location information with accuracy acceptable to the particular application. The GPS receiver or other source of geographic location information may be incorporated into the computing device, or may comprise a separate element operationally interrelated so as to obtain the current geographic location information in response to entering the event information at the computing device.