The collaboration between a Burlington and California company that resulted in making mining safer and more productive has won a prestigious award.

Active Control, of Burlington, and MeshDynamics, of Santa Clara, Calif., are joint winners of the 2008 cross-border business achievement award given by the Canadian American Business Council.

Previous winners include RIM and Intel in 1999.

The two companies came together in response to new safety rules in the U.S. following coal-mining disasters in 2006, in which rescuers had no way to communicate with miners trapped far below the surface.

Steve Barrett, president and CEO of Active Control, said the award this week made him realize it was the partnership, not the technical expertise of the two companies, that created the innovative solution to the problem.

"The cultures would be characterized by friendship ... good faith and trust. We're both small businesses, in an early stage, looking for ways to leverage our current technology," he said.

"The spirit of creating things with scarce resources really drives innovation, it's necessity.

Active Control specializes in wireless communication systems for use in extreme environments.

MeshDynamics is a developer of advanced "mesh" networking technology.

The two companies joined forces to develop ActiveMineTM, an underground wireless communication and locating system that is now being marketed for use in coal and hard rock mines as far away as China.

The system enables two-way voice and data communications, as well as the continuous monitoring of mine production, personnel and equipment.

The two companies have advanced ActiveMineTM beyond its initial conception as a safety net into a powerful mine productivity tool. So far, two of the systems have been installed in West Virginian mines.