South Africa Airport Taps DVTel For Security Expansion

  • Jul 13, 2009

The O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, is undergoing a major security project upgrade, adding to an existing DVTel video surveillance system already installed in the domestic and international terminals.

Airport officials confirmed that the new Central Terminal Building (CTB) at O.R. Tambo International will have 650 IP surveillance cameras in the building linking international arrival and departures. The DVTel intelligent Security Operations Center (iSOC) is the management platform for viewing, storing and using all camera data from the many hundreds of cameras deployed throughout the airport.

South African authorities expect air passenger traffic to total 40 million by 2010, the majority passing through South Africa’s three largest gateways, including Johannesburg. Renovations and upgrades at many South African airports are already underway in preparation for the June 2010 World Cup as well as the sustained increase in tourist and other air traffic to the nation.

For the already-installed system, legacy cameras are connected to the IP network using encoder technology. For the CTB addition, there is a mix of DVTel IP PTZ domes, mini domes and fixed Cameras. Airport authorities chose the DVTel iSOC platform due to its flexibility in simultaneously transitioning legacy analogue equipment and accommodating the latest IP technology, making it highly cost competitive while delivering superior management and camera image performance.

In addition to managing all video data over the airport network, several technology integrations are underway and/or planned. Video will be used for non-security applications, thus enabling surveillance technology to be used for multiple roles. For example, car park cameras will be used for car counting applications to show airport users where available parking spaces are located.

In addition, DVTel’s SceneTracker software will be deployed to stitch together multiple cameras in both the Immigration area, to show which areas are particularly busy, and in the Airside control area to give an overall view of the Aircraft docking area. SceneTracker provides a real-world, real-time perspective of multiple camera images in a single integrated view. One SceneTracker installation will cover five cameras viewing an airport apron, while another will stitch four cameras trained on immigration lines.

The combined systems, managed by a single DVTel command and control iSOC platform will be used extensively by both security and operations staffs.

“Airport management was very clear that everything for security was going to IP technology, and it needed to go on the IT infrastructure,” said David Petrook, DVTel managing director for EMEA. “Our ability to handle existing analogue legacy equipment preserved the airport’s investment and our level of service, support, and technology assured OR Tambo Airport management that we would be there throughout the process, at every stage, and that ACSA would have the foundations to provide the very best security for now and in the future.

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