ComSec International LLC, an independent provider of cargo screening services and consultation, recently has started advising shippers, carriers, freight forwarders and other companies involved in supply chain management to begin tentative planning for new federal air cargo screening requirements.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced that 100 percent of passengers on flights within or bound for the United States are now being checked against government watchlists -- fulfilling a key 9/11 Commission recommendation a month ahead of schedule. The TSA reached 100 percent watch list matching for all domestic airlines on June 22.
The American Federation of Government Employees -- the union for TSA workers across the country -- has heard from its Transportation Security Officer members that while most passengers are understanding of the new TSA security procedures and recognize that TSOs are not the ones who created those procedures, there have been a few instances where passengers have become angry, belligerent and even physical with TSOs.
Oberthur Technologies has been selected to provide its ID-One PIV smart card to members of CLEAR, Alclear LLC's Trusted Traveler program.
Passenger John Tyner’s recent refusal to undergo x-ray scanning at airport security has led to 80,000 hits on Youtube and sparked huge debate over screening procedures. However, a skyscanner.com survey of international travelers found that less than a third of passengers disapproved of the scanners.
Emerging economies in the Asia Pacific region, with have high infrastructure growth, flourishing trade and tourism, have surged cargo and air traffic, which also increases threats.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano outlines increased security measures taken after the thwarted terrorist attempts to being down cargo planes.
The system, coupled with such scanning technologies as X-ray and radiation, uses recognition technology to identify cargo.
Mike Cleary, president of U.S. Airline Pilots Association, recently wrote a letter to members saying that TSA has not provided “credible specifications for radiation emitted by the machines.”
Morpho Detection Inc., part of Morpho, Safran group’s security business, recently announced it has been contracted to install four CTX 9400 DSi explosives detection systems (EDS) by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), the operator of Hong Kong International Airport.
DHS released a statement Friday regarding increased security measures due to the explosive devices found on cargo planes.
L-3 Security & Detection Systems announced recently that it was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a ceiling of $325 million by the Transportation Security Administration to supply next-generation Advanced Technology (AT) X-ray systems to screen carry-on baggage at security checkpoints.
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Oct 24, 2010
Colorimetric sensor array can quantitatively detect even very low levels of triacetone triperoxide vapor.
“Deploying advanced imaging technology at these airports strengthens our ability to protect the traveling public in the face of evolving threats to aviation security,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Aimetis Corp., a provider intelligent IP video management software, recently announced that Munich Airport has expanded the use of Aimetis Symphony video surveillance to Terminal 2, bringing the total cameras under Aimetis management to 1,900.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, all aspects of air security have been a top priority for governments, businesses and the public. New and emerging terrorist threats now necessitate that airport detection be as adaptable, proactive and evolutionary as possible. Long gone are the days of simple metal detectors and unconcerned passengers. Airport security has become one of the most daunting technological challenges facing experts today.
- By Susan Cooper-Curcio
- Oct 01, 2010
In mid-2009, a fiber optic intrusion detection system was installed on McAllen-Miller International Airport's perimeter fence. The system, known as Secure Fence, was developed by Future Fibre Technologies and, one year on, the airport's security department reports the system has performed impressively.
Air cargo shippers and forwarders say the industry still has a long way to go in screening shipments after meeting a government mandate to screen 100 percent of all cargo on U.S. passenger aircraft by Aug. 1, according to a report in The Journal of Commerce.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced an award of $938,000 to Rochester International Airport (RST) for the construction of new in-line baggage handling systems designed to enhance TSA's efforts to strengthen security at airports.
Security Products magazine, the only integrated product magazine reaching the entire security market, announced the winners of its 2010 New Product of the Year Award at the publication’s premiere Virtual Event today.
South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach International Airport serves more than 1.5 million travelers each year to and from one of the most popular golfing destinations in the United States. The airport is host to six major U.S. airlines. To accommodate the growth the area has experienced, the airport replaced its legacy security system, which was no longer servicing its needs, with intelligent field hardware and smart-card readers with bidirectional encryption.
Airport officials reviewed five security management systems in detail prior to making a selection for their new system. Based on scalability, ease of use and operation, along with the lower cost of maintaining the system, they chose AMAG’s Symmetry SMS. Airport officials highlighted how secure the system was from end to end and the enhanced video integration that the new system offered. They replaced their old analog video system with a digital system that is seamlessly integrated. The IP solution is one of the first all-digital security systems in the southeastern United States.
- By Kim Rahfaldt
- Sep 01, 2010
When entering an airport, travelers can’t help but reflect back on the events of Sept. 11, and how things have changed since then.
In recent years, travelers have gained the ability to check in for their flight online, change their seat and download an electronic boarding pass to a PDA. It’s also possible to check the flight status from a PDA before leaving for the airport. The rapid advancements in technology have enabled passengers to be more efficient and informed. But has airport security changed or evolved?
Milestone Systems open platform IP video management software is being used by Fraport AG to improve both security and operational excellence at Varna and Burgas Airports in Bulgaria.
The Transportation Security Administration recently announced the airline industry has met a key requirement of the 9/11 Act by screening 100 percent of air cargo on domestic passenger aircraft.
While airports worldwide struggle to maintain security and regulate access to restricted areas, some facilities have found a solution by implementing the most advanced and accurate identification technology available: biometrics.
- By Consuelo Bangs
- Aug 01, 2010
The Administrator for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) John S. Pistole recently visited Boston Logan International Airport. As Pistole begins his tenure with the agency, he announced his top goals and priorities.
With summer travel season hard upon us, specialists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have helped create two new standards designed to increase safety as we rush from gate to gate in crowded mass transit centers. Their efforts will help to fortify against potential bomb threats in the nation's transportation centers.
Two Belgian airports have recently deployed integrated IP video technology from IndigoVision, as part of infrastructure and new passenger terminal projects.
ADT Security Services recently announced that it has completed work on new digital networks allowing the two major international airports serving the Washington, D.C. area to migrate to the latest generation of video surveillance cameras.
In March, the Transportation Security Administration began deploying 150 backscatter imaging technology units, which were purchased with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, in airports across the country. By the end of the year, TSA plans to deploy about 450 of the imaging technology units.
- By Megan Weadock
- Jun 01, 2010
Avigilon, provider of high definition and megapixel video surveillance systems, announced that one of its customers, Love Field Airport in Dallas, is being showcased today to a delegation of airport executives from Latin America.
Infinova recently announced that Infinova's Ethernet networking video matrix switchers with a Video-over-IP option allows the surveillance system at Kuwait International Airport to meet the demands of three individual security authorities. The system includes a combination of 130 Infinova PTZ dome cameras, mini domes and fixed cameras.
IndigoVision’s IP video technology is at the heart of a fully integrated security solution for the new passenger terminal at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.
Infinova recently announced that, as part of a $63.1 million construction project, Uzbekistan’s Navoi Airport is installing Infinova PTZ and day/night high-resolution cameras to watch over one of central Asia’s newest Free Industrial Economic Zones (FIEZ).
In response to the failed Christmas Day bombing by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Transportation Security Administration has mandated enhanced screening measures at airports nationwide for U.S.-bound passengers traveling from or through state sponsors of terrorism and other countries of interest.
- By Sherleen Mahoney
- Apr 01, 2010
Genetec announced recently that the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has selected and has recently completed installation of Genetec’s Omnicast IP video surveillance as part of a major video system upgrade.
The government security market is a growing multi-billion dollar business. To address a host of new security requirements, the security industry has partnered with the government to develop new security standards and capabilities. New requirements have led to opportunities in the physical access control systems and the identity management markets.
- By Kim Rahfaldt, Adam Shane
- Mar 05, 2010
A new Financial Times/Harris Poll of adults under 65 finds support for increased security measures after the attempted bombing of a plane on Christmas Day. Majorities of those surveyed in the United States (64 percent), Great Britain (62 percent), Italy (58 percent), France (58 percent), and Germany (53 percent) as well as 46 percent of Spaniards and 44 percent of Chinese all agree that body scanners that X-ray the full body should be introduced at airports.
The dramatic increase in airport-security spending over the past decade has maximized traveler safety, but we still have a ways to go. Airports pose unique challenges for surveillance systems, not only due to their sharp focus on passenger safety, but also because they encompass very large spaces. In fact, nine of the top 20 largest facilities on Earth are airports.
- By Dave Tynan
- Mar 03, 2010