The Last Word

Bringing Security Together

OVER the past years, many new security technologies have been introduced to improve public safety and security, including higher-resolution cameras, sophisticated DVRs, intelligent video software, biometrics and a whole host of other solutions.

But while these technologies have improved, security teams have been left with vast amounts of data coming from various different sources and a challenge of putting the information together in a usable package to help the public.

And no place understands that challenge more than airports, including the San Diego International Airport.

The airport, located in the second-most populous city in California and seventh-most in the United States, is the busiest one-runway airport in the world with more than 17 million passengers per year.

"It's crucial for airports to have airport domain awareness to prevent and detect actions against civil aviation -- a comprehensive, multi-sensor system that integrates with existing security systems, but also is open enough to adapt to new security technologies," said Mark Denari, director of aviation security for the San Diego Regional Airport Authority.

Finding a System
To accomplish that goal, Denari and the San Diego Regional Airport Authority looked to Surveillint, a security solution from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Proximex.

"Security systems have been around for quite a while, but recent events drove a renewed emphasis on security," said Larry Lien, vice president of product development at Proximex. "The key problem that we found, however, was that these improved technologies only minimally improved security operations and public safety -- primarily due to the lack of integration of these devices. Customers in the security market needed a way to get more out of the security investments they had already made and improve responsiveness to security incidents."

Surveillint integrates with the airport's existing security systems and automatically fuses incident-related security information in real time. With Surveillint, six standalone security and surveillance systems at the facility are integrated into a common Windows&reg-based user interface.

And Proximex took a page from IT when designing Surveillint to create a solution that would fuse information together to provide security teams actionable intelligence and situational awareness.

"Surveillint was created with the idea that the physical security market needed a solution that intelligently integrated information from many different systems, fused the relevant information and displayed the information so a team could respond accurately and quickly -- much like the need in the IT industry to integrate IT systems, application and network information to take business action," Lien said.

Anchoring Surveillint is a management middleware system dubbed the REDS (real-time, enterprise, distributed security) framework. REDS allows the information from various different sources to be integrated together. The framework is designed using Microsoft's .NET architecture, allowing for scalability for thousands of sensors and support for numerous types of different security systems.

Proximex builds integration modules with a number of different security subsystems which are able to bi-directionally communicate to both receive information and send information, or take control of a subsystem.

REDS then normalizes information from the various security subsystems and fuses all the related data together so that information from a related incident is automatically displayed to a security team when it occurs.

The System in Action
At the airport, for example, if a forced door entry occurs, the operator is automatically shown in one window: the alarm details, the related queued video right before the alarm was generated, live-camera video, the last people who have swiped their badge through the door and response instructions.

After the operator reviews the alert, information can be sent to first responders via e-mail, pager or PDA.

For protecting the airport, the system is organized around a map user interface that allows for a visualization of the entire physical security layout, and an event-based database. But the interface and database can be configured for a large number of applications, including border access and immigration, utilities, government facilities and casinos.

And the feedback from the San Diego airport has been positive. The airport has been able to improve safety and security, reduce overall costs and improve its return on investment while being able to upgrade technology easily in the future because of the middleware function of Surveillent, Lien said.

"The guards and operators not only like the intuitiveness, but also the comprehensiveness of the user interface," he said. "The supervisors like the ability to report on each incident and audit the actions taken on an alarm, and management likes the open framework approach and the ability for the system to provide total airport situational awareness so that they can improve security and public safety."

Featured

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

  • Why the Future of Video Security Is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reasons. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. Read Now

  • UL Solutions Launches Artificial Intelligence Safety Certification Services

    UL Solutions Inc., a global leader in safety science, today announced the launch of artificial intelligence (AI) safety certification services, enabling comprehensive assessments for evaluating the safety of AI-powered products. Read Now

  • ESA Announces Initiative to Introduce the SECURE Act in State Legislatures

    The Electronic Security Association (ESA), the national voice for the electronic security and life safety industry, has announced plans to introduce the SECURE Act in state legislatures across the country beginning in 2025. The proposal, known as Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures, provides a clear framework that allows candidates and elected officials to use campaign funds for professional security services. Read Now

    • Guard Services
Most   Popular

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.