Flying High
Tennessee airport adds wireless video surveillance to help increase security efforts
NOWADAYS, it takes much
more to have a safe flight, and airports are strengthening security to
ensure passengers do travel safely. Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport,
just outside bustling Nashville, Tenn., previously had six analog
cameras running to videotapes that produced poor-quality video and
required heavy manual operation. The airport had no cable
infrastructure around its 1,700-acre facility, so a new networked
surveillance system required wireless technology for total coverage.
The new security solution includes a mix of Panasonic KX series PTZ
network cameras and Pelco analog cameras converted to digital via
Vivotek video servers. The system is managed by Milestone XProtectTM Enterprise IP video surveillance software. Dynamark Security also integrated video surveillance with an access control system.
Smyrna
airport public safety officers have gained a full overview of the
airport's many facilities via a flexible and scalable system,
efficiently re-using existing hardware while integrating the IP
platform that will serve for planned future growth.
Smyrna airport public safety officers have gained a full overview of
the airport's many facilities via a flexible and scalable system,
efficiently re-using existing hardware while integrating the IP
platform that will serve for planned future growth. Adding new cameras
anytime is easy, and remote access provides the ability to monitor
activity anytime from anywhere. The Milestone software
securely-encrypted evidence has already proven useful for sharing
images with other authorities to handle prosecutions or resolve other
issues.
"The corporate aviation accounts have insurance requirements we
couldn't meet before our force came on board and this system was
installed. So, we have lured business into this airport because of the
new technology," said Joe Johnson, chief of public safety at the
Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority.
The Smyrna Airport began use of its new Milestone system in February
2006. The airport has a camera at every gate entrance and two PTZs on
the new terminal building. One PTZ camera is on top of the control
tower, giving a good overview of the entire sweep of the airport.
Security can move the cameras around and add new ones any time -- the
wireless network system is flexible.
Take Off
"The primary security goal is to lock the airport down, to control
ingress and egress. We make sure no one gets through the gates who
should not," Johnson said. "Our officers do a great job with the
surveillance. We're watching them, and we've got control over our
facility."
The airport also used Milestone software for footage of an accident
when a pilot landed short of the runway. Authorities were pleased to
learn that the video images were encrypted, so they could prove there
had been no tampering with the evidence of the event.
"The new system has really helped us to monitor the facility,"
Johnson said. "Any movement that happens at night, we've got it set up
in the software to send an alert to check it. We're on duty 24 hours a
day. If someone tries to fly in some illegal cargo or to compromise our
airport security, I'm going to track him and catch him. And just this
morning, we had a fuel tanker hit a fence, so we've been working that
case with the Milestone images to resolve how that happened."
Smooth Flight
The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended that every
commercial airport provide enhanced law enforcement and security by
June.
"We are ahead of schedule," Johnson said. "We've already had our FAA
and TSA inspections. As a matter of fact, the FAA is bringing other
people in to see this system because they want to make other airports
aware of its capabilities."
Smyrna airport is well situated for the community's increasing
travel needs. The airport is in the heart of Tennessee and is the
geographic center of the eastern United States, facilitating airlines
with a mild climate during the winter season. New fleets of micro-jets
are being ordered in the United States, and recent reports indicate
corporate business and commuter "taxi" flight services are going to
increase significantly in the coming years. Smyrna airport is ready.
The facility has a long history and a bright future. There's a
combination of military, corporate and small-business services, as well
as significant flight training with more than 100,000 flight operations
per year. The airport's air traffic control tower is staffed from 7
a.m. to 7 p.m., and the Public Safety Division runs continuously. The
airport?s public safety officers are cross-trained in police, fire and
rescue emergency medical services. Now, the officers are equipped with
advanced surveillance tools and an IP video platform.
This article originally appeared in the January 2007 issue of Security Products, pg. 32.