High-profile airport perimeter security breaches around the world highlight the important need for accurate, dependable security systems to protect aviation assets. While security checkpoints and passenger screening programs have done a good job inside the terminal, security problems remain where protection is most needed: At the perimeter.
Many airports have little more than a chain-link fence between the Air Operations Area (AOA) and public areas, making it too easy for someone to get near the runway or parked aircraft. It’s harder to get a bottle of water through a security checkpoint today than it is to climb the fence at many airports.
Airport perimeter security can be more difficult than other places. Airports are large, with many moving objects, and vibrations from jets as well as shifting lights can interfere with visible camera detection systems or fence-mounted sensors.
Even with the challenges, it’s now possible to close this security loophole and eliminate the risks, whether it’s for an international airport or a smaller regional facility.
Solutions for Airport Perimeter Security
SightLogix smart thermal cameras with video analytics are solving airport perimeter security problems around the world. Once known strictly for “night vision” use, today’s smart thermal cameras automatically detect intruders over large areas, sending an alarm to alert security personnel the instant a break-in happens, along with the location of the alarm projected onto a sitemap. Smart thermal cameras essentially act like a burglar alarm for the perimeter, stopping intruders in real time, which is so important for airports when seconds make all the difference.
Designed for Airport Security Challenges
SightLogix SightSensors are well suited for airport security challenges. Airports experience a lot of movement from wind and vibrations; electronic stabilization is used to remove camera shake from causing alerts. Blowing trash and small animals cause nuisance alerts for many smart cameras; SightSensors use geo-registered video analytics and image processing to ignore this activity while still detecting break-ins. Airports often have fog, rain and snow; SightSensors are nitrogen sealed to keep out moisture and maintain high accuracy. SightLogix systems also provide hands-free PTZ control helping to detect, identify, and respond to threats over large airport perimeters.
Real-World Airport Perimeter Security Success Story
A test by the TSA at Buffalo Airport in upstate New York confirmed the detection accuracy of the SightLogix smart thermal camera system in a typically challenging airport environment. The agency evaluated more than 900 intrusion scenarios, with the system accurately reporting every alarm instance. Click here to read more about the airport perimeter security test at Buffalo Airport.
