A resilient and reliable transportation network is vital to the economy, and bridges are an integral component of that network. Given their importance, it is crucial that traffic and railway bridges are properly secured to protect these valuable assets from disruption. However, bridges have a unique set of requirements that make them more challenging structures to secure and protect. For instance, most outdoor security applications involve clearly defined interior and perimeter areas, normally separated by a fence or other barrier.
With bridges, this simply isn’t possible – the roadway or railroad track has to remain open to allow traffic flow. Without a clear delineation, there is no clear boundary where the line of demarcation between acceptable and unacceptable areas should be drawn. As a result, bridges are by their nature exposed from all sides, making them vulnerable from above, below and at the water’s edge.
Industry Challenges
Given their large size, open areas, and high activity, bridges can be more challenging than securing perimeters of other types of facilities.
People responsible for protecting bridges are often concerned about:
- Detecting trespassers on the bridge, near the water, and from public areas that reside nearby
- Maintaining reliable detection in the presence of water, high vibrations, and difficult weather conditions
- Gaining real-time awareness about stopped or slowed vehicle traffic on the bridge
- Determining the risk from approaching watercraft from long distances, based on their proximity and speed
Even with these challenges, SightLogix solutions offer an adaptable, flexible and effective bridge security solution to meet the complexities and eliminate the risks.
SIGHTLOGIX SOLUTION
SightLogix smart thermal cameras with integrated video analytics have been purposefully designed for securing critical infrastructure in the tough outdoor environment common to bridges.
Bridge authorities have consistently turned to SightLogix SightSensors to solve bridge security challenges because they can:
- Detect movement with a high degree of accuracy in the presence of small animals, birds, flowing water, or blowing debris
- Provide early warning of intruders over massive buffer zones beyond the bridge structure itself – detecting intruders and approaching watercraft over hundreds of meters far and wide
- Operate in complete darkness as well as glare conditions caused by the rising or setting sun, headlights, or reflections off water
- Employ automatic stabilization to remove camera shake caused by passing trains, traffic and wind
- Determine the exact location of the intrusion and automatically zoom PTZ cameras to follow the action in real time
- Employ geospatial analytics to send alerts for slowed or stalled vehicles to avoid collisions that impede traffic
We work directly with our clients and their integrators to develop a complete design solution that uses SightLogix smart cameras to provide comprehensive protection over these important assets.
The unique challenges of protecting bridges can be met by using the right combination of technologies. The capabilities of smart thermal camera systems to provide video security are an ideal solution to address these challenges and help to keep our bridges safe.
Summary
With a proven track record of providing a high level of security for bridges, our clients can expect:
- Excellent detection with minimal nuisance alarms
- Reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs from reliable, long-range systems built to survive the toughest elements
- A system that is very easy to install, setup and maintain
- Outstanding support from the SightLogix team
When looking for a solution that provides the highest level of detection performance to protect bridge perimeters, our clients choose SightLogix.