Airport security: how best to manage a sensitive environment

Over the last decade, the world of airport security has changed radically. The market has seen the emergence of new technologies and best practices, increasingly useful for the prevention and management of emergency situations in sensitive environments.

Today, airports are undergoing a great transformation that emphasises the need to equip themselves with state-of-the-art security systems capable of monitoring and managing flows of people comparable to those of a metropolis. Visitor safety is the main objective of every airport facility. However, the best technologies are needed to guarantee the highest level of reliability and efficiency.

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Airport Monitoring Guidelines

To be effective, airport monitoring must focus on 4 key issues:

  1. Improving perimeter security. In a sensitive environment such as an airport, it is important to be able to quickly detect and identify the presence of unauthorised persons in critical areas: the perimeter area, taxiways and runways. Early detection of such events can be difficult for operators who are based solely on standard video. Advanced video monitoring systems, on the other hand, make it possible not only to identify and track the path taken by people or foreign objects within critical areas, but also facilitate the work of operators through automated processes.

  2. Smart cameras to intercept suspicious activity. Thanks to intelligent devices installed inside and outside the airport system, it is possible to monitor anomalies and foil criminal activities. In fact, this kind of cameras uses Artificial Intelligence to automatically detect and report anomalies, focusing on relevant information such as the size of moving bodies and objects, the direction of movement and its duration.

  3. Early detection of fire risk. At the airport, a system capable of implementing early detection of fire risk with the ability to distinguish it from other disturbing factors is essential. Thanks to modern multi-sensor detectors, such as those integrated with Beta 80 Group's Control 1st platform, it is possible to detect various parameters associated with fire risk: smoke, heat and carbon monoxide.

  4. Implement an access control system. The number of visitors at airports is increasing. For this reason, it is important to speed up the processes of passenger embarkation and disembarkation. Using efficient, state-of-the-art automated gates, it is possible to improve these operations and at the same time guarantee high security standards with considerable savings in personnel costs.

The issue of security is of a varied and complex nature. Currently, airports have many solutions at their disposal: from video surveillance systems to perimeter and access control, to fire and physical protection systems. What is missing, however, is the orchestration of information between the different systems and the operational procedures used to implement the appropriate measures to resolve an incident, manage a crisis or mitigate risks. For the operators of the airport system, the support of advanced technologies that enable rapid and effective communication between all actors involved, as well as a timely interpretation of the information from the control room becomes essential.

Control 1st: to build an advanced security system even at the airport

Control 1st is Beta 80 Group's technology suite that supports airports at all stages of the event management process. Highly configurable, it has a strong strategic impact on the entire organisation. With a focus on information, Control 1st generates quality data on tracked processes, with comprehensive analysis and reporting to assess the effectiveness of actions.

There are 4 phases behind Control 1st to provide the most appropriate tools in a single operational environment:

  1. KNOWLEDGE: this involves risk analysis and the development of the security and prevention process.

  2. AWARENESS: thanks to the integrated information from external systems, the type of event is qualified in real time and coordinated action plans begin to be defined, according to the various risk scenarios.

  3. DECISION: a priority scale of events is drawn up; available resources are identified and a real-time alarms and situations analysis is carried out.

  4. ACTION: Control 1st provides all the information needed to support decisions, using a single operating environment, in a clear and intuitive manner, without additional steps.

Control 1st is, therefore, a harmonious system, capable of interconnecting people, technologies and processes in a holistic manner.

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