By Milind Borkar
Strategic Consultant, VICON
Most planned acts of terrorism all over the world are thwarted by ultra-modern methods of intelligence gathering. Security services couldn’t operate as effectively as they do without utilizing highly sophisticated systems that continually adapt to changing circumstances and increased levels of threat.
Airport security is the biggest challenge of all. Airports are extremely busy public places, and unfortunately, so are prime targets for terrorism. So, it has proved – with aircraft, passengers, crew and airport infrastructure all subject to terrorist attacks. Airport defense really does present a labyrinth of security challenges.
Enter TASS – the most advanced and innovative multi-level surveillance and intelligence system that airport authorities could hope for. TASS will monitor the entire airport, providing complete real-time situational awareness to those in charge of security matters.
Deployed for the TAS field trial at London’s airport
The TASS concept is based on integrating and fusing data from different types of real time sensors & sub-systems in a variety of modes, including fixed and mobile, all suitable for operation under any environmental conditions. Under TASS, airport security control will be divided into the following seven major airport security control segments (AS-CS) to ensure that the defense of each segment, and the airport as a whole, is as efficient and effective as possible.
All airport facilitates people (passengers, visitors, staff, air-crew), vehicles, cargo, baggage, airplanes and airport-air-space access, environment, cyberspace.
Each of these segments will be monitored 24-7 and the data generated by the different sensors and subsystems will be fused, processed and analyzed. The data provides an on-going real time holistic view of the security situation within the entire airport area. This up-to-the-second information will be shared between all the authorities involved in airport security, allowing decision makers to reach a situational assessment and work closely together in determining the best ways to neutralize any threat.
Deployed for the TAS field trial at London’s airport
TAS comprises of a multi-level video and situation intelligence offering specifically designed to help airports advance their threat detection capabilities.
The TAS consortium initiator and coordinator, along with several key partners from leading European technology companies, launched the field testing of the TAS prototype in October 2015. During the trial, three pre-identified security threat scenarios are being tested, allowing members within the airport community to observe and evaluate the TAS system.
Part of the Seventh EU Framework Program (FP7), TAS is a four year project that ran until March 2015. The TAS consortium is led by Opgal and composed of 20 leading European technology companies, research institutes and end-user organizations.
The purpose of TAS is to enable an advanced, integrated approach to airport security by creating an entire airport situation intelligence solution that provides real-time, accurate situational awareness to airport authorities. Based on integrating and fusing different types of real-time sensors and sub-systems for data collection, TAS operates in a variety of modes, including fixed and mobile, and under any environmental condition. TAS represents a significant step forward in developing the model for integrated systems at airports, which typically have a range of systems and sensors not natively designed to interoperate or share intelligence in a coordinated manner.
The purpose of TAS is to enable an advanced, integrated approach to airport security by creating an entire airport situation intelligence solution
Heathrow security officials will continue to conduct several simulated scenarios testing the system’s functionality and interoperability with the integrated technologies. Among the technology being used in the field trial are Boss Video Management Software™ (VMS) and Applied PSIM, a physical security information management solution. The VMS solution is a powerful video management application designed to view video, monitor system health and export information for investigative purposes. PSIM captures information from a variety of security, safety and building management systems; enables users to view, correlate and analyze the information to identify situations quickly and efficiently; and helps initiate and manage responses to security situations in collaboration with local authorities and agencies. The Nextiva solutions are open-standards based and have been integrated with the other consortium key partner technologies.
“The TAS consortium is pleased to execute and monitor its first proof-of-concept testing at Heathrow,” said Gideon Hazzani, TAS project coordinator and director of business development, Communications and Cyber Intelligence Solutions™, “Airports sophisticated environment made it an attractive candidate for the trial. Upon integrating the various systems, the consortium will continue its field trial to validate the Total Airport Security ability to deliver real-time data to security authorities, enabling them to quickly identify and assess situations, and effectively respond to alerts within pre-defined parameters set forth by the airport.”
