Page 80 - Security Today, July 2017

long-range thermal pan-tilt cameras on high masts and piers, staff can observe water vessels both near and far – up to 12 miles away in some installations. The technology aids coast guards on search-and- rescue missions by allowing them to assess swimmers and recreation- al boats that may be in distress; it is particularly useful at night, or on days with rain or light fog. Thermal cameras also serve to monitor the physical and virtual perimeter of ports, identifying and assessing unauthorized personnel. Thermal zoom lenses, a recent technology advance for uncooled cameras, also provide convenience.
Roads, bridges and tunnels. Municipalities use thermal cameras to provide 24/7 observation of critical transportation infrastructure, such as roads, highways, bridges and tunnels.
When it comes to roadway monitoring, thermal cameras are not adversely affected by glare from car headlights. As such, they allow staff to clearly see vehicles, analyze traffic patterns and assess the cause of traffic disruptions 24/7, reducing congestion and potentially speeding the dispatch of roadside assistance or maintenance crews. When fixed thermal cameras are deployed for the detection and counting of cars at stop lights, they are a cost-effective alternative to ground sensors, which requires the breaking up of pavement.
Thermal imaging also improves coverage of key areas around bridges and tunnels to detect unauthorized entries, monitor unusual activity and detect hot spots that have the potential to turn into full- blown fires.
Railway tracks and yards. Railroad security applications are de- signed to ensure both passenger and cargo safety. For example, safety monitoring and object detection by thermal cameras on or near rail- way tracks can help identify stopped cars or crossing pedestrians, and send early warnings to operators. Thermal cameras with video ana- lytics provide virtual perimeters in complex railyards, detect trespass- ers and ultimately deter and prevent cargo theft.
Airports. For airports, it’s imperative that no threat goes unde- tected. Along those lines, airports are increasingly deploying thermal imaging with radar, integrated through advanced video management
software (VMS), to provide superior perimeter protection both inside and outside the perimeter.
Pan-tilt multi-sensor thermal cameras are ideal for this applica- tion, with a thermal camera for 24/7 detection and the visible-light camera for color images and visual evidence. Radar for the long- range detection of people and vehicles up to several miles is also rec- ommended. Meanwhile, alarm management, pan-tilt-zoom control, GIS maps with camera overlay, and incident/case builder functions are all controlled the VMS. Together, these technologies enable the airport to perform a more information-rich, intelligent assessment with maximum flexibility.
By deploying an integrated solution with radar and thermal cam- eras, security personnel can monitor the “buffer zone” outside of the airport or the restricted zones within the fenced area where only cer- tain objects (such as airplanes) should be. If the radar detects a target on a restricted zone, that information is sent to the VMS. The VMS software will show the event detected by the radar on a map and trig- ger pan-tilt multi-sensor thermal cameras to slew to that location, lock on the target, and show live video of the incident. Security per- sonnel can use the video to assess the target and determine whether it is an intrusion event or something else that needs to be managed. One potential outcome would be to ascertain that a ground crew member is doing maintenance and forgot to get clearance. These sophisti- cated operations are possible using VMS solutions with rich radar, mapping and alarm management capabilities.
Looking Bright for the Future
The future looks bright for thermal imaging systems. New develop- ments are constantly being introduced to further enhance their ca- pabilities. As previously mentioned, the dual-sensor, pan-tilt-zoom camera with both visible and thermal sensors has been met with great success and is seeing a higher demand across the industry. Another noteworthy innovation is automatic pan-tilt-zoom track- ing of intruders detected by fixed thermal cameras. Plus, there are a growing number of initiatives being developed by market leaders to educate the industry, including site design and thermal product selec- tion tools available on manufacturer’s websites. Many applications have already benefited from deploying thermal
cameras. As awareness of thermal technology and advanced perimeter solutions continues to grow, thermal camera imaging should find its way into even more applications in the years ahead.
Dwight Dumpert is the director of product manage- ment, Security at FLIR Systems.
28
0717 | SECURITY TODAY
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY