Page 15 - Security Today, January/February 2022

“AI may be the greatest impact on airport operations that the aviation industry has seen in decades, affecting everything from ramp activity to passenger flow.”
By Anthony Incorvati
abling smart algorithms. Integration with airport informational databases allows this data to be analyzed, and pushed out to traveler apps and flight displays.
Passengers can view wait times for shuttles or at security, checkpoints and better manage their time using the infor- mation provided. Again, more efficient processing of passenger flow, for example, helping ease capacity, contributing to a better customer experience.
The Sterile Side
On the “sterile side,” which includes areas beyond TSA checkpoints, airports are fill- ing their terminals and ramp areas with IP cameras. In these applications, the surveil- lance cameras act as sensors, involving AI and deep learning to contribute data they collect to a larger structure. This effort does improve operational efficiency and ulti- mately enhance the customer experience.
Some airlines are installing as many as three to five cameras per gate to assist with ramp turnaround management. Like a racecar at a pit stop, when a plane lands and passengers deplane, the ground sup-
ed that a record number of firearms, the majority loaded, have been confiscated by TSA over the past year. This may be at- tributable to a higher number of first-time leisure travelers. According to Forbes. com, the TSA said it caught 4,495 pas- sengers with firearms at airport security checkpoints in the first nine months of 2021, the most in 20 years.
While the security and risk manage- ment needs for IP cameras at airports are clearly high, the operational needs may be even more commanding. In fact, AI may be the greatest impact on airport opera- tions that the aviation industry has seen in decades, affecting everything from ramp activity to passenger flow.
AI and deep learning algorithms are be- ing applied to these locations to better under- stand wait/dwell times, occupancy levels, and other factors — and as a tool to determine whether or not to allocate more resources to process passengers more efficiently.
One example is how IP cameras will help manage queues at airports. Cameras, as sensors, collect data on how quickly a queue is progressing. IP cameras are en-
cluding the security checkpoints. Normally, IP cameras are installed for general surveil- lance of perimeters and fence lines, parking lots, entrances/exits, ticket counters, TSA checkpoints, baggage claims and other spaces. In addition to looking for a wide range of atypical behavior, such as perim- eter breaches, suspicious vehicles, items left behind, reverse movement through check- points and corridors, and more, a recent trend in airport security is the detection of unruly passengers, making security surveil- lance a still heightened concern.
In addition, it has been widely report-
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