As a transportation hub, GRB faces a range of safety and security challenges, and sought to detect and handle any potentially threatening situation as it unfolded. Of prime importance was safeguarding the smooth and uninterrupted flow of the exit lanes for passengers leaving the terminal, and keeping air carrier aprons and ramps clear of unauthorized pedestrians.
Challenge
Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) is a busy, international, two-runway facility which serves hundreds of thousands of passengers annually. GRB is served by three major airlines which together provide 30 daily departures and connections to a range of global destinations.
As a transportation hub, GRB faces a range of safety and security challenges, and sought to detect and handle any potentially threatening situation as it unfolded. Of prime importance was safeguarding the smooth and uninterrupted flow of the exit lanes for passengers leaving the terminal, and keeping air carrier aprons and ramps clear of unauthorized pedestrians.
Solution
GRB upgraded its surveillance system to include savVi, Agent Vi’s on-premise video analytics platform, integrated with Axis fixed, thermal and PTZ cameras (including AXIS P3344 Network cameras and AXIS Q1921 Thermal Network cameras). savVi monitors and detects events according to user-defined rules, sending an alert in real-time as an event occurs. This enables an instantaneous and appropriate response by security staff. The site employs the Milestone XProtect® platform as their video management software (VMS) for both recording and live viewing, which is certified as a fully integrated solution with Agent Vi’s software.
A main goal of the GRB security team, together with Transport Security Administration (TSA) officials, is the detection of individuals moving against the flow of traffic or entering through the concourse exit. This is particularly important when passengers leave the plane and move out of the active concourse, towards baggage claim and the exit. Any movement counter to this direction raises the suspicion of improper behavior. Accordingly, savVi monitors the exit lanes and detects people moving against the traffic flow. The GRB security team utilizes savVi’s detections to ensure that any movement counter to the permitted direction is investigated in real-time.
savVi is also used to monitor personnel movement on the air carrier aprons and ramps. savVi differentiates between people, vehicles and static objects within the images streamed from the cameras, and detects when there are people located in a vehicle-only lane, while discounting movement of aircraft and vehicles. When detecting a person, savVi sends a real-time alert to the security team, who then handles the situation appropriately
Result
savVi real-time event detection and alert software monitors video footage in real-time for predefined safety scenarios and security events. Upon detection of an event, savVi sends an audio alert to TSA agents as well as to the airport Public Safety Communication Center, where the event is also displayed on GRB’s purpose-built video wall. In this way, savVi optimizes the surveillance system, enabling security staff to work more efficiently and effectively, rather than engaging in fruitless hours of exhaustive watching and waiting. Moreover, by deploying savVi’s automated monitoring and alerts, GRB enjoys a substantial reduction in overhead costs.
The real-time detections provided by savVi have prevented serious situations occurring by enabling the security staff at GRB to act swiftly and effectively. Anyone entering a concourse exit lane, or moving counter to the flow of foot traffic, is immediately detected by savVi, and an alert is sent in real-time to the security team. The security staff is then able to view the detection footage and investigate the breach as the event develops.
Without savVi real-time event detection capabilities, an incident of this nature could cause a complete airport shutdown, including emptying and scanning of the concourse, and re-screening hundreds of passengers. By deploying savVi, GRB has ensured that this kind of situation is avoided.
“Agent Vi helped us enhance our surveillance system with real-time event detection, enabling us to respond more quickly to incidents,” said Tom Miller, Director for Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport. “Plus, we configured the analytics with some redundancy to minimize the possibility of a security breach in the sterile concourse.”
“savVi automatically detects security breaches at GRB, allowing the security team to leverage their surveillance infrastructure, and manage such events as they unfold, before they spiral into serious incidents” commented Miki Schwartzberg, VP Sales Americas, Agent Vi. “savVi adds the essential force multiplier required to spot potentially serious situations and react effectively in real-time, as is demonstrated clearly at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.”
Product Adopted:Software