Conducting more than 220,000 flight operations a year, Morristown Airport is a general aviation reliever airport in the New York metropolitan area.
Conducting more than 220,000 flight operations a year, Morristown Airport is a general aviation reliever airport in the New York metropolitan area. They accommodate a mix of international and domestic corporate flights as well as charter air carriers, that rely on the airport for a safe, efficient and hassle-free travel experience.
The situation
Currently, general aviation airports are not subject to federal mandates to provide security. However, Morristown Airport officials wanted to add a camera and gate access system to increase security for the public use areas of the airport so the tenants, users, and surrounding community would feel more safe and secure. The airport had an existing system that wasn’t able to address their specific needs, so airport management was looking for a security integrator who could create a web-based system that had the capability of expansion without additional capital costs.
The solution
The airport contracted security integrator Service Works (SWI) of Farmingdale, NJ. SWI reengineered the project, along with
Honeywell, to address the airport’s specific needs. They removed the existing products and created a Honeywell solution that includes IP-based video as well as card access control.
“Honeywell worked with us on the project from the beginning. We started off with the new Digital Video Manager (DVM) product, which is exceptional, and added the Pro-Watch line, and we integrated that with other Honeywell products to give the airport one complete solution,” explains Stephen Govel, President of SWI.
The airport wanted to make sure the system complemented the aesthetics of the facility and the entrance road into the property. SWI custom-matched all of the Honeywell domes and housings to the existing décor. In addition, SWI designed the system ergonomically so that the operators could efficiently answer issues or protocols by exception rather than having to manage a very involved process.
The benefits
Everything is scalable and on an IP-based system. Honeywell’s Digital Video Manager, an IP-based video management solution, is integrated with Pro-Watch, the access control solution. With the integration, operators do not have to manage several disparate systems.
“By allowing Pro-Watch to integrate with the IP solutions, intercoms, and other solutions, we save the airport significant dollars and provide them and their customers with the security of having a solution that fits their needs,” explains Michael Thomas, Vice President of Engineering for SWI.
For the access control solution, they use multi-technology readers that involve compliance with smart cards and/or HID multi-technology cards for their customers and staff. They also have Smart Pass readers for emergency vehicles and snow removal vehicles. If an airport employee approaches a gate, they have a Smart Pass, which is an unobtrusive, but secure mode of entering the facility. When a non- employee approaches any of the gates, a motion detector senses the person and will train every camera to that person and capture video. The system allows that person to easily call the administrator or the Operations Center for access to the facility.
SWI designed a system that improves security in an emergency. In addition, the future system design will save additional money. A wireless mesh networking will allow for mobile applications, such as roving patrols, to see video or exception alarm routing at any point in the airport facility.
“One of the things that SWI and Honeywell have provided for us is the ability to do more with the manpower that we have. We have been able to make our operations coordinators, who also act as our security coordinators, more efficient and effective in their jobs because they use the technology to supplement their need to be out on the airfield,” explains Renner.
By instituting these security improvements, the airport is setting an example for all general aviation facilities. “It gives an overall sense of security for our tenants and our users, that they’re at an airport that has taken security very seriously and is looking to be on the leading edge of general aviation,” concludes Renner.