February theme: Aviation securityRaytheon’s Integrated Security System for Airports (ISSA)
Defending airports involves more than screening passengers and luggage; airports are large, sprawling facilities, and to defend them properly their perimeter must be tightly monitored and protected; Raytheon ISSA solution offers airports a comprehensive approach to security
When people refer to “airport security,” they typically think of screening passengers and luggage for weapons and explosives. An essential and, in the public discussion, often overlooked, component of airport security is perimeter protection: Airports are large, sprawling facilities, and to defend them properly their perimeter must be tightly monitored and protected. The protection of airports’ perimeters relies on many technologies and applications which, to be effective, must be tightly integrated. These technologies and applications include fencing systems, infrared and thermographic sensing, CCTVs and video analytics, intrusion detection systems, access control systems, biometric systems and other means of identification.
Increased efforts to protect critical airport infrastructure following 9/11 have led to increased budget allocations to meet security threats and protect airport perimeters. As more airports seek to install integrated security solutions, more large system integrators have moved into this market, forging partnerships with smaller niche companies to offer airport operators greater benefits. “The perimeter still remains a vulnerable target for terrorism, which, as history has shown, is highly adaptable,” said an analyst for Frost & Sullivan. “As a result, increased funds allocation is expected towards new technology and protection initiatives, especially in countries witnessing the largest influx of airline passengers.” The analyst noted that a greater number of airports are switching to digital networks, making it essential to network all security solutions to the main command, control, and communications (C3) center. Further, as layered technology security solutions gain importance, integrated network systems are likely to drive increased airport sales. “Interoperable and layered security solutions, which feature open architecture structures will become crucial for existing airport operators,” said the analyst.
Talking about layered, integrated, and interoperable perimeter security solution brings us to Raytheon. The company has developed a solution aiming to protect airports and the safety of those who work in airports or go through them on travel. The Integrated Security System for Airports (ISSA) is a comprehensive system which combines information received from different sources, including cameras, radars, and sensors, and presents them to decision makers in a way that makes it easier for them to know what is going on, identify and locate the most serious risks to the airport, and take action to address the risk and meet the threat. By detecting, observing, assessing, and tracking intrusions to secure areas, and then helping airport security personnel to dispatch the appropriate response, the ISSA, in the company’s words, “creates a zone of safety” around commercial airports.
Raytheon is typically associated with large military programs, but the ISSA is but one example of the company’s bringing its technological and engineering muscle to the homeland security market. Other examples include includes projects such as the System for Vigilance of the Amazon which protects two million square miles of Brazilian Amazon rainforest; US-VISIT program, for which Raytheon provides support in systems engineering and biometrics; and Athena Maritime Domain Awareness Fusion Center; the Advanced Route Evaluation System (ARES); and the Emergency Data Awareness Portal (EDAP) prototype.
The system’s components
The Raytheon ISSA solution, developed by the Airport Security Programs at Raytheon, which is led by Thomas Bonsaint, consists of six major subsystems — surveillance, command and control, assessment, facility communications, power infrastructure, and audio visual.
Surveillance. The surveillance subsystem gathers raw data from the surveillance sensors, combines multiple detections of the same target received from different sensors into a single track, and applies user-defined rules to these tracks in order to generate alarms when one or more rules are violated. Alarms are handed off to the command and control subsystem for display and so that decision makers can take action. The surveillance subsystem is based on an open architecture approach, allowing for the integration of multiple types of sensors. The system can accommodate an increased number of existing types of sensors
