Latest surveillance technologies keep seaports more secure
With two huge targets — people and assets, seaports are a likely mark for attacks. Video surveillance plays an important part of ensuring the safety and security of seaports, and new and improved technologies are helping do so.
Izvor: a&s International
E-mail: redakcija@asadria.com
Seaports are a gateway for people and goods to enter different cities and countries around the world. This, however, also makes them vulnerable to a number of threats. A robust video surveillance system, then, becomes a critical component of the overall safety and security solution at a seaport.
The requirements for a video surveillance solution at seaports have evolved over time. Not only does it serve to provide security and surveillance functions, but also for worker safety and operations. These evolving needs are the result of a growing risk landscape and growing threat of terrorist attacks.
“As families enter and exit cruise ships, large crowds are often shuffling around, creating a critical component of necessary protection for these spaces. For ships carrying goods and materials, the possibility exists that the inventory may present something suspicious that poses a potential threat, requiring proper scanning and searching techniques,” said Jumbi Edulbehram, Regional President of Americas at Oncam.
Video surveillance provides a valuable solution to safeguard these aspects, allowing officials to observe behavior in real time and quickly identify a risk or vulnerability.
Major Challenges
Seaports have many critical surveillance needs such as safeguarding against unlawful entry and terrorist threats, but they must also deal with day-to-day theft and damage issues. All this becomes increasingly difficult to deal with due to the large physical area that encompasses a port’s security responsibility and the fact that ports typically never close, having activity at all hours of the day and night. As a result, ports also encounter issues deciding how to effectively and economically protect a very large area. Something else to consider is that trade activity increases every year, resulting in more traffic and more assets the port must monitor and protect.
When it comes to deploying a video surveillance solution, major challenges at a seaport include the environment being very corrosive (salt water), harsh weather (fog and humidity) and the expansive layout. One way to combat such conditions is by taking advantage of surveillance cameras certified to operate despite constant sunlight, steady rainfall or high winds. Facility lighting and an ever-changing landscape of moving containers stacked to differing heights also pose a challenge for seaport security. “Stacking containers provide a real challenge for video coverage and ability to effectively illuminate areas and corridors between the stacks,” said Mark Brown, Director of Research and Development for Security at FLIR Systems. Another challenge is that ports are always full of activity.
“Although there are restricted areas that can be monitored using traditional surveillance technology, a port must also monitor and police areas that are open to the public and experience high volumes of foot and vehicle traffic,” said Eric Olson, VP of Marketing for PureTech Systems. “Ports must be able to quickly obtain usable surveillance data in the case of an event, and use advanced technologies to help them prevent these events from occurring.”
Better Analytics Mean Better Awareness
Among the many improvements in surveillance technology, several companies specifically pointed to artificial intelligence (AI) and improve- ments in video analytics as being key developments in improved seaport surveillance.
“The continued development of artificial intelligence algorithms, especially for video surveillance, will allow ports to more effectively monitor ‘soft events,’ whereby the event does not entail an intrusion, but rather a set of suspicious actions that may indicate threat, vandalism or other form of security breach,” Olson said. “The advancement of more intelligent video forensic algorithms, to provide quicker and more specific searches across video and other security sensors, will also be a great help to ports to speed up the investigation process and provide more accurate search results.”
Edulbehram explained that AI, machine learning and video analytics are combining to create one of the most beneficial aspects of video surveillance systems: proactivity. “These technologies allow the system to pick up on unusual or suspicious activity before an incident occurs, which is crucial for seaport security. Machine learning and AI probably have some of the most promising advancements for transportation, namely airports and seaports because they make existing applications such as facial recognition much more accurate,” Edulbehram said. “They also help identify anomalies which can indicate a security threat in environments in which traditional analytics fall short due to the complexity of the scenes. Being able to detect and mitigate a threat in advance can save countless lives and property in an environment where so many important pieces are gathered.”
Brown believes developments in deep learning/CNN (convolutional neural networks) and their contributions to improved video analytic performance hold a lot of promise for the seaport environment. Brown identified several types of video analytic functions that are improving seaport surveillance security, such as license plate recognition (LPR) and optical character recognition for the control of vehicular and container traffic entering, leaving and within the facility; object tracking analytics for forklift, truck, crane and container movements; and facial recognition and people counting analytics are applicable for many seaport facilities servicing cruise ships.
Improvements in Camera Technology
Improvements in panoramic and thermal camera technologies are allowing seaports to see beyond what traditional video surveillance cameras have been able to offer.
“Current technology gaps that still need to be addressed to help ports in their security efforts include the ability to monitor very large areas economi- cally in both day and night conditions. For example, thermal cameras work very well for night time detection at a distance, but they do not allow for detailed identification. While video surveillance cameras do a good job at this, they require a large amount of illumination to do so during night time surveillance. Radars scan over large areas, but do not provide a visual confirmation,” Olson explained. “The key is combining these solutions in an economically and intelligent manner to provide ports with this wide range of coverage — day and night.”
Edulbehram explained how the development of panoramic surveillance technology has allowed seaport security officials to mitigate the issue of comprehensive coverage by providing the ability to obtain a complete view of the scene with no blind spots. “Investing in panoramic 360-degree cameras in seaports and incorpo- rating them as part of an overall video surveillance plan can help ensure total situational awareness,” he said.
Developments in thermal imaging with increased resolution have allowed thermal cameras to be utilized for analytics that are more reliable and not affected by challenging lighting conditions, according to Brown. “Multi-sensor cameras with visible and thermal cameras in the same housing allow for the analytics to run on the thermal payload and the visible to be utilized for identification of the intruder.”
In terms of radar, Brown noted that in combination with video surveillance for target identification, radar technologies are very effective for detection. In addition, it can be used to automatically slew cameras to detected radar targets and provide a very effective solution for covering large open areas on the waterside or land perimeters.
Developments in Drone Surveillance
Drone technologies from both the threat and security tool perspective can have a large impact in the seaport environment. Drones enabled with AI algorithms and traditional video tracking analytics also provide an exciting new opportunity for seaports. “Seaports have a significant area to cover, and the ability to automatically dispatch a drone to the location of event, to not only provide video verification, but provide a means of deterrence through the drone’s presence, can allow ports to not only react faster to events, but also manage ay-to-day operation costs,” Olson said.
“The recent ability to combine geospatial alarm and tracking with video equipped drones will now allow ports to perform guard tours and react to events using automatically deployed and controlled drones,” Olson added. “This technology will allow ports to not only react faster to events, but also manage day to day operation costs of security guards, security vehicles, training, fuel, etc.”
Despite this, drone detection and defense is still an emerging market with many challenges both from the detection side and ability to proactively stop drone threats, according to Brown. “Current drones have the capabilities to be utilized from the surveillance perspective for patrols and automated response to incidents, however there is still a gap in automated charging and enclosure solutions. Legislation around entirely autonomous control is also evolving and is a limiting factor in deploying fully automated systems,” he added.
Future Advances for Safer Seaports
The recent technological advances in camera technology and incorporation of AI for better analytics are all providing seaports with improved surveillance solutions. In the future, as AI in video surveillance and developments in drone use for surveillance all get even better, seaport operators will be able to enjoy more proactive solutions for even more effective and efficient monitoring.
How the Cloud and Edge Computing Can Help Seaports
Edge computing and cloud management could play key roles in seaport surveillance, according to Steve Hu, Product Manager of Merit LILIN. This is due to their maintainability and construction cost.
Seaports are vast and require a large number of cameras to adequately monitor the entire premises. This is where edge computing and the cloud could help seaport security operators manage systems more efficiently. “Without edge computing, a great burden will be imposed on the central management system. Also, due to the huge size of the areas needed to be covered, cameras are usually installed in places that are difficult to reach. Cloud management could make maintenance much easier and reduce relevant costs,” Hu said.
In the past, edge computing and cloud management were limited by poor computing performance and limited network connection capability. However, these two issues are now more stable and reliable, making it possible to upgrade and operate surveillance systems in a more efficient way.
“In terms of cloud management, IPv6 was the key to implement a firewall-less or NAT-less remote-control system. But now LILIN has developed a remote management system — DeviceHub,” Hu explained. “No more complicated network settings should be made, just plug and play. That can be seen as an important milestone in breaking the limits of existing network conditions.”
How PSIM Makes Monitoring Seaports More Effective, Efficient
To properly surveil seaports, many disparate systems have been used over time. Erez Goldstein, Director of Global Marketing at Qognify, explains how using a PSIM to integrate these systems can create a more effective, efficient system.
Seaports are both sensitive in terms of their operations and unique in terms of their structure — its open environment to the sea makes it hard to close by usual means, as well as the high volumes of employee and visitor traffic. As such they have invested heavily over time in safety and security systems including: video surveillance, video analytics, intruder and hold up alert systems, access control, sonar, radar, automatic identifi- cation system, and GPS, as well as the increasing use of drones, according to Goldstein.
“With so many disparate systems in operation, the big challenge (and opportunity) is to integrate them in a way that delivers a common operating picture that security teams can use to proactively monitor, manage and maintain the security of the port, its people, vessels and cargo,” he added. “However, seaports have also realized that while a single centralized platform can help to significantly reduce exposure to risks and improve incident management, it can also make them more operationally efficient.”
Take for example, Naftoport — Poland’s only oil transshipment port, where it is estimated that just one day of not operating would result in a loss as high as US$200,000.
“The seaport is using our PSIM solution, Qognify Situator, to integrate its diverse array of security systems and sensors. This includes 21 channels of our intrusion detection video analytics technology for both analog and infrared,” he added.
In doing so, Naftoport has been able to automate 40 day-to-day security procedures and implement a response plan that helps its security teams to pre-plan, coordinate and manage the response to emergency situations in real-time, as well as effectively manage routine security operations.
Choosing the Right Vendor for Seaport Needs
Choosing the right vendor can be just as important as choosing the right equipment. The following are things to consider when choosing a vendor for seaport needs.
One thing to consider is the ability to propose solutions that provide a high level of security required for critical facilities, said Mark Brown, Director of Research and Development for Security at FLIR Systems. Not only that, but the vendor should also be able to aid in operations allowing the port to operate efficiently and effectively. “This implies an understanding of operations and an integration capability with additional systems,” he added.
Integration is absolutely a key priority for seaport security operators, according to Jumbi Edulbehram, Regional President of Americas at Oncam, as these installations often require numerous cameras and additional security equipment to ensure a comprehensively safe facility.
“Integration is also a factor when it comes to leveraging existing infrastructure; many seaports may already possess security technology and are looking to augment their system by incorporating the newest solutions. In order for these integrations to work smoothly, seaport security operators are looking for vendors that implement an open-platform design, enabling seamless collaboration between technologies and systems,” Edulbehram explained.
Eric Olson, VP of Marketing for PureTech Systems pointed out that the unique environment of a traditional port — large physical areas with high activity — also makes it very important that they chose a solution provider, not just a product supplier. “No one sensor can provide a port the most effective means of surveillance, and as technology advances, ports need to have their solution provider be agile in reacting to their needs.”
