Home » Industry Roundup » Security Industry Roundup: May 2017

Security Industry Roundup: May 2017

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May has been a big month in terms of security and safety, with the renowned Security and Counter Terror Expo providing an indication of what is next in the industry.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has laid out a new framework that addresses security measures in public places. There has also been a significant leap in technology for the security industry as the UK gets their first remote digital control tower for London airport, and projects such as Crossrail and Sellafield are using VR to help their workers in dangerous and high-risk areas.

To make sure you’re up to date with all of the latest news in the security industry, we have gathered the top stories from the past month into our news roundup.

The TSA Lays Out New Security Framework

This month the Transportation Security Administration has laid out a new national framework that addresses the security measurements in public areas and how it can be improved, particularly in areas around security screening.

Over the past six months, various officials from security industries, government, and academic institutions have worked on creating a framework that looks to evaluate security gaps in the current system, particularly in the wake of the recent wave of terrorist attacks.

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The framework focuses directly on the concern of ‘soft targets’. They are identifying the tactics that are being used to target public areas to attack civilians. This is divided into three sections: information sharing, attack prevention, and public protection.

The document urges transport system owners to develop relationships with both local and federal law enforcements and to have an exceptional strategy to communicate information and address threat awareness. They also aim to increase education on the subject with campaigns such as ‘See Something Say Something’ and ‘This is My Airport’.

You can find the full framework here.

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UK are the First to Get Digital Control Tower for London City Airport

London City Airport will become the first airport in the UK to replace its existing control tower with a digitally advanced remotely operated system.

The project has put the airport at the forefront of the latest global aviation technology. Operators will now be located 120 miles away from the digital control tower and will be watching the airfield through 14 high definition cameras that provide a full 360-degree view.

The control tower, designed by Pascall+Watson, is expected to improve the safety of the airport by offering increased capabilities to the controllers. The technology that they will be using has been developed by Swedish defence and security company, Saab.

Mike Stoller, NATS airport director has said: ‘Digital towers are going to transform the way air traffic services are provided at airports by providing real safety, operational and efficiency benefits.’

The digital control tower is expected to be fully operational in 2019.

Crossrail and Sellafield Use VR as a Security Measure

Could this be the future of engineering? High-risk projects such as the new Crossrail tunnel and Sellafield power plant are using the power of VR (virtual reality) to access dangerous areas.

A tripod-mounted laser is used to graph the area, whilst an autonomous drone works at night when no-one is working to fly up and down the tunnel for several nights in a row, where it takes photographs and maps the area. From this, a 3D interactive model is created which can be accessed through VR headsets.

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Though this may seem like a lot of effort, it allows engineers and other workers access to areas which may be deemed unsafe, or simply difficult to get into. It is also estimated to actually save time and money in comparison to physical visits. It allows engineers to plan ahead and stay in dangerous areas, such as Sellafield, for the shortest time possible.

Vin Sumner, CEO of Clicks and Links who created the virtual reality experience has said: ‘Access to the real tunnel is expensive, so if you want to look for snags and problems and things like that, it is much better in virtual reality as you can save money. Visits could also disrupt work on the trail project.’

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We hope that you enjoyed this month’s industry round-up. Please join us again at the end of June where we will be providing you with the latest news and updates in the security industry. In the meantime, we post news daily on our social media pages, so you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more information.