Ethan over at IPVM fills in a number of details, and points out that some of the information in the public version of the report has been redacted. Fortunately, the reports (in their full content) are posted on TSA’s Secure Webboard. Every airport is required by regulation to establish an Airport Security Coordinator (ASC) position. The ASC has webboard access provided to them by the TSA. It’s also the location where they go to retrieve Security Directives. We’re told that over 400 domestic airports have access to the full unredacted report.

Unfortunately, SightLogix does not have access to the full report nor does anyone else without clearance to use the TSA webboard. We can however provide additional information that is not confidential regarding the testing at Buffalo Airport. SightLogix equipment went through a 9-month, four-season test by the TSA before being funded at Buffalo Airport. And they are now testing another SightLogix product through the same four-season process. This funding and testing is based upon the favorable results achieved in their test environments.

SightLogix was founded to make outdoor video analytic cameras that can accurately detect targets with low nuisance alerts in the outdoors. We are confident the testing at Buffalo Airport would have yielded a probability of detect at 100% or very close to it, because SightLogix conducts our own testing during qualification and will not leave a site without 100% coverage and margin to spare.

As mentioned in the IPVM report, the integrator on the Buffalo project pointed out that “99% of the alarms were caused by animals and dependant on the size and quantity may or may not be a concern for the airport.”  SightLogix cameras use GPS-based analytics and are georegistered to the scene during initial calibration. This allows the camera to determine the precise location and actual size of all objects in its field of view, allowing users to set very accurate video analytic size filters for eliminating small animals and other objects from sending alerts. This is a key to accurately detecting targets  based upon size, and is the reason that SightLogix systems have the lowest outdoor FAR/NAR in the industry.

At this point in our company’s history, now that we have been able to consistently achieve extremely high levels of detection accuracy, we’ve turned our focus towards cost reduction with our new SightSensor thermal camera model, which has twice the processing power of those originally tested by the TSA at Buffalo and at pricing per-foot on par with less reliable fence sensors and visible cameras with analytics. The additional processing is being used to vastly enhance the thermal image so it more resembles a quality black and white visible image, under all lighting (or no lighting) conditions. The overall cost reduction was achieved by reducing the costs of the electronics and housing and streamlining manufacturing, now that we are in higher volume sales.

Thanks to IPVM for providing a valuable service in clarifying the scope of the TSA  report and presenting the facts. You can find their report here.

The TSA established the Airport Perimeter Security test program to address security vulnerabilities at aviation facilities. The goal of the TSA test was to validate thermal video analytic security effectiveness at Buffalo airport, a difficult environment due to its widely varying topology and inconsistent illumination, which is typical of most airport perimeters.

The public version of the TSA report is available here.

TSA evaluators conducted numerous test scenarios to determine the effectiveness of the SightLogix system. The tests were designed to simulate a human intruder attempting to defeat the system by breaching the perimeter detection zone without causing an alarm. The scenarios were distributed throughout several regions of the airport’s perimeter covered by the SightSensors. The evaluators performed randomized scenarios for each SightSensor deployed.

According to the TSA’s final report, “each alarm prompted the system to display the alarm video, location information, nearest camera reference numbers, date and time, and an audible alarm signal.” Additionally, the TSA reported that “SightSensor target tracking capabilities were available and 100% functional throughout the evaluation period.”

According to the TSA, airport personnel reported that the process of integrating the SightSensors into the existing video management system was “smooth and without issue.”

Cost savings were also reported by airport officials. SightLogix on-board image processing, which provides accurate detection in the outdoors, also provides extended detection capabilities. This additional range reduced the number of poles, trenching and communications needed for the airport’s deployment, while exceeding the automated detection area originally specified in the design. The result was a more accurate perimeter security system that met the airport’s available budget.

The use of thermal cameras also provided an optimal detection source for the airport because thermal analytic cameras can detect intrusions that might occur even in complete darkness, removing the need for any illumination.

In the final analysis, the TSA concluded that the SightLogix thermal video analytic solution “had a positive effect on the airport’s perimeter security monitoring and detection efforts.”

Achieving effective perimeter security around electrical utilities, chemical plants, airports, data centers, sea ports, rail facilities, and other critical assets often comes down to detection accuracy and solution cost. While there are a number of options available for perimeter security, using a thermal camera has become a strong contender for best-of-breed. Recent developments in image processing take automated perimeter security to a whole new level with clearer thermal images and unparalleled intruder detection accuracy, at costs that bring these capabilities to mainstream prices. The result is a market tipping point for thermal solutions in relation to other approaches.

Video processing performance is the key to driving down cost and availing new capabilities to a broader market. Thermal cameras with enhanced processing can more intelligently identify and present the small differences in temperatures detected by thermal sensors. Objects that previously blended into the background are made visible to the eye and more accurately reported by the analytics, while details are clearer at greater ranges. A further benefit of increased processing is the ability to provide improved thermal images that look more natural to the eye, and which are less fatiguing to security operators.

These capabilities expand thermal camera utility from their traditional role as night vision solutions to 24-hour automated security in all environmental conditions. Greater image processing offsets previous challenges of thermal cameras, including low-contrast situations such as fog, rain and humidity, “white-out” problems caused by thermal loading, and lack of clarity when viewing distant objects. The same image processing power that allows new generation thermal cameras to more accurately detect and produce better images has an additional benefit, which is that it allows you to detect human intruders at greater distances and with even better accuracy.

Thermal Video Analytics Comparison - Click for More Videos

These new capabilities are now more cost-effective as well, making it possible to introduce thermal video analytics to a whole new range of mainstream perimeter security applications.

The economic picture becomes clearer if you examine “per-foot” costs of covering an area. While many manufacturers do not present their pricing in this way, the costs can be calculated and the results are illuminating.

To compare the cost-per-foot of competing video analytics, consider that camera range should be measured by the distance a person is detected when walking directly towards the camera. This is the toughest test, because a person walking towards the camera generates the least amount of motion. Under these tests, new-generation thermal analytic cameras operate at twice the distance with the same lens field of view, with the extraordinary benefit of covering four times the area to create a larger buffer zone for early detection of intruders.

As a result, thermal analytic capability is now available at an MSRP of $13/ft to $29/foot, bringing the most accurate perimeter security technology to pricing on par in cost per foot with traditional approaches to perimeter security, such as fence sensors, buried cable, or visible cameras.

Greater detection range and area coverage yields a direct economic benefit: Fewer thermal analytic cameras are needed to protect the same location, lowering overall costs substantially. The pricing gets even more attractive when you consider the significantly greater operating ranges that image processing avails, resulting in a proportional decrease in the amount of supporting infrastructure and installation expense.

In short, new thermal analytic cameras provide clearer images and greater detection distance with much higher accuracy. And most important, price is no longer an obstacle to extending accurate outdoor perimeter protection to mainstream applications.

A number of automated detection technologies including coax and fiber fence sensors, microwave, seismic sensors and radar can provide some level of perimeter detection. However, intelligent video systems with advanced analytics provide substantial advantages over these alternatives.

In this Security Products article, SightLogix CEO John Romanowich, chairman of the Security Industry Association’s CFATS Working Group, examines the role that video systems play to enhance perimeter protection capabilities for outdoor facilities in general, and for chemical facilities in particular.

You can read the full article here.

John Romanowich, SightLogix President and CEO

Having secured hundreds of locations, including some of the most notable in the world such as King Abdulla’s University in Saudi Arabia and the World Trade Center in NYC, we are pleased with our progress bringing accurate automation to outdoor security.

Fast forward to today, and I am very excited to introduce the all-new SightSensor, which takes the clearest thermal images and most accurate video analytics to mainstream prices for perimeters.  The new second-generation SightSensor thermal camera has twice the processing power over our first generation, and takes this capability to a whole new level with breakthrough thermal image quality and unparalleled detection accuracy.  And most importantly, SightLogix systems are now available at mainstream pricing to serve a broader perimeter security market.

The video below highlights the security advantages of the new SightSensor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J75du552veY

The left-hand video shows a market-leading thermal camera with third-party video analytics. In the right-hand video, the all-new SightSensor shows excellent thermal image detail, while GPS-based size filters provide a high degree of detection accuracy in this imaging environment of widely varying target sizes. Note how the person off in the distance is also detected by the SightLogix system. (You can see all of our latest clips at http://www.sightlogix.com/blog/videos.)

The new SightSensor brings the highest level of capability to the perimeter security market at a cost comparable to the least expensive outdoor approaches to security. On behalf of myself and the SightLogix team, we’re excited to bring the most cost-effective, reliable solutions to our customers and integration partners.

Because thermal cameras “see” heat rather than reflected light, thermal images look very different than what’s seen by a visible camera or the eye.  In order to present heat in a format appropriate for human vision, thermal cameras convert the temperature of objects into shades of gray which are darker or lighter than the background. On a cold day a person stands out as lighter because they are hotter than the background. On a hot day a person stands out as darker because they are cooler than the background

For these reasons, thermal cameras have become a good choice for “seeing in the dark” because at night background objects tend to be cooler than a person at 98.6 degrees. Under ideal conditions, people are well emphasized at night because they appear brighter than the background and stand out, even in zero light. However, outdoor security conditions are rarely “ideal”, especially during the day when darker objects absorb the sun’s energy and heat up, an effect known as Thermal Loading.

Market-Leading Thermal Camera - White and Blurry

When objects in the scene become uniformly hot in any given area, many cameras have difficulty mapping the narrow range of temperature differences into a useful image. The result is an image with large areas that look “whited out” and undefined.

The capture at right shows a daylight image from a market-leading thermal camera which cannot effectively compensate for white-out. Details such as the power lines, pavement, and other objects have become impossible to discern due to the effect of thermal loading. It’s even difficult to tell that this is a daytime image.

Lack of image clarity can reduce security effectiveness. Security personnel who have to view blurry, undefined video even on a single monitor can become fatigued and confused by images that are not as intuitive as they would be with daylight cameras.

The capture below shows how image processing can be used to overcome thermal loading and provide a very clear thermal image. On the left, the market-leading thermal camera lacks the processing to create good contrast and displays objects as “whited out.”  On the right, the same image has been intelligently remapped by image processing to emphasize the small temperature differences in the hotter objects, presenting an image that approaches a black and white photo, which is more comfortable to the eye and reveals potential intruders.

How Image Processing Overcomes White-out and blur

Learn more about the successful use of thermal imaging outdoors in the complementary white paper, A New Perspective on Thermal Imaging, here: http://bit.ly/qNwLtt.

When background temperatures closely match the heat of a person, many thermal imaging cameras will blend the intruder into the background until the person becomes concealed. This can happen even when objects are close to the camera itself. Even nighttime applications create difficulties when conditions reduce the temperature contrast between objects in the scene to conceal targets.

Market-Leading Thermal Camera: Rain and Humidity Conceal Targets

In the example at right, a market-leading thermal camera shows how rain has cooled the scene until there is very little temperature differentiation between the person and the background. Under these conditions, most thermal cameras are unable to distinguish between objects in the foreground and the background due to the lack of temperature variation.  The result is a blurry image that conceals the person walking, leading to a gap in security.

This is similar to what we experience when someone wearing white clothes walks in front of a white building. When there is little visible contrast between the edges of a person and background, the person looks blurry or even “disappears.”  Likewise, when environmental conditions from rain or humidity create a uniform temperature across the scene, most thermal cameras will miss the intrusion entirely.

The key for the successful use of outdoor security thermal cameras is to provide a good clear image day and night. This is achieved with image processing that emphasizes the small variations between objects and the background to exaggerate the fine details and present a clearer image in contrast to other image features. When proper technology is applied, necessary details can be achieved without augmentation from visible cameras, returning the value of thermal imaging for outdoor twenty-four hour use.

In the example below, Clear24 image processing is used to intelligently exaggerate the small differences in temperature caused by the rain. In the Clear24 image at right, the person is clearly revealed, along with scene details like the mailbox, circular driveway and street lamp. The market-leading thermal camera on the left lacks image processing and cannot exaggerate small temperature differences between the person and background.

Overcoming Rain and Humidity

We’ll be exploring the challenges, issues and the successful use of infrared cameras outdoors in a series of blog posts.

Learn more with the complementary white paper, A New Perspective on Thermal Imaging, here: http://bit.ly/qNwLtt.

Add in dynamic outdoor conditions of rain, humidity and blowing sand and the problem gets worse. Rain in particular causes all objects in the camera’s view to be the same temperature. In these cases, thermal cameras lack fine details making them ineffective for security applications.

The key is to choose a thermal camera that intelligently presents the fine differences in temperature across the entire scene, and can enhance an image to be more natural to the eye, with black and white photo quality day or night, in all conditions.

The video below shows images from the Clear24 Thermal Camera compared to the industry leading alternative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8QKc5WGmCc

You can learn more about Clear24 Thermal here.

One of the biggest challenges for effective border surveillance is the sheer magnitude of the job. Achieving operational control over the border starts with a concept of operations (CONOPS) based on an orchestrated interaction of electronic systems and human operators. The Secure Border Initiative (SBINet) was originally designed to use radar systems to autonomously detect and track individuals illegally crossing US borders with long range cameras until apprehended by border patrol agents. Fundamental to this approach is accurate and actionable detection of valid targets. Since using radar to protect large regions of the border is potentially insufficient, it’s unlikely that an effective concept of operations can be implemented using this approach.  When considering the thousands of miles that make up the US border, you can only begin to imagine the thousands of instances an hour when foliage and animals would trigger nuisance detections at the expense of detecting actual human intruders.

Under these circumstances, the key to discriminating pedestrian motion from background motion is to use a large number of sensors to determine if the detected target is likely the size of a human that is moving at the rate a person would travel, and do so in the presence of natural landscape and foliage motion of similar size and motion. Of all the detection technologies, only video has the thousands of sensing elements per camera necessary to provide the details to discriminate pedestrians from background motion. This is because each image sensor provides orders of magnitude more details about the scene than radar, increasing the ability to discriminate pedestrian motion among all other ambient activity.

With intelligent video, particularly systems that bring the necessary image processing to filter movement from foliage, ground debris and other natural elements, there’s greater opportunity to ensure that when people are alerted and need to respond they’re not wasting time chasing nuisance alarms. This creates a level of measurable accountability upon which you can organize a concept of operations and gain operational control over regions of border that are known to be problematic.

Importantly, an effective concept of operations must include the strategy of delay to allow border agents sufficient time to respond. One of the goals of the prior border approach was to use large radar towers that could scan many miles of the border with great depth to allow extra response time to intercept pedestrian intruders. Assuming that radar could function as a reliable detection source this could have been a reasonable strategy. On the other hand, an automated border surveillance system using video can very accurately detect intruders over long distance but not cover as wide of an area.  However, the same operational objective can be achieved at less cost by introducing other methods of delay such as a small barrier or fence to slow the ingress long enough to allow border patrol agents to intercept pedestrians effectively.

The overwhelming question that remains is how to deploy an intelligent video surveillance system over such a large area affordably. In our experience, the real expense of a perimeter security system occurs during the time that systems are installed and configured in the field.

Appropriately, one of the ways that the Department of Homeland Security is addressing some of the regions along the border is to use pre-integrated mobile platforms that can literally be wheeled out to protect known areas of concerns where individuals are crossing the border today. Critical to the success of these platforms is their likelihood of being able to reliably discriminate pedestrian intrusions from background motion.

It’s our belief that Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) mobile border surveillance trailer platforms using thermal intelligent video cameras can be quickly scaled to problematic border regions and accurately detect pedestrians while minimizing the nuisance alerts that have rendered other solutions less effective. Admittedly, these would need to be placed at closer distances than the radar towers SBINet called for, yet would yield a system that would work reliably and solve the problem at a fraction of the original SBINet cost. These COTS video security trailer solutions are available today. Here’s an example of such a solution.

You can see the news clip below: