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Tightening security standards prompt $1.9m surveillance upgrade at Melbourne's Essendon Airport
At a glance
Getting a better view
Flexible security means better security
At a glance
Essendon Airport
Industry
Transport
Geographies
Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria
Canon Products Used
26 x Canon VB-C50iR and VB-C50FSi
"I have seen many systems at other airports, but none surpass the Canon solution we have. We always had security measures, but this implementation has really improved our coverage to make us probably the most secure corporate and general aviation airport in Australia."
Justin Giddings, Commercial and Operations Manager, Essendon Airport
Since its establishment in 1921, Essendon Airport - a secondary airport located just north of Melbourne - has played host to Charles Kingsford Smith, the Beatles and Queen Elizabeth; Kylie Minogue even made her first music video there.
After being sold to a Linfox-Becton joint venture in 2001, Essendon Airport's business environment has experienced an increased focus on air freight, corporate aviation and property development. Today the airport experiences over 60,000 annual aircraft movements, and is a growing business centre of Melbourne.
In line with the requirements of the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004, the airport recently faced a need to audit its security capabilities and expand them in line with strict requirements. Supported by a $1.9 million allotment from the $36.5 million government-backed Regional Airport Funding Program (RAFP), Essendon Airport went to tender and selected security consulting firm Urban Intelligence to manage the upgrade.
Getting a better view
The project included upgrades of the airport's access control, lighting and fencing. However, a priority area during the audit was to examine the coverage of the airport's existing surveillance system. Given the expansion of the airport's commercial operations, and the greater need for complete perimeter surveillance, it was soon decided that a large upgrade of the airport's video surveillance systems was in order.
"Because we are a high profile airport, we have a highly perceived risk profile," said Justin Giddings, Commercial and Operations Manager, Essendon Airport. "It was important to capture the perimeters of the airport, and have the capability of locating particular areas on the runway. We had a lot of areas identified which required extra security."
Urban Intelligence enlisted subcontractor Abacus to design and install the video surveillance system, with Canon network video cameras chosen as the ideal devices to be installed throughout the airport site. Based on standard Internet Protocol (IP) data connections, the Canon VB-C50iR and VB-C50FSi cameras would allow easy integration into the airport's existing data network - and potentially allow surveillance images to be securely accessed by authorised personnel using mobile phones, web browsers and other devices.
Because of the site's large size and changing layout, Abacus and Essendon Airport management decided to take an unusual approach: the cameras were not hardwired into the airport's network, but instead were linked to fixed microwave wireless transmitters that provide encrypted line-of-sight connections across the airport area. Each camera is tuned to a different frequency to eliminate potential interference. The only hardwired cameras are those that photograph vehicles entering the airport through main ingress points.
The fact that Canon video cameras use wireless connections allows them to be established at any necessary location, whilst retaining their connection to the airport's operations centre. "It was cost prohibitive to put cabling everywhere, and we didn't want to run cables to an area where we might not need cameras in the future," said Giddings.
Flexible security means better security
With the Canon networked video cameras in place, Essendon Airport security staff have a complete view of the entire facility, including all runways and the expanding commercial segments of the airport's land holdings. Individual private hangars have their own internal security, but coverage around the outside of all building areas ensures that security can see and record anything that's going on across the property.
Image quality from the Canon cameras is "excellent", according to Giddings, who especially likes the cameras' ability to automatically switch to night mode when lighting is reduced. Furthermore, the intelligent motion detection capabilities of the Canon cameras allows them to raise alarms automatically when even small changes are detected, allowing camera observers to quickly zoom-in on areas of interest.
Because the cameras are IP connected, images can be easily sent to other IP endpoints: for example, a snapshot from a triggered camera could be automatically emailed to the airport supervisor for review and consideration for follow-up.
"This has really enabled us to see what's happening throughout the airport site with ease, when in years gone by we were unable to," said Giddings. "I have seen many systems at other airports, but none surpass the Canon solution we have. We always had security measures, but this implementation has really improved our coverage to make us probably the most secure corporate and general aviation airport in Australia."
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