Technology Sectors
Micro to macro: Fusing physical security and public safety information using GIS
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| Christian Laforte and Paul Christin |
(Editor's Note: This article first appeared in GSN's "Essential Guide to Video Surveillance," which accompanied our September 2010 print issue.)
Over the past decade, security and public safety officials have witnessed dramatic technological advances. From video surveillance to computer-aided dispatch, chemical sensors and beyond, the open standards brought on by the IP revolution has transformed the tools used daily for emergency response and security. The effects of this technology shakeout are shaping the next decade of progress with one key theme appearing again and again: information fusion.
Where the “aughts” (2000’s) changed how data is collected and stored, the teens (2010’s) will modernize information sharing and collaboration. This will bridge the gap from the micro level (what’s happening in Terminal D of the airport?) to the macro level (what’s happening in West Texas?). Expect the benefits of this progress to be realized most prominently in the public safety departments of municipal, state and national governments.
Some background: before Internet Protocol (IP), older security and public safety technologies used proprietary protocols. These technologies existed in isolation, making it nearly impossible to fuse information during planning or emergencies. Systems within one building could not communicate with one another, let alone at a city-wide level.
Today, we have crossed the chasm; enough systems fully interchange data using IP standards, such as XML, to enable cost-effective integration. This data integration is the first of three key factors required for effective information fusion. Once integrated, devices such as video surveillance and computer-aided dispatch systems feed information to a unified top-level command and control software platform. Initiatives such as the Department of Homeland Security-sponsored Fusion Centers highlight the commitment of government to information fusion.
To make information fusion possible, the second key requirement is to create a common context which links the data sources. Information fusion projects pursued by government normally occur on a geographic scale, simultaneously encompassing a single building and an entire state. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an essential technology for providing security and public safety professionals with a coherent information context that enhances situational awareness. Data stored or hyperlinked via a geodatabase provides actionable information in the context of a map. The key is to acquire, process and present data so the user doesn’t have to search for it. GIS meets these challenges and supplies an intuitive method for representing data -- the map. The information should be contextualized and relevant based on the location, workflow and tasks being performed. This capability provides situational awareness in all phases of security -- prevention, mitigation, response and recovery.
Whether the mission is securing a special event, a major sports game, a critical facility or even an entire city, effective security measures require access to information, including buffer zone protection plans, streets, infrastructure locations and floor plans, as well as dynamic data such as incidents, weather, sensors and video surveillance feeds.
Recently, the City of Boston and the Massachusetts State Police used GIS to create a common operating picture, providing security around the July 4th celebration. Authorities from multiple jurisdictions and agencies required access to shared information. They needed data such as restricted area locations, suspicious activities in and around those areas, first responder locations, surveillance camera feeds, building plans and more.
Having access to such information via a map ensures effective preparedness and response when a threat is detected, whether man-made or natural. This highlights the third key factor to successful information fusion: a focus on the end user. With information from disparate sources successfully integrated into one platform -- and provided a coherent geographic context via the GIS -- the success of a system hinges on how the end user (security operator, operations commander, etc.) interfaces with that fused information.
Taking advantage of the latest advances in computer graphics technology, visual information such as video can now be fused into a hyper-realistic 3D map environment, along with other valuable geographic layers of data. This visualization provides a familiar framework upon which end users intuitively are able to process large amounts of situationally-relevant information. An operator seamlessly transitions from a view of one camera in a city hall corridor to the full operating picture at a city-wide level.
Finally, why information fusion? Whether called data fusion centers, emergency operation centers or security operation centers, these initiatives are cropping up globally to deal with large-scale, complex events. They are used by police forces to secure major events, such as the 4th of July celebration in Boston, and as multi-agency centers providing “from-the-ground-up” coordinated response in case of large-scale emergencies (terrorism, riots and environmental disaster). Recent disasters such as the Gulf Coast oil spill and Hurricane Katrina have proven to be strong cases for additional investment in effective centralized command operations. By taking advantage of the past decade’s technological trends, municipal, state and national governments should expect to find valuable opportunities in information fusion in the years to come.
