Toward a performance requirement for sensored conformable apertures

Technological advances provide new capabilities to increase the robustness of security systems, but can also potentially add new vulnerabilities. New capability sometimes requires new performance requirements. This paper outlines an approach to establishing a crucial performance requirement for an emerging intrusion detection sensor: the sensored net. Throughout the security industry, the commonly adopted standard for maximum opening size through barriers is a requirement based on square inches — typically 96 square inches (620.1 square centimeters). The dimensions of a flexible aperture, unlike those of standard rigid openings, are not fixed, but are variable and conformable. It has been demonstrated that a human intruder can move through a 96-square-inch opening that is conformable to the human body with ease. The longstanding 96-square-inch requirement itself, though firmly embedded in policy and best practice, lacks a documented empirical basis. This paper proposes to define a new requirements approach for flexible netting intrusion detection systems that is risk based and documented. An illustrative requirement is developed based on performance testing and statistical analysis to validate this approach.