Mobile Ravin: Intrusion Detection and Tracking with Organic Airport Radar and Video Systems

Currently, airport perimeter intrusion detection primarily relies on visual surveillance by security personnel and is often augmented with video cameras. This approach is limited to day light hours and degrades with bad weather. We are developing a proof of concept system, mobile RAVIN, that detects intrusions as small as a human, works at all hours and all weather conditions, and provides rapid situational awareness to security personnel. The mobile RAVIN (radar and video integrated on mobile object architecture) system has been installed and tested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) in February 2006. It uses the airport security display processor (ASDP) - an integrated radar signal processor, track processor, and display processor system that derives threat information from the FAA's airport surface detection equipment (ASDE-3) ground surveillance radar systems. This approach leverages existing airport assets to provide a cost effective suite of security sensors. The mobile RAVIN system performs filtering and tracking on the ASDE-3 radar data, initiates and maintains video tracks of objects, and fuses radar and video tracks for operator display. It also allows operators to slew a video camera to a radar track location which reduces false alarms and nuisance alarms. Finally, we developed a display to show the radar and video tracks overlaid on a map of the airport