Maintaining reliable infrastructure through protecting public safety, cctv, power, machine learning and more is crucial for worldwide and transportation security
When it comes to security issues, infrastructure is never the first thing people think of. However, if the importance of maintaining an ideal infrastructure system is ignored, then various vulnerabilities are then created. Countries all around the world count on standard railroads, powerlines, roads, waterways, train tracks, and more to run their leading economies. Most of these things play a primary role in global and transportation security, too – they all go hand in hand. Without the right systems set up, it becomes challenging to maintain a lot of the security protocols that are currently set up. A lot of countries are suffering from poor infrastructure all around the globe, which creates a slippery slope of security problems.
Operational efficiency is an essential part of infrastructural security. Being able to respond quickly in the event of a disaster or security attack, whether from an external force or something that is close from within, typically becomes an integral element in keeping ourselves safe. This allows us to eliminate risks and make it so that any emergency responders can reach quickly where they have to be. Transportation isn’t just important to those first responders, though, but also with circulating the technology that keeps all of us safe. Everything and anything from intelligent driver cameras, under vehicle inspection technology, access control technology, and system integration end up being shipped from somewhere and helps maintain the safety of roads, airports, railways, and ports of all types to ensure reliable global security.
Power grid
A lot of security elements count on power to stay running. Granted, in a lot of facilities, there are generators just in case some type of event would take out some of the security technologies set up. With that in mind, keeping the power grid as a whole provides for seamless and smooth communication. It can go a very long way in helping ensure that most essential elements of modern security approaches are indeed left up and running as effectively as they can.
Locating targets
In case of a terrorist attack, it seems much more likely that the targets that are hampered by ruined infrastructure are going to the ones who are hit. In some instances, failure to build and protect infrastructure can reduce efficiencies so much that they create bottlenecks where global security becomes next to impossible. When railways or roads become clogged because a security or transportation system isn’t working, it makes various vulnerable targets.
Machine learning
There is a lot of buzz nowadays around artificial intelligence, like what exactly it is, whether or not the advances with AI will lead to a fully conscious being, or if it is truly dangerous or not. When we discuss artificial intelligence today, we’re usually referring to one specific type of AI that has been implemented easily into all kinds of systems, which is machine learning. Machine learning plays a huge role in transportation security.
Machine learning is a type of computer science in which we give computers the necessary tools to “learn” without being directly programmed. We are essentially able to feed these programs new data and observations from real-world scenarios, which the program is then able to translate all information into improved behaviours. What this means is that machine learning technology can make a computer learn how to do one job very well. For example, in the world of modern technology and transportation security, that might mean being able to recognize what a driver’s (precisely a person of interest) face looks like – and continually getting much better and better at being able to do this accurately.
“Machine learning plays a huge role in transportation security“
Some people think the main reason we care about machine learning, and through extension, artificial intelligence is because it allows autonomous processes to happen. This is partly true, but it is also a matter of efficiency. When a computer learns how to read lips, for example, it can pour through large amounts of video footage and assign accurate subtitles based all on its experiences. All thanks to the large amounts of processing power a lot of these systems have, they are capable of looking at large groupings of data to find patterns that would either be missed by humans during inspections or would take an unreasonable amount of time for them to obtain. Machine learning and artificial intelligence applications are endless, but today we are interested in learning what they can do for the transportation security industry.
We are already using machine learning in modern transportation security technology. There have been large amounts of development in terms of threat recognition, like being able to tell whether or not a train, cargo ship, or vehicle carries the possibility of risk and then alerting the on-site security personnel to such threats. As we get better at programming with modern machine learning in mind, we are going to see many more systems capable of improving, learning themselves, and better able to help us keep parking lots, roads, cargo ports, government buildings, and border crossings safe.
“There have been large amounts of development in terms of threat recognition, like being able to tell whether or not a train, cargo ship, or vehicle carries the possibility of risk “
Protecting infrastructure
Previous terrorist attacks on infrastructure have highlighted the vulnerability of our rail and road networks, reinforcing the importance of good risk assessments to protect some of our biggest assets. Throughout the European Union for example, there are five million kilometres of road – 65,000km of these being motorways – and 212,000km rail lines, half of which are electrified, as well as 42,000km of navigable inland waterways.
This infrastructure network, or the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), is vital to the economic and social development of the 26 countries within the EU. But it is not only the forces of nature that critical infrastructure falls victim to. Terrorist attacks have shown that these networks are increasingly seen as a viable target.
“Previous terrorist attacks on infrastructure have highlighted the vulnerability of our rail and road networks, reinforcing the importance of good risk assessments “
“It is clear that the world is changing, that we have geo-political issues that change in the world,” says Professor Steve Denton, Director of Bridge and Structural Engineering at Parsons Brinckerhoff.
“We have got significant changes in technology and on top of that we have got climate change. All of these things are changing the world we live in and that presents us with a series of new challenges that are coupled with changing expectations. That is set against the concept of ageing assets and increasing demand. Interestingly, the solutions that we in countries with mature infrastructures are tending to work towards are smart solutions and technology to optimise the use of the assets that we have and perhaps opening ourselves up to additional threats.
Professor Denton continues: “New challenges, changing expectations… this boils down to one thing: how do we make good decisions about our investment options where there is a considerable amount of complexity and uncertainty?”
Transport network security
The increase in terrorism has highlighted the vulnerability of global infrastructure and this threat has not gone unnoticed by the European Commission. One particularly susceptible potential target identified was Europe’s road and rail networks; this led to the SeRoN (Security of Road Transport Networks) project in recent years.
The project concentrates on developing a common European-wide methodology to analyse risk for the transport network. Its purpose is to permit operators to identify weakness in their networks and plan accordingly. “SeRoN undertakes a holistic approach both at individual infrastructure objects and at road network level,” it states in its report published earlier this year. “Its main objectives are to investigate the impacts of possible manmade attacks on the transport network, in particular the resulting regional and supra-regional impacts on transport links and their economic impacts.”
The project began by looking at potential threats to the network from ‘manmade’ attacks. This took the form of an initial relevance assessment (InRA), which assessed the significance of various combinations of threat. This initial stage was followed by attempts to classify the multitude of assets on the network and amass a directory of appropriate protection for different types of asset. This was all converted into a knowledge database.
“From the outset it was hoped to develop and apply a methodology, and that’s been successfully achieved,” says Dr James Kimmance, Head of Risk Management at Parsons Brinckerhoff. “It effectively comprises four very simple steps – it goes out there and starts off with assets, and looks at threat profiles. You then look at your assets and see where they sit and what sort of threats they are exposed to, as well as how they will respond to those threats.
“Then you look at the criticality within the network, where it sits within it and how important it is. You proceed through a similar process and look at an analysis of what will happen in certain events, in this case the terrorist attack.”
Kimmance adds: “Because of its structure, it has capabilities way beyond terrorism and manmade disasters such as fires; it has the ability for instance in areas such as climate change and sustainability.”
Risk and resilience
The public is becoming increasingly aware of risk and resilience due to regular news stories and features in the national press about energy and transportation infrastructures. Similarly, a global pandemic, such as Covid-19, has heightened the public’s concerns about public safety from the risk of terrorism. Many recent reports, such as the survey conducted by Crowdguard, portray staggering results in the increased threat of terrorism in our urban cities, including public transport.
Governments are becoming more aware of infrastructure problems, and how they can affect society and the economy. The whole language of risk management, however, is a morass of confusing and often conflicting terms. Words such as ‘risk’, ‘resilience’ and ‘vulnerability’ have a myriad of implications across various sectors and risk management methodologies.
“If we have a system that’s operating in a normal state, we would say that it would be producing at 100%,” adds Kimmance. “If we have an event that exploits vulnerability or weakness within a system, that output will drop, either totally or partially, and it will stay down until we recover. It’s that period of time and how fast we recover that basically reflects resilience.”
Professor Steve Denton, Director of Bridge and Structural Engineering at Parsons Brinckerhoff
We have got significant changes in technology and on top of that we have got climate change. All of these things are changing the world we live in and that presents us with a series of new challenges that are coupled with changing expectations. That is set against the concept of ageing assets and increasing demand. Interestingly, the solutions that we in countries with mature infrastructures are tending to work towards are smart solutions and technology to optimise the use of the assets that we have and perhaps opening ourselves up to additional threats.
It is not only the forces of nature that critical infrastructure falls victim to. Terrorist attacks have shown that these networks are increasingly seen as a viable target. Governments are becoming more aware of infrastructure problems, and how they can affect society and the economy. The whole language of risk management, however, is a morass of confusing and often conflicting terms. Words such as ‘risk’, ‘resilience’ and ‘vulnerability’ have a myriad of implications across various sectors and risk management methodologies.
New challenges, changing expectations… this boils down to one thing: how do we make good decisions about our investment options where there is a considerable amount of complexity and uncertainty?
Neil Killick, UK General Manager at Milestone Systems
Many authorities have been investing heavily in recent years in cutting-edge smart technology to improve public services and tackle safety and security concerns highlighted by our recent report. However, the research found that less than a third (29%) of people say that they believe smart city technology could contribute to enhanced safety and security.
This demonstrates a need for more public education around how smart technology improves safety in cities, and also suggests that local authorities need to continue to find new ways to improve day to day life for their city’s residents and visitors. The sector is advancing rapidly and products are available to tackle a wide range of city-based safety concerns so it is important to improve understanding so that citizens give their full support to smart city technology and feel safer and more confident when in urban areas.
Increasing the public’s awareness of technology advancements for safety purposes must be done in a way that demonstrates its benefits. Developments such as limiting video network blind spots, improving poor-quality images and supplementing visuals with data collected from interconnected devices, give law enforcement more reliable and thorough data to use in investigations. Thus, enabling instances of theft and civic disturbances to be monitored, reacted to more rapidly, and prevented, curbing the safety concerns of the public.
Also among the top five concerns for the public when returning to UK cities was driver safety (17%). Department for Transport figures reveal the vast majority of accidents occur in towns and cities, with 2,881 accidents per 1 million people happening in the capital city region, higher than any other region.
One in six (14%) Britons cite cyclist safety within their top concerns when returning to the UK’s busy cites, supporting London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans for 160 miles of ‘safer cycle routes. However, London’s low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have come under criticism from the emergency services who state the new traffic management systems have reduced response times.
This suggests that alternatives are needed to balance the needs of the public and of emergency services, such as smart sensors and cameras that collate real-time data to detect the quickest and most traffic-free route for emergency vehicles to take.
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Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Security Portfolio
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: [email protected]
