Cancun Airport

To cope with growing passenger volume, Cancun Airport, Mexico’s second largest, added a fourth terminal. This might have made security management more complex, as 600 video cameras were installed in the new Terminal 4, in addition to the 1,300 cameras already in Terminals 1-3. The airport’s operator, Aeropuertos Del Sureste (ASUR), chose instead to simplify things and so created a unified video security solution. Instead of distributed control centers, there is one which manages every camera across all operations: from security check, waiting area and shops to the airport perimeter, access points as well as the airfield, tower and runway. Having a single control room now means that security operators need not toggle from one screen to another or one system to the other during an incident. Monitoring and management happens in one place and on one system. This avoids the unacceptable disruption of following a suspicious person and then losing him or her as the suspect moves from the cameras of one video management system to another.

Integration was the answer to creating a centralized security system. A single platform operates the existing cameras as well as the newly installed ones. Bosch was selected to both, supply the new ones and integrate them with the existing ones into a video surveillance solution that can be managed centrally. This latter was accomplished by implementing the Bosch Video Management System (BVMS) as a joint platform. Moreover, the Bosch Video Recording Manager (VRM) was included to enable direct recording of video onto storage devices. This eliminates potential single points of failure, saves costs and limits maintenance. As a result, live- and playback-video of all terminals is always available for use by security operators.

Centralized security improves the airport’s communication and coordination. Most importantly, it makes the security system much more efficient and better at its main job: ensuring passenger safety and security. Now the airport can be monitored across all terminals, seamlessly, from an individual baggage check to a remote access point to a waiting area – anywhere. By monitoring the whole picture, the airport is in much better control of overall security. There are no more blind spots, security inside and outside is commanded centrally, everything is coordinated and aligned. In making sure airport expansion does not compromise security, Cancun sets an example by integrating all systems into just one.