48 CAMERA SURVEILLANCE Focal point
Could camera technology join up some of the dots on the bigger picture that depicts safety at today’s airport? Alwyn Brice thinks so.
urveillance. The word, in a certain context, conjures up an Orwellian scene for those who have read
the novel 1984 at some time in the past. The Big Brother concept is not one which is readily embraced by society and the subject of having someone watching over you is guaranteed to quickly polarise public opinion. Along with topics like carrying ID at all times and security procedures at airports, this is a tricky area: whilst many understand and support such initiatives, equally there are those who are less comfortable with the processes, sometimes for perfectly justifiable reasons, others for less salubrious ones.
Leaving aside the moral and ethical issues for a moment, let’s ask a simple question: has the camera a rôle to play on the ramp? Is the very idea so alien that it could never be countenanced? Or does the technology have a place within today’s airport environment? Before you answer that question, bear in mind the fact that cameras have been used in many walks of life for many years – and that we come into daily contact with them, whether around houses, in shops or on motorways. They may not always be welcome but they are becoming part of the fabric of
society. Bear in mind also the fact that telematics has allowed the handler to monitor what happens with his GSE on the ramp, and that this can be achieved in real time, too. Tracking an individual going about his work has never been easier, thanks to modern technology. All of which brings us to incidents on the ramp and their avoidance. Whilst we would all like to believe that ground handling operates under a no-blame culture, nonetheless there is often reluctance to report incidents or events that occur airside. That much is known: and, like it or not, that is the status quo. Thus anything that can be done to vault this moral hurdle is welcome, as is the dissemination of good, safe ramp practice. Observing and recording are accepted means of mitigating the problem and so the camera, then, could possibly help in this.
Keeping an eye on the subject
Surveillance through the medium of a fixed camera on the ramp has been employed at airports around the world although its usage is far from common. That said, sensitive areas of airports are regularly covered by CCTV: in fact, this is virtually standard practice. Is it, then,
GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2013
such a huge leap to start to consider the monitoring of staff behaviour via a lens?
A tiny solution?
Of particular interest to us here is the fact that camera technology has come a long way in a comparatively short space of time. The mobile phone has obviated the need for carrying a camera for many people and the advances in technology have continually eroded the size of the device in question. Digital technology was the breakthrough, of course, and a few years back the credit card sized camera came to market. Since then, the camera has shrunk in size even more - and has concurrently gained in complexity. It was a recent innovation from Sweden that formed the germ of the idea behind this article. Since many people are interested in recording their daily lives and posting their thoughts and deeds on social media networks, anything that enhances this process is of interest to them. Life-loggers (as they may be termed) will doubtless welcome the tiny camera that will soon be available from Memoto. This isn’t just any old camera, though: it’s small enough to be worn on the lapel, measuring just 36 x 36 x 9 millimetres. Containing 5 megapixel resolution images, it is equipped with a wide angle lens, whilst a rechargeable battery ensures that it will function for two days without problem. It’s also waterproof and shock resistant and images taken are automatically oriented, regardless of the angle at which they were recorded. To access the content after a day’s filming, all the user has to do is attach the device to a PC via a USB port, making downloads extremely easy to facilitate. The really interesting part, though, lies in the fact that this device can be programmed to take pictures at pre- determined intervals. The factory default setting allows for an image to be taken automatically every 30 seconds but this can be adjusted according to need. Moving on from the life-logger, could this sort of technology be put to good use on the ramp?
Small and discreet: could this device be of value on the ramp today?
Enterprising handlers have already been utilising photography for reasons of ramp safety. Some have made a rule of photographing sensitive areas on a fuselage on the aircraft’s arrival: this is a visual check in case any damage incurred at the departure airport was not recorded. Others have photographed the same areas of the departing aircraft once it’s been turned as evidence of a clean handling operation. At the very least, handlers will check an aircraft
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