SIP Consortium Solution Overview

The SIP Consortium solution is an integrated set of proven, leading edge technologies that have been combined to radically improve security capabilities at critical infrastructure installations. Airports, power plants, rail yards, military bases, sea ports and other infrastructure locations stand to gain from a SIP Consortium Solution in a number of ways.

Our SIP Consortium solution:

• Integrates existing systems and sensors – no need to replace past investments
• Eliminates the guesswork from alarms and alerts – false alarms are radically reduced and attention can be spent on foes versus friends
• Allows security personnel to use one geospatial computer interface to manage cameras, alerts, alarms, and other sensor systems – the days of multiple CCTV monitors are over
• Correlates events to raise threat levels – multiple breaches or suspicious activities can be automatically analyzed at the same time and elevated accordingly
• Assesses video footage automatically to identify prohibited activities or events, such as recognizing the parking of oversized vehicles in restricted passenger drop-off locations
• Connects to systems operated by security personnel, law enforcement, first responders, and federal and state officials, greatly expediting emergency response and improving multi-jurisdictional communications
• Allows for data sharing and ring fencing across multiple installations, thereby protecting sensitive information while sharing critical data that is needed to fully appreciate and assess a security threat

The power of the SIP Consortium solution lies in its distributed sensor architecture, a virtual hub-and-spoke design that digests and converts sensor data into meaningful information security operators can use. Each “spoke,” or connection to a sensor, is enabled by standard adaptors connected to a self-healing, easily expandable wireless mesh backhaul. Better yet, the mesh backhaul is but one of the several features of the SIP Consortium’s proprietary A-Box, a device that also provides Wi-Fi connectivity to PDAs and other devices, a Zigbee radio to communicate with Bio-RFID badges, a video card that processes video analytics and greatly reduces the need for banks of expensive servers, and an IP ethernet connection for video cameras. In short, the A-BoxTM acts as a full-service sentry post.

SIP Consortium Solution Components

With A-Boxes in place, the SIP Consortium solution can consume sensor data from video cameras, seismic sensors, microwave sensors, and any other sensor devices. That data travels from the spokes to the “hub” of the architecture comprised of a Knowledge Switch and geospatial common operational picture, or COP. It is here, at the hub, that the system becomes intelligent and begins acting as a force multiplier for security operators. The Knowledge Switch is a software program that automates security policies and practices. Any time a policy breach is detected by a sensor or sensors, the Knowledge Switch evaluates the event and takes appropriate actions, whether that be simply logging the event or producing text or voice communication messages for security personnel to take action. Once the Knowledge Switch deems that someone needs to take action, it channels information to the end user through a geospatial common operational picture (COP). The COP is the gateway to the entire SIP Consortium solution, an intuitive, easy to use interface that provides an aerial view of the installation grounds, such as the terminal and airfield of an airport, as well as each building floor plan. Alerts and alarms are displayed on the interface, allowing for an instant determination of the event’s location. For example, if the Knowledge Switch detects human piggybacking by combining sensor inputs from an access control system trigger and a video analytics behavior, that alarm would flash in its exact location on the floor plan. The end user could then view a video clip and send it wirelessly to the closest law enforcement officer to assist his apprehension of the violator. Another powerful aspect of the COP is its tracking functionality. In SIP Consortium solutions involving radar or the Bio-RFID Badge, the COP becomes an operational tool that displays the locations of key personnel and assets, such as vehicles or shipping containers.