San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) accelerator programme has begun a new partnership with Honeywell to test the use of advanced video analytics technology to enhance airport health and safety.
The video analytics technology, developed by Honeywell, will be tested and refined at SAN in a real-life airport environment through early summer 2021. Following a successful pilot programme, Honeywell may go into contract negotiations with San Diego Country Regional Airport Authority, the owner operator of SAN, to implement the technology throughout the airport.
Using deep-learning artificial intelligence video analytics, the Honeywell Pro-Watch Video Management System (VMS) uses cameras to identify if the airport’s occupants are complying with guidelines around social distancing and wearing masks. The advanced analytics is expected to provide high level of accuracy, when used in the recommended operating conditions, and can isolate and report instances of non-compliance to airport staff.
“We are pleased to have Honeywell’s technology be a part of our fifth Airport Innovation Lab cohort,” said Gina Jacobs, SAN’s Innovation Programme Manager. “Honeywell’s video analytics technology aligns with our health and safety focus, and we look forward to working with them as they continue to develop it in the actual airport environment. Our hope is these ideas that advance here at SAN will work at airports around the world.”
The video analytics solution offers intelligent loitering detection and zone-based, real-time monitoring, providing an accurate way to count people entering or exiting a space, standing in a crowd, or sitting in public areas. The advanced video analytics and deep-learning artificial intelligence also make it possible to effectively identify mask compliance with less staff required. Using people-counting tools coupled with social distancing analytics, Honeywell’s solution can identify trends, track patterns, and show how airport employees and passengers use and move about a space to minimise overcrowding in areas like gate seating or airport lounges.
The solution is also connected to Honeywell Pro-Watch Intelligent Command, which creates a dashboard that shows the number of occupants in a space, flags incidents that require security actions, and sends real-time alerts if social distancing or mask wearing protocols are not followed. This information will enable airport staff to take appropriate action.
“Honeywell’s video analytics solution can help airports better comply with and reinforce guidelines like social distancing and mask wearing,” said Manish Sharma, Vice President, Chief Technology and Chief Product Officer for Honeywell Building Technologies. “The powerful AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) capabilities in our video analytics not only can help airport staff to identify trends, track patterns and understand how spaces are used but also can lessen unnecessary interactions with passengers to help keep staff safer.”
