Video Surveillance at Tenerife North Airport
The Tenerife Norte – Ciudad de La Laguna airport has installed the most modern video surveillance technology from the German manufacturer Dallmeier and significantly improved its safety measures. Panomera multifocal sensor cameras are being used to provide comprehensive surveillance of the air side.
The Tenerife Norte – Ciudad de La Laguna (TFN) airport lies some ten kilometers west of the island’s capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the San Cristóbal de La Laguna region. Most of the flights here are short-hop flights: connections to the other Canary Islands such as Gran Canaria or Lanzarote, as well as scheduled flights to the Spanish mainland. The most important destination is Madrid-Barajas with over a million passengers annually, followed by Barcelona, Seville and Bilbao.
Detection, Surveillance and Recording
Comprehensive coverage of the entire air side was to be installed so as to further improve the safety of the airport and assist in its operation. Tender documents were issued that covered the installation of a monitoring and control system for the detection, monitoring and recording of activity in high definition on the site.
The area to be covered included the runway (with the emphasis at both ends), the apron, the taxiways and service roads that border the apron; in total, a massive area. The biggest challenge was that masts to mount the cameras could not be erected just anywhere, and only existing buildings could serve as installation sites.
“We wanted to keep the number of installation points and camera systems as low as possible to avoid having to install additional infrastructure such as masts, cables, communication interfaces, etc. and to simplify future maintenance”, said Carlos Jesús Delgado Gómez, Head of the Director’s Office at TFN. “And of course there are strict regulations at an airport covering every type of installation, and air side in particular. That is why there were only a limited number of possible installation locations. Nevertheless, the prescribed area had to be monitored in high definition – the recording should also always be in the maximum resolution.”
It was not possible to satisfactorily cover such enormous areas in high definition with single-sensor cameras. That is why the Tenerife Norte – Ciudad de La Laguna airport decided to use the patented Panomera multifocal sensor technology from Dallmeier.
Maximum Definition Even At Large Distances
The combination of multiple lenses and sensors with different focal lengths in a single optical unit provides high definition images over the entire field of view. This enables even distant objects to be seen clearly, and a lot less camera systems are necessary than with conventional single-sensor cameras.
“We were able to install the Panomeras on the walls of existing buildings and on roofs”, said Carlos Jesús Delgado Gómez. “No other camera system was able to cover the extensive area with so few cameras and installation locations at this high resolution.”
The video technology that has been installed not only provides increased operational safety but also helps to optimize operations and quickly clear up disputes. One of the areas being monitored is the aprons, the places where the aircraft park and are prepared for the next flight. As every minute that an aircraft is parked costs the airline money, there are often discussions about who was responsible for a delay and therefore who should pay the additional parking costs. Was the refueling truck there on time? Did the catering supplies arrive punctually?
Damage limitation can now also benefit quickly and objectively from unambiguous video recordings. Did damage to an aircraft happen during parking or when bringing in the passenger ramp, for example, or was it there before?
Multi-User Capability Advantage
As well as the ability to cover large areas, the multifocal sensor technology is also multi-user capable. Panomera works like a virtual combination of any number of PTZ cameras – with the decisive advantage that the operator moves around in the image virtually and not by mechanically moving the camera as with conventional PTZ devices. This enables any number of operators to access the high-definition image at the same time and each one can zoom into the area that is relevant for them. In contrast to normal PTZ cameras, the entire activity of the widest view is recorded.
The multicast ability is also one of Panomera’s distinct advantages as it always allows multiple users to access the live stream simultaneously. This multicast ability enables data from a single source to be sent to multiple receivers at the same time. The video stream can therefore be efficiently distributed to multiple devices or users without having to forward the data numerous times. The use of multicast reduces the network load and uses the available bandwidth efficiently.
3D Simulation and Simple Installation
The entire project was planned minutely by Dallmeier with the help of a 3D simulation, and pre-configured and tested in the company’s own FAT Center according to the customer’s requirements. So-called CamCards that were created by the Dallmeier 3D-Team assist the installer on site because they show exactly where and at what angle each individual Panomera camera must be fitted.
The Mountera mounting system was also useful during installation, as Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Domínguez stated, who was Project Manager for the installers Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, Delegación Canarias: “The biggest challenges for us as installers were the high humidity and the salty air at the island location. We therefore had to have bespoke, rust-proof and robust masts and brackets made for the cameras. The actual installation of the Panomera cameras with the Mountera wall bracket and mast adapter was very easy.”
Happy with the Solution
The video system has completely fulfilled the customer’s expectations and the Tenerife Norte - Ciudad de La Laguna airport is happy with its choice. Also with regard to support during the project, both the installer and the customer are in agreement. “We are very grateful for the support and solution-oriented backup from Dallmeier Spain during the entire process, and above all during its implementation”, said Carlos Jesús Delgado Gómez.
The Tenerife Norte – Ciudad de La Laguna airport is also well-equipped for the future with its Dallmeier system, consisting of cameras, recorders and video management: the system is modular and can therefore be easily extended or adapted to meet new requirements.
