Workshop on methodologies/methods, procedures, good practices on investigating/testing/evaluating border security technologies
Proper methodologies/methods/procedures for investigating/testing these technologies are essential to test their operational effectiveness and suitability, providing a solid support to make the right decision and eventually contribute to the de-risking of the investment.
There is a large variety of equipment and systems designed for the border control domain. In border surveillance, it ranges from binoculars for daylight usage, to those based on the light intensifier tubes for night time detection, from thermal cameras working in different spectral wavelenghts (each of them providing optimal results for a peculiar type of environment) to the multitude types of radars; from unattended ground sensors (seismic, magnetic, etc.) to underwater acoustic sensors. If one talks about incorporating these sensors into specific platforms like airplanes (either manned, unmanned or optionally piloted), blimps, tethered balloons, mobile surveillance vechicles or surveillance towers, and interlinking sensors/platforms or connecting them with the coordination centres, the endeavour of getting into the technology and investigating its efficiency and effectiveness, or the appropriateness for a specific border surveillance scenario, becomes much more complex.
The range of the border checks technologies is also evident. One can talk here about the equipment for analysing travel documents (passport readers, video spectral comparators etc.), technologies related to biometry, Automated Border Control gates, sensors for detecting hidden drugs, explosives and other illicit goods (technologies based on X/Gamma rays, endoscopes/boroscopes, ion mobility spectrometry etc.), technologies for detecting people hidden in transportation means (heartbeat detectors, carbon dioxide detectors etc.). If one also takes into consideration the communications/IT support, the command and control elements, the use of data bases and of different specific systems, it is not hard to realise how complex it will be to test such technologies in the field.
Usually the border guard authorities do not have the equipment or laboratories to test/verify/investigate technologies. On the other hand, the lab measurements and the data from the presentation fliers reflect ideal conditions that are usually not present in the daily operational life. Border guards would like to assess how specific technologies are effective and suitable in the rain, mist, heavy snow, strong winds, humidity, high temperature, starless nights or dusk time.
To help tackle these challenges, Frontex has initiated a series of workshops between Industry, Academia and experts from the Member States Border Guard Authorities. During these, representative of the Industry and Academia present to the border guard community mature/proper methodolgies/methods/best practices/procedures on how to plan, design and conduct (including data collection and evaluation) effective tests/assessments of different border security technologies in the field, which are able to produce useful and objective measures of technology performance and effectiveness.
The benefits for the Industry and Academia include:
- the transfer of “know how” to border guard experts will significantly improve the common work of identifying the best solutions when both those who supply them and those who use them sit at the same table;
- the assimilation of the methodolgies/methods/best practices/procedures on how to test/investigate different border security technologies in the operational environment will be reflected in procurement documentation (terms of reference), improving their quality and the level of the common communication language between the supply and the demand sides. It will also help avoid the requests for parameters which are impossible in practice due to the limits of the technology or nature;
- feedback will be received from the border guard community, at the technical and also operational level, and that will lead to the improvement of the Industry’s/Academia’s methodolgies used for the field tests;
- a special session might be organised, where the border guard community will present their best practices in testing/investigating different border security technologies in the operational environment;
- contacts will be created and discusions on possible collaborations can be initiated.
The next event is expected to take place in October 2018, at Frontex (Warsaw, Poland).
Industry and Academia is invited to register their interest in contributing to the event, as presenters/speakers,
by 15 March 2018, at dragos.voicu@frontex.europa.eu. A number of proposals will be selected, based on relevance to the border security domain and the above mentioned needs. The results of the selection will be communicated in April 2018.