I have become fascinated by the different applications of our security world, or better yet, our world thrugh security. As a physical security specialist I deal with CCTV, Accees Control, Fire Detection, Intrusion, Video Analytics, etc. Then I started looking at the transportation vertical and it's newest 'toys'.

For instance: TWIC -

"The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) is a security measure that ensures individuals who pose a threat do not gain unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation system.

TWIC was established by Congress through the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and is administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Coast Guard. TWICs are tamper-resistant biometric credentials that will be issued to workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, outer continental shelf facilities and all credentialed merchant mariners. It is anticipated that more than 1 million workers including longshoremen, truckers, port employees and others will be required to obtain a TWIC.



Enrollment and issuance began at the Port of Wilmington, Delaware October 16, 2007 and will continue through calendar year 2008 and part of 2009. To obtain a TWIC, an individual must provide biographic and biometric information such as fingerprints, sit for a digital photograph and successfully pass a security threat assessment conducted by TSA. Pre-enrollment is recommended as it is designed to save the applicant time by enabling them to provide their biographical information and make an appointment for in-person enrollment.


Currently, there are no regulatory requirements pertaining to the use of TWIC readers. However, initial testing and evaluation of TWIC readers is will begin in calendar year 2008 as part of the pilot phase."

Then there is: Behavior Detection Officers (BDO)
Layers of Security


"The Behavior Detection Officer (BDO) program utilizes non-intrusive behavior observation and analysis techniques to identify potentially high-risk passengers. BDOs are designed to detect individuals exhibiting behaviors that indicate they may be a threat to aviation and/or transportation security. The program is a derivative of other successful behavioral analysis programs that have been employed by law enforcement and security personnel both in the U.S. and around the world.


TSA's BDO-trained security officers are screening travelers for involuntary physical and physiological reactions that people exhibit in response to a fear of being discovered. TSA recognizes that an individual exhibiting some of these behaviors does not automatically mean a person has terrorist or criminal intent. BDOs do, however, help our security officers focus appropriate resources on determining if an individual presents a higher risk or if his/her behavior has a non-threatening origin. Individuals exhibiting specific observable behaviors may be referred for additional screening at the checkpoint to include a handwanding, limited pat down and physical inspection of one's carry-on baggage. Referrals are based on specific observed behaviors only, not on one's appearance, race, ethnicity or religion.


BDOs add an element of unpredictability to the security screening process that is easy for passengers to navigate but difficult for terrorists to manipulate. It serves as an important additional layer of security in the airport environment, requires no additional specialized screening equipment, can easily be deployed to other modes of transportation and presents yet one more challenge the terrorists need to overcome in attempt to defeat our security system.
BDOs are currently operating at approximately 161 major airports nationwide."

And then there is: Transit Inspectors-



"Through the Surface Transportation Security Inspection Program, or STSI, the TSA has deployed 100 inspectors assigned to 18 field offices across the country, to provide support to our nation’s largest mass transit systems.

VIPR Teams- Federal Air Marshalls, Surface Transportation, Canine Teams and advanced screening technology working as Visible Intermodal Protection Response, or VIPR Teams, offer the ability to raise the level of security in any mode of transportation anywhere in the country quickly and effectively.

Canine teams- Explosives detection canine teams provide strong detection and deterrent capabilities and can be sent quickly to key junction points across systems, stations, terminals, or other facilities.


Grants- Our work focuses greater information sharing, increased training and public awareness, and providing greater assistance and funding for rail transit activities. Grants and awards to rail systems around the country total millions of dollars yearly. "



AMAZING, who knew?



Next time I will explore rail security applications. Hope you join me....

H.264 / MPEG 4

For some of us video 'experts', the issue of what video standard to use (or sell) has reared it's ugly head by now. MPEG-4 and the newer H.264 are the latest standards and some consider them branches of the same tree. They are both standards based on video compression or video coding technology from circa. 1995.



A encoder\decoder pair operates by the encoder converting video into a compressed format and the decoder converts the video back into an uncompressed format. This compression is neccessary to store or transmit video images. All of the standards do this, but the later, more efficient H.264 development does it much better. There is a lot of technical information on how this is done, ie: prediction, transform, quantization, enrtopy encoding. We won't go into this here.



What is important is the application and performance. Compared with MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, H.264 can deliver better image quality at the same compressed bitrate or lower the bitrate for the same image quality.

An example would be the DVD technology. A single layer DVD can store a 2 hr movie in MPEG-2 format. H.264 can double that to 4 hours of movie quality video in the same space.

H.264 Resolution is higher which serves the High Definition trends well. The images are amazing.

There is a cost for this increased performance, as you would imagine. The CPU needs greater computational capacity. In other words, more processing power. The secret for us will be finding the maufaturer that can do this cost effectifvely. Each manufacturer has developed their own method of developing and delivering the science.

H.264 is still an exciting development. This type of technological advancement is why I love working in this field. We ge to play with the new toys first.

Conduit for Perspicuity - the beginning

"a channel for plain speaking. "


As security professionals, much information flows through all of our pipelines incessantly via email, bulletins, listservs, social networking sites and the like. It can be overwhelming to read let alone fully comprehend what may be important to us as practitioners and to our customers. I hope to condense the stream of data bombarding each of us daily via this electronic summary. Colleagues, I hope you return often and find something useful each time......................passerby's, perhaps you'll be somewhat enlightened, but if you are merely entertained, that will be just fine.....