Kassel Airport is using Blickfeld’s 3D LiDAR technology to monitor a transition from the apron to the runway. The solution replaces the previous camera-based system and enables directional object detection as well as a minimal false alarm rate.

LiDAR significantly reduces false alarms

Kassel Airport was looking for a weather-independent and reliable surveillance solution for two transition points to the runway. The aim was to ensure that only visually controlled persons, vehicles or aircraft could cross the area – and that an event message was triggered depending on the direction of the crossing. This required directional detection. Previously used camera systems were sensitive to weather conditions such as rain, low sun, snow or darkness, as the event detection was based on pixel changes. In bad weather, this led to numerous false event reports, which can overload the technical system and cause event fatigue among staff.

Weather-independent and directional detection

To make surveillance more robust, Kassel Airport tested a security solution from Siemens that incorporates Blickfeld’s 3D LiDAR technology. Thanks to the large field of view, a single sensor was sufficient to cover the 60-metre-wide passageway. The three-dimensional LiDAR data enables precise, weather-independent environment detection.

The integrated analysis software recognises objects based on size and movement parameters – aircraft were detected and smaller disruptive factors ignored. Directional detection also ensures that event messages are only triggered when movements occur in a defined direction.

‘Monitoring with the Blickfeld LiDAR scanner ensures more reliable object detection at Kassel Airport, even in poor weather conditions. Objects can be easily identified thanks to the 3D space, and event messages have been reduced to only relevant events. This has demonstrably reduced the workload for the responsible personnel,’ explains Christian Brethauer-Steuber, IT system administrator at Kassel Airport.

Andreas Bollu, Vice President Business Unit Security at Blickfeld, adds: ‘This application demonstrates the potential of 3D LiDAR in safety-related areas: our sensors enable precise, directional detection – regardless of light or weather conditions. We are delighted that our technology is creating tangible added value at Kassel Airport.’