Boeing

Physical security and crime prevention at several Park-n-Ride commuter parking lots in Denver, Colo. will be greatly enhanced through a $299,000 contract awarded to Boeing Autometric, a global leader in geospatial information and technology solutions. Boeing Autometric is a unit of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA].

The contract, awarded by the Regional Transportation District (RTD), marks the first procurement of the Visual Security Operations Console (VSOC) software for use in the public transportation industry. Boeing Autometric will install, integrate, and configure three VSOC security consoles at the RTD's central station in Denver to monitor four Park-n-Ride locations. Operations are expected to commence in September 2003. RTD provides transit service for the 2.3 million residents located in 43 municipalities throughout the Denver metropolitan area.

"The need for improved physical security is certainly on everyone's radar, especially since 9/11, and we are pleased to be selected to provide this important service to the Denver community," said Tony Moraco, deputy general manager of Boeing Autometric. "VSOC is ideally suited for Homeland Security applications and has been used in security command centers at high-security government facilities since 2000. Public places and transportation systems like Park-n-Ride parking lots are a natural venue for VSOC's enhanced monitoring and surveillance capabilities."

The VSOC consoles feature advanced 3-D computer displays that will interoperate with new video surveillance systems at the Park-n-Ride locations to provide more effective surveillance and aid in crime prevention. Each VSOC console will show photorealistic 3-D views of Park-n-Ride facilities with 3-D camera icons superimposed, allowing an operator to call up live camera feeds and recorded video using an intuitive touchscreen interface.

"The primary advantages are enhanced situational awareness, faster, more effective assessment of alarms, and simplified training and operations requirements of security personnel. VSOC is suitable for a variety of other applications, such as airports, corporate campuses, military bases, or any large facility requiring sophisticated security monitoring," Moraco said.