In an effort to enhance the protection of travelers, the Miami International Airport is implementing a more robust security program that will include the installation of new surveillance cameras and supporting network. The tools will be added to both internal and external areas of the airport, increasing the safety of pilots, fliers and staff members.

“MIA is the largest U.S. gateway for Latin America and the Caribbean and is one of the leading international passenger and freight airports in the world,” MIA airport building systems manager Ray Davalos said. “Passenger and employee safety is our number-one concern and this is a one-of-a-kind integration.”

Rather than taking a vendor’s standard offerings and manipulate them to fit the airport’s needs, which is a common deployment strategy in the travel industry, MIA officials have decided to install an integrated security system that uses next-generation solutions capable of meeting evolving demands at the facility.

“As one of the foremost international passenger and freight airports in the world, MIA is leading the way in aviation security,” video surveillance expert Guy Yaniv said.

MIA administrators believe they are setting a standard with this installation, especially as protective demands evolve through the coming years in an effort to tackle terrorism and other violent activities. Through the use of high-resolution IP cameras, advanced analytic solutions, wireless networking and radar tools, MIA is taking physical security to the next level.

“These components will enhance the overall security system at MIA and allow the airport to better support the critical mission of protecting passengers and employees,” security expert Jeremy Wensinger said.

In an interview with airport-technology.com, access control system expert Jim Slevin said the majority of airport security solutions are reactive instead of proactive. This is bound to change in the coming years, especially as more innovative tools like biometrics and automated analytics become more common. Yet it may not always be an easy sell for stakeholders, as providing hard evidence that proactive security tools prevented an event from occurring is impossible.

Nevertheless, the use of advanced access control and surveillance devices will increase in the coming years as more airport officials take an innovative approach to managing passenger protection, Slevin asserted. As biometrics and automation technologies mature, they will be incorporated more heavily into airport security systems.