Watch Back the Recording: Radar Technology Webinar

1. What is a basic principal of radar?
Radar works on the principle of line-of-sight. Like cameras, obstacles such as buildings can obstruct radar detection. Navtech’s sensors benefit from long-range detection of up to 3km. A radar with a 5km range is also on the roadmap. Ideal for wide-area monitoring where infrastructure costs are to be kept to a minimum.

2. How do radar sensors interact with existing airport equipment?
The radar sensors operate between 76-77GHz, with a narrow spinning beamwidth, proven not to conflict with existing equipment. The sensors conform to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard EN 301 091 and have FAA and FCC approval.

3. How does the radar distinguish between genuine alerts and authorised personnel?
The intelligent rules-based software quickly processes the vast amounts of data the sensors collect. Multiple objects’ behaviours are simultaneously analysed and, if considered acceptable, ruled out from generating an alarm. Furthermore, the integration with a blue-force identification tag device enables even more advanced controls, such as suppressing alerts of authorised personnel.

4. How is the radar performance affected by weather compensation?
Unlike other technologies, radar is unaffected by adverse weather and light conditions. It ‘sees’ through rain, fog, snow, sand storm, sun glare and total darkness.

5. How does the radar handle small animals such as birds? Does it cause any interference?
The intelligent rules-based software classifies objects by various characteristics, including size and speed. It means birds and other small animals are easily identified, and their presence can either be suppressed or trigger an alarm.

6. What role do VMS platforms play?
They are complementary technologies. Cameras are especially important for visual verification in security applications. When combined with radar, fewer cameras can be used. Because AdvanceGuard interacts with the majority of VMS platforms, users can operate from a single user-friendly interface.

7. Where else may the technology be used besides airports?
Navtech Radar sensors power the most challenging applications, from automatic wide-area surveillance to FOD detection. Ports and harbours, industrial storage buildings, power generation plants and other mission-critical infrastructure facilities are also using radar to secure their sites.

8. Regarding detection over the sea, how can the radar distinguish between boats and waves?
As its intelligent rules-based software quickly processes the vast amounts of data the sensors collect, it suppresses waves’ pre-defined shapes. The AIS integration displays vessels’ identification on the user interface, enabling operators to swiftly decide the best course of action in case of an incursion.

9. Is the system capable of detecting drones?
Yes, the technology is capable of detecting drones. The combination of scanning and flat panel radars provides complete situational awareness on the ground and in the air. It is a recent addition to AdvanceGuard’s capabilities, and we are currently doing a few proof-of-concept tests.

10. How simple is it to install? What kind of infrastructure is required?
Typically, we mount the radar on infrastructure such as CCTV columns or buildings. The power requirements of the sensors are minimal, and a site survey determines the best location and height for the sensors. Aside from that, every radar sensor requires a network connection.