Final Report Summary - OPTAG (Improving airport Efficiency, Security and Passenger Flow by Enhanced Passenger Monitoring)
The OPTAG project planned to investigate emerging passenger tracking and identification technologies with the objectives of increasing the safety of air travel whilst maximising the utilisation of existing facilities.
The project involved a network of enhanced closed circuit television (CCTV) systems coupled to local direction-based passenger tracking systems using far-field radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. It was proposed that the OPTAG system might provide real-time location of individual passengers within the airport, the analysis of both mass traffic & individual behaviours, and, where appropriate, the semi-automatic control of CCTV based vision systems to observe and record suspicious or unauthorised activity.
Three developments were required to implement the system:
1. a compact, low cost transponder to be carried by passengers;
2. a compact, high resolution, panoramic imaging system together with software to follow a target and confirm the identity of the tagged individual;
3. an ergonomic user interface to facilitate augmented surveillance.
The use of two complementary yet independent systems (one RFID based, one vision based) was intended to ensure an appropriate balance of active and passive tracking, and to enable an operator to track a passenger throughout the facility and to minimise opportunities to evade the system.
The project work was split into six work-packages as follows.
-WP1: Project management control and reporting:
Innovision Research & Technology plc (IRT) were the project coordinators. In the early stages of the project, the consortium members were visited at least once for project reviews, etc. In the final stages of the project most of the meetings were held at UCL, London were the OPTAG equipment had been set up for development and testing purposes prior to the trial at Debrecen Airport.
-WP2: Exploitation and dissemination:
Detailed patent searches were undertaken, and an inventors note has been prepared covering aspects of the OPTAG project concept. Slot Consulting investigated how the OPTAG system might look, and how it might fit within an airport environment. Slot also prepared an initial cost-benefit analysis document to consider appropriate target costs for the various components of the system. In addition to speaking at conferences on subjects related to OPTAG, the team set up a special project website (see details below). A number of academic papers have been published on the technical aspects of the system.
-WP3: System specification; tag and reader development:
The results of initial airport meetings and technical reviews were collated to clarify a specification for the individual elements and overall system for OPTAG. UCL Department of Electronic Engineering (UCL EE) developed the RFID tag and reader specification in more detail. This work began with the selection of a suitable frequency standard, consideration of tag operating range, and methods of anti-clash operation. After modelling the tag design, UCL EE developed three variants of the tag, the final version being based on a synthesiser approach. UCL EE also performed propagation modelling of the tag in a range of indoor environments. Finally, three prototype RFID readers and a number of model RFID tags were manufactured and taken to Debrecen Airport for evaluation purposes.
-WP4: Camera hardware development:
Research into the required camera resolution was undertaken, including a meeting with the UK Police Scientific Development Branch who have expertise in camera systems. The camera hardware specification was developed and agreed, and a suitable image sensor was selected to meet this requirement. Photonic Science Ltd (PSL) and UCL Department of Geomatic Engineering (UCL GE) worked closely together to develop a suitable panoramic camera featuring a 360 degree viewing angle.
The mounting of the camera sensors was considered very carefully to optimise the panoramic view from a practical camera height, and to ensure that the image stitching was possible. Three prototype camera clusters were manufactured, each comprising an assembly of 8 individual camera units into a modular cluster that facilitated both real-time 360 degree viewing, and zoomed high definition imaging of specified regions of interest. These camera clusters were used in the Debrecen Airport trial.
-WP5: Camera communications, intelligence development and testing:
Significant effort was applied to the development of the OpTag network operation. The networking solution had to be capable of carrying adequate image data to be able to be processed by multiple users, and yet provide sufficient resolution to be able to aid in passenger identification and tracking.
TSI and UCL GE worked together and separately on the various components of the OpTag camera sub-system. For example, TSI developed the software responsible for the processing of the camera images. This included correction of the distorted image coordinates on the 2D plane, panorama stitching, compression and communication of the MJPEG images on the network. UCL GE delivered updated software parameters following recalibration of the cameras. These included an extended calibration model to take into account small sensor rotations that appeared to vary each time a camera cluster was re-assembled. They also improved the resulting panoramic image with the inclusion of cylindrical projection.
-WP6: System integration and field tests:
The objective of this package was to integrate the camera and networking hardware and software with the RFID tag and reader system to make a prototype OPTAG system that could be operated in a real airport environment.
Initially this work concentrated on the development of the user interface to allow useful information on the tag ID and passenger position to be viewed and plotted. Simulations of the user views were built and reviewed within the team and with potential users.
With the late delivery of the camera hardware, RFID tags and readers, effort was concentrated on establishing algorithms and software to compute and display the 3D geometry including the relationship between each camera, tag and person location as these were the essential functional building blocks of the OPTAG system.
In the weeks leading up to the Debrecen Airport trial, the majority of the equipment required to demonstrate the OPTAG system was assembled, set-up and tested in the Foster Court Laboratory at UCL GE.
Despite technical problems during the system development and actually during the trial itself, it was possible to demonstrate the original project concept and many useful results and practical experience were obtained. However, the current prototype OPTAG system would require further engineering development work in order to produce a viable commercial implementation. The current tag, reader and camera designs are still very prototype in nature. They would need to be re-designed for commercial production in order to improve performance, make them easier to manufacture, and to reduce cost. In particular, a very low tag cost is probably critical to the commercial viability of any system like this one.
The OPTAG project website can be found at http://www.optag-consortium.com online.
This website includes some general presentations and articles written about OPTAG, details of the consortium membership, and controlled access to the OPTAG User Club for more detailed information about the project.
The project involved a network of enhanced closed circuit television (CCTV) systems coupled to local direction-based passenger tracking systems using far-field radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. It was proposed that the OPTAG system might provide real-time location of individual passengers within the airport, the analysis of both mass traffic & individual behaviours, and, where appropriate, the semi-automatic control of CCTV based vision systems to observe and record suspicious or unauthorised activity.
Three developments were required to implement the system:
1. a compact, low cost transponder to be carried by passengers;
2. a compact, high resolution, panoramic imaging system together with software to follow a target and confirm the identity of the tagged individual;
3. an ergonomic user interface to facilitate augmented surveillance.
The use of two complementary yet independent systems (one RFID based, one vision based) was intended to ensure an appropriate balance of active and passive tracking, and to enable an operator to track a passenger throughout the facility and to minimise opportunities to evade the system.
The project work was split into six work-packages as follows.
-WP1: Project management control and reporting:
Innovision Research & Technology plc (IRT) were the project coordinators. In the early stages of the project, the consortium members were visited at least once for project reviews, etc. In the final stages of the project most of the meetings were held at UCL, London were the OPTAG equipment had been set up for development and testing purposes prior to the trial at Debrecen Airport.
-WP2: Exploitation and dissemination:
Detailed patent searches were undertaken, and an inventors note has been prepared covering aspects of the OPTAG project concept. Slot Consulting investigated how the OPTAG system might look, and how it might fit within an airport environment. Slot also prepared an initial cost-benefit analysis document to consider appropriate target costs for the various components of the system. In addition to speaking at conferences on subjects related to OPTAG, the team set up a special project website (see details below). A number of academic papers have been published on the technical aspects of the system.
-WP3: System specification; tag and reader development:
The results of initial airport meetings and technical reviews were collated to clarify a specification for the individual elements and overall system for OPTAG. UCL Department of Electronic Engineering (UCL EE) developed the RFID tag and reader specification in more detail. This work began with the selection of a suitable frequency standard, consideration of tag operating range, and methods of anti-clash operation. After modelling the tag design, UCL EE developed three variants of the tag, the final version being based on a synthesiser approach. UCL EE also performed propagation modelling of the tag in a range of indoor environments. Finally, three prototype RFID readers and a number of model RFID tags were manufactured and taken to Debrecen Airport for evaluation purposes.
-WP4: Camera hardware development:
Research into the required camera resolution was undertaken, including a meeting with the UK Police Scientific Development Branch who have expertise in camera systems. The camera hardware specification was developed and agreed, and a suitable image sensor was selected to meet this requirement. Photonic Science Ltd (PSL) and UCL Department of Geomatic Engineering (UCL GE) worked closely together to develop a suitable panoramic camera featuring a 360 degree viewing angle.
The mounting of the camera sensors was considered very carefully to optimise the panoramic view from a practical camera height, and to ensure that the image stitching was possible. Three prototype camera clusters were manufactured, each comprising an assembly of 8 individual camera units into a modular cluster that facilitated both real-time 360 degree viewing, and zoomed high definition imaging of specified regions of interest. These camera clusters were used in the Debrecen Airport trial.
-WP5: Camera communications, intelligence development and testing:
Significant effort was applied to the development of the OpTag network operation. The networking solution had to be capable of carrying adequate image data to be able to be processed by multiple users, and yet provide sufficient resolution to be able to aid in passenger identification and tracking.
TSI and UCL GE worked together and separately on the various components of the OpTag camera sub-system. For example, TSI developed the software responsible for the processing of the camera images. This included correction of the distorted image coordinates on the 2D plane, panorama stitching, compression and communication of the MJPEG images on the network. UCL GE delivered updated software parameters following recalibration of the cameras. These included an extended calibration model to take into account small sensor rotations that appeared to vary each time a camera cluster was re-assembled. They also improved the resulting panoramic image with the inclusion of cylindrical projection.
-WP6: System integration and field tests:
The objective of this package was to integrate the camera and networking hardware and software with the RFID tag and reader system to make a prototype OPTAG system that could be operated in a real airport environment.
Initially this work concentrated on the development of the user interface to allow useful information on the tag ID and passenger position to be viewed and plotted. Simulations of the user views were built and reviewed within the team and with potential users.
With the late delivery of the camera hardware, RFID tags and readers, effort was concentrated on establishing algorithms and software to compute and display the 3D geometry including the relationship between each camera, tag and person location as these were the essential functional building blocks of the OPTAG system.
In the weeks leading up to the Debrecen Airport trial, the majority of the equipment required to demonstrate the OPTAG system was assembled, set-up and tested in the Foster Court Laboratory at UCL GE.
Despite technical problems during the system development and actually during the trial itself, it was possible to demonstrate the original project concept and many useful results and practical experience were obtained. However, the current prototype OPTAG system would require further engineering development work in order to produce a viable commercial implementation. The current tag, reader and camera designs are still very prototype in nature. They would need to be re-designed for commercial production in order to improve performance, make them easier to manufacture, and to reduce cost. In particular, a very low tag cost is probably critical to the commercial viability of any system like this one.
The OPTAG project website can be found at http://www.optag-consortium.com online.
This website includes some general presentations and articles written about OPTAG, details of the consortium membership, and controlled access to the OPTAG User Club for more detailed information about the project.
