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NVT takes off

Situated 32 km south of Amman (the capital city of Jordan), Queen Alia International Airport is the home of Royal Jordanian Airlines, Jordan's national flag carrying airline. It also acts as a major hub for Jazeera Airways, Emirates, Gulf Air and Jordan Aviation.

With its rapidly increasing throughput of passenger numbers, high security is at the forefront of development at Queen Alia International Airport. This ethos has recently been illustrated with the adoption of Network Video Technologies' (NVT) unshielded twisted pair (UTP) video transmission technology, deployed as the keystone of a comprehensive CCTV network upgrade.

Contracting the assistance of International New Technical Est. of Amman, to specify and install the project, airport management had specific requirements as part of the upgrade to the surveillance system, as Mohammed Nazzal, project manager for New Technical explains: "We have been involved with Queen Alia International Airport since 2004, maintaining and expanding the CCTV system as operational demand at the airport has increased. Certified as a first-degree electrical contractor by the Jordan Ministry of Housing, we have increased the camera count to nearly 100 cameras, with video recorded on DVRs located in the south terminal control room.

"When installing the new cameras, the units covering the main control tower were required to be sited up to 900 metres from the control facility. This would have caused quality issues if we had used traditional coax video transmission, especially when considering the amount of electrical interference present at the airport.

High performance video

"After spending three months conducting a comprehensive technical survey on the best locations for each additional camera, we did not want to compromise these positions due to any video transmission limitations. To address this, and with comprehensive technical backup from NVT, we were able to demonstrate the quality of performance that would be obtained by using a NVT UTP system, by using 900 metres of cable to simulate the camera distances at the airport. This NVT product demonstration was invaluable for providing the airport's management with a practical illustration of the superior performance of NVT technology, both in the high-quality of realtime video at distance, and its unparalleled interference rejection capability."

The New Technical team then installed NVT passive transmitters within the existing camera housings, and VCL dome cameras fitted with NVT technology already 'built in', at each new camera position. Cameras now cover all aspects of the airport, with images transmitted via UTP cable bundles contained within the building's cable trunking network. In the control room, camera images are received via NVT NV-3262 Active Receiver Hubs. The system is controlled via six workstations that access camera images from both the north and south terminals, a large retail area which spans a bridge between the two buildings, the Traffic Control Tower, and the perimeter of the vast site, including all access gates.

Manned by specialist military personnel, the control room operators can now access the best quality of images, with comprehensive coverage of the whole site. Backed by a comprehensive manned-guarding team, the high-performance CCTV system now provides the eyes and ears of the overall security programmed for Queen Alia International Airport.

Hybrid IP video

The NVT-based system is also used as an effective management tool, with key managers able to access video footage directly from their office PCs via an integrated IP network. This networked flexibility allows managers to gain an instant overview of any area of the airport - without leaving their office, greatly streamlining the management process.

Due to the airport's rapid growth, it was important for the new surveillance solution to be as expandable as it is effective, as Nazzal explained, "Using a NVT UTP solution combined with forward-thinking structured cable management has resulted in a future-proofed cable network that can effectively absorb the expanding camera numbers that the airport will need over the coming years. Spare UTP pairs, included in the cable runs, will allow instant and simple connection of additional cameras, as and when they are needed, and with minimum disruption to the airport's day-to-day business."

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