Public spaces, such as airports, metro systems or railway stations, are commonly full of people and full of life. Whether it is a sense of internationality, the rush of daily commuters or simply the colorful dynamic of a heterogeneous environment, there is always lots to see. In order to uphold this inspiring perception of public areas and to ensure their trouble-free operation, a great deal of work goes on behind the scenes – particularly with regard to safety and security.
Due to the many people and different types of buildings or sites involved, one of the biggest challenges in operating large public spaces is combining all the security systems required in one single platform. The main difficulties are ensuring the safety of the people who work in such a facility or visit it, while still ensuring they can move around as quickly and freely as possible. Furthermore, such large areas require a vast diversity of equipment: fire alarm systems, intrusion systems, evacuation and building-automation systems – to name but a few. Transport hubs typically have various different zones, including the arrival hall, the shopping area, railway platforms, entrances and exits as well as car parks, each with its own specific demands. Arrival halls, for example, must ensure a fast response to emergencies while guaranteeing high overall effectiveness. The commercial areas of railway stations on the other hand, with their shops and restaurants, are often rented out to private companies – with each owner typically applying their own intrusion and video system.
The benefits of having a single system are straightforward: higher efficiency due to one principal operation and management center, including updates on a regular basis for all devices involved. However, the demands on a single system are high. Most important of all, it must ensure that the specific requirements of each area are met, while at the same time being easy to control. Other requirements that have to be fulfilled include alarm management, fast alarm pinpointing via local maps, and automated tailor-made follow-up procedures.
The Building Integration System (BIS) from Bosch for example provides a single web-based cockpit to monitor and regulate all the systems typically involved in railway stations, airports or other large public spaces – from security to safety, from communication to building automatic systems. It is a single point of control, which seamlessly integrates fire and intrusion alarm, evacuation, access-control, CCTV and building-automation systems. Equipped with a windows user face and familiar internet browser technology, this overall integrated system is controlled via one single platform. It therefore guarantees a high return on investment, while removing the need for a large number of security and monitoring personnel. Consequently, it represents a single solution that fulfills the demands required for such large projects.
BIS is easy to adapt to small, medium or large projects, as it allows the system to easily grow with the operation of the facility, coupled with a low downtime. Regular updates and upgrades are provided, ensuring that the technology is always up to date. So far, there are over 3,000 BIS installations worldwide.
