ISS UVSS Enhances NY Transit Vehicle Security Screening

ISS (Intelligent Security Systems), a pioneering global provider of video intelligence and data awareness solutions, announced that its industry-pioneering under-vehicle and under-train surveillance solutions were recently tested by several New York regional transit agencies as part of an initiative designed to improve climate resilience across regional transit infrastructure. 

The program, dubbed the “Transit Tech Lab,” is a public-private partnership created by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Partnership Fund for New York City to accelerate innovation in public transportation.

Eight-week PoC phase

Among the partner agencies who took part in the initiative include the MTA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ TRANSIT, and the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT). 

Though 150 companies applied to take part in the program, only 18 were ultimately selected as finalists to move forward in an eight-week proof of concept (PoC) phase.

SecurOS® UVSS and UTSS

The UVSS was used to scan the undercarriage of more than 2,000 cars for various anomalies

Beginning in May 2024, ISS worked with the Port Authority to demonstrate how the SecurOS® UVSS (Under Vehicle Surveillance System) could enhance the current screening process for vehicles entering the World Trade Center (WTC). Over the course of three weeks, the UVSS was used to scan the undercarriage of more than 2,000 cars for various anomalies, while also providing information about vehicle types, vehicle flows, and average checkpoint passage times. 

Additionally, they also worked with NJ TRANSIT and Long Island Rail Road to determine how the SecurOS® Under Train Surveillance System (UTSS) could be used to detect defects lurking underneath railcar carriages and demonstrated the results to NJ TRANSIT and Long Island Rail Road.

Vehicle security screening operation

“ISS’ technology complemented our vehicle security screening operation, and the real-time data helped improve the visibility of several unknown everyday processing details that are super useful and present an efficiency opportunity,” said Juan Salamanca, a Port Authority senior engineer of the agency’s major capital projects department.   

“Our system was able to be deployed using the current WTC infrastructure, providing a very seamless installation,” said Eugene Beytenbrod, Global Director of Engineering, ISS. “Our next-generation AI technology for image stitching, vehicle class, color, make, and model detection, as well as our foreign object detection, provide a comprehensive solution that helps streamline the vehicle screening process.”