As a result of the attacks from September 11th 2001 and other high-profile security issues, demands for safety and security have increased in any area potentially endangered by terrorism. Ports and harbours, being major access points for people and freight entering a country, are considered to be possible targets for criminal activities such as terrorism, illegal immigration and smuggling of drugs and weapons. Besides these issues, there a numerous regular processes within ports and harbours which require control and surveillance.
These include docking procedures, freight handling, and further logistics related tasks. Therefore, modern ports and harbours use intelligent video surveillance systems and software applications to secure the safe operation of their facilities, the security of the people involved, and the vessels and cargo containers. These ‘nerve centres’ of ports and harbours most often use the latest technology for the central and comprehensive processing of all relevant information coming from modern freight management systems and video cameras.
Range of applications
The technologies used for large screen systems control rooms differ depending on the kind of application. eyevis, German manufacturer of large screen solutions, offers a complete range of products for any kind of application. eyevis has many years of experience in the field of large screen technology and is specialised in the customised planning and realisation of large screen systems world-wide.
Control rooms and operation centres cannot be purchased off the shelf. The decisive point is the interoperability of the different components installed. Large screen systems for such applications should be ready for 24/7 operation, i.e. they have to match the requirements of continuous long-term operation and should comprise appropriate features. For this reason, conventional projectors are not a suitable alternative for control room applications.
Decisive enhanced efficiency
A control room, fitted with modern, ergonomic equipment comprised of the latest display technology, can decisively enhance the efficiency of the processes, and therefore can improve the efficiency of the complete site. Unclear arranged work spaces, inappropriate or even no large screen system, make the workflowmore complicated, inefficient, and may even cause an increased amount of stress in case of emergencies, which may lead to faulty operations and false reactions.
Today, the implementation of large screen systems for the comprehensive display of all relevant processes and information is very common. They are the only solution granting a clear overview of the situation to all operators in the control room at the same time.
Rear-projection cubes
The technologies most often used in the control rooms of today are rear-projection cubes, based on DLP™ technology, and LC displays. Rear-projection cubes are available in various screen sizes and resolution standards. A number of these cubes can be combined to create almost ‘seamless’ large screen walls. The main advantage of these systems is their invulnerability to burn-in effects resulting from static image content. Further, these cubes offer several optimising features, such as automatic doublelamp systems. In addition to that, the components used for these devices are designed for long-term operation.
