RICHMOND HILL, Ontario--Air Canada recently jettisoned plans to upgrade CCTV at its operations center at Toronto's Pearson Airport, driven by an expansion and renovation of the entire transportation hub.

The decision to implement a new video solution was determined after the Greater Toronto Airports Authority launched a redevelopment program that included the construction of a new 3.5-million square foot terminal building, and the decommissioning of multiple airline and airport support buildings and terminals, said Thor Hoff, manager of IT infrastructure projects at Air Canada YYZ Hub Development. Air Canada's main operations center for Toronto Airport was located in Terminal 2, which was being demolished, and needed to be relocated to a new facility.

Air Canada installed Visual Defence's video management system with 18 40-inch LCD monitors for use on the command and control video wall of the operation center and with internal employee communications system.

Although the initiative leverages traditional physical security technology, Air Canada uses the CCTV system for operations monitoring and process control of the airline's operations, said Hoff.

"This includes aspects such as monitoring aircraft and ground crew at the gate and airside locations, ensuring that staff and equipment are positioned correctly, and real time viewing of all aircraft arrival and departure processes," he said. "In a facility as large as Pearson Terminal 1, it is critical to have real time, accurate video of the airline's operation."

Bethany Moir, marketing manager for Visual Defence mentioned that the company has started to see more applications that use CCTV for operational purposes on top if its inherent physical security functions.

Hoff said not only did this project open doors to update products, but it also propelled a level of information sharing with the airport authority and the company.

"With the new GTAA Terminal 1 being a common use type of facility, with many airlines sharing common airport resources such as check in counters, gates, aircraft loading bridges and so on, using private CCTV systems presented itself to be a very complex and costly undertaking in a building so large," he said. "The airport authority incorporated operational CCTV cameras and services into the base design and construction of their building and facilities."

Using the VDI CCTV system, Air Canada managers and operations controllers can verify that gates are clear, ground equipment is correctly positioned to support the aircraft arrival or departure, supplier services are at their positions and airport ramp crews or customer service staff are in place.

"Any procedural deviations can be viewed, identified, addressed and remediated with direct voice communications to the appropriate group before it impacts the flight plan or schedule," Hoff said.

The technology augments existing policies and procedures by providing extra sets of "eyes," which is critical because "the airline business is driven by safety and on-time performance," Hoff said.