Page 2 of 10 What is Guard Monitoring? The concept of personnel monitoring in the security industry is not new. Being able to accurately account for the movement and activity of personnel is not only important from an operational point of view, but also serves to provide confidence to clients making use of the service. For the purpose of this document we will deal specifically with the use of personnel monitoring systems in the guarding industry. There are various systems available that can be used to determine whether guards are performing their patrols in a regular and timeous manner. This is done by installing check points at key locations on a site. The guard is issued with some kind of device that can gather information from these checkpoints. On his return from the patrol this information is downloaded and if any exceptions (e.g. missed a checkpoint, taking to long with a patrol etc.) occurred an alarm is raised. The checkpoints can be as simple as a box containing a key. The guard starts a timer when starting his patrol and has a key that opens the first checkpoints lock. Inside the checkpoint box is the key for the next checkpoint. The guard unlocks the box, and leaves the previous key in the box. He repeats this pattern until he reaches the end of his patrol and he stops the timer again. If he did not finish the patrol sequence in the predetermined time an alarm is raised. The next patrol is done in the opposite direction. A slightly more advanced system uses an intelligent electronic checkpoint that is identified with a unique electronic identification number. The guard is issued with a reader that can read the checkpoint information and this data is stored on the device carried by the guard. On completion of his patrol the guard can download this information to a computer and this allows for reporting and alarms on exceptions. Both system described above relies on the fact that the guard returns to his post within a prescribed amount of time. A need has been identified for the development of a cost effective real-time personnel monitoring system that can give an indication in real time as to the last known position of a guard as well as being able to raise an alarm during a patrol if something is wrong.
Page 3 of 10 Bloodhound RMS Real-time Resource Management The Bloodhound RMS system uses the combination of established existing technologies to create a real-time personnel monitoring environment. Key Technologies Used We will briefly look at the key technologies used to give a better understanding of how the system works. GSM / GPRS What is GSM? Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is the most widely used digital mobile phone system and the de facto wireless telephone standard in Europe. Originally defined as a pan-european open standard for a digital cellular telephone network to support voice, data, text messaging and cross-border roaming. GSM is now one of the world's main 2G (second generation) digital wireless standards. GSM is present in more than 160 countries and according to the GSM Association, accounts for approximately 70 percent of the total digital cellular wireless market. GSM is a time division multiplex (TDM) system. Implemented on 800, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz What is GPRS? General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile data service available to users of GSM mobile phones. It is often described as "2.5G", that is, a technology between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate speed data transfer, by using unused TDMA channels in the GSM network.
Page 4 of 10 Active RFID What is Active RFID? Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is used to automatically identify objects or people using RFID tags. A RFID tag is a small electronic device that can be attached to or incorporated into a product. RFID tags include a chip that stores an ID and an antenna that enables the chip to transmit the stored ID to a reader. Typically RFID tags are classified in 2 categories: Passive RFID tags do not have a power source. When the tag comes within range of the reader, the tag is powered by the reader s RF Field and transmits its ID to the reader. Active RFID tags have a battery and constantly transmit its ID at pre-programmed intervals. This increases the read range of active tags. Typically active tags can also hold more data and be reprogrammed for different uses.
Page 5 of 10 GPS What is GPS? An acronym for: Global Positioning System. It is a method to determine geographical coordinates and local time coordinate on Earth using calibrating signals from a network of satellites. It is based on the knowledge of the orbits of the satellites and the measured phase shifts of their signals at the receiver. The precision of this measure is of ~100m in position and ~1µs in time. Detailed system description The Bloodhound RMS, personnel monitoring system uses a combination of the above technologies to track the movements of personnel in real-time. This system consists of the following components: Checkpoints Active RFID Tags are used as checkpoints in this system. Tags are distributed in strategic locations on a site. The tags have their own power source and transmit their unique identification code at pre-programmed intervals. The system software links the tags identification number to a physical location. Tags are also carried by personnel. This allows the system to link a person to a specific location.
Page 6 of 10 Handheld The Bloodhound handheld is a mobile device that can be worn on a belt clip. The device contains the following components A RFID reader enabling it to read the tag information A GSM Transceiver enabling it to transmit the tag information via the internet using TCP/IP as well as receiving data from the host server. A microprocessor for processing tag and other information Rechargeable batteries Belt clip and holster
Page 7 of 10 System Software The system software provides a visual representation of guard movements and identity in real time. It also provides a means of managing sites to be monitored; patrol schedules and provides management reports on real-time and historical data. The information is available from anywhere in the world via the internet. Tags are placed at strategic locations around a site (as indicated on the adjacent map). These tags are linked location icons on the software mapping interface to show the physical location of the tag. A Tag is also assigned to a specific guard. The Bloodhound reader will be carried (on the belt) by individual guards. The moment the Bloodhound reader enters a tag location area, the reader identifies the location tag and simultaneously searches for guard tags in-range. This information gets sent through to the central database. On the user interface side, a guard icon appears at a specific location on the mapping screen, indicating that the guard(s) is at present location. The system software (client application) is an executable program that is installed on the user s computer. This program gives the user access to the on-line web server from anywhere in the world via the internet. The security structure of the software ensures that user s only have access to the information defined for their security profile. That means that a site manager might only be able to view live and historic information for his particular site. A regional manager could for example have access to information from all the sites in his region. All system setup and support functions can be performed remotely.
Page 8 of 10 Network and Communication Infrastructure The system uses established network infrastructure and protocols making it a very cost effective system that can be monitored in real-time from anywhere in the world. As a person walks around on a particular site the handheld will read the tag information of the person and the checkpoints. Basic processing on the handheld ensures that only the necessary information is transmitted via the internet using the GSM transceiver on the handheld. This information is stored in a database located on a web server that is accessible from anywhere in the world. This information accurately represent personnel movement on a site in real-time. It is also possible to send specific instructions to anybody that will be displayed on the handheld. If the handheld is equipped with a GPS this information will also be transmitted with the personnel and checkpoint information. By using the existing GSM network (data is sent using GPRS) and the internet it is possible to deploy and control this system anywhere in the world where there is GSM coverage. Provision has been made for a tri-band unit to allow for operation in the United States of America.
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Page 10 of 10 Advantages of Bloodhound RMS Information relating to personnel movements are transmitted in real-time as they occur Real-time information is available from anywhere in the world No limitations to the size of a particular site to be monitored No specific start and end point is required for a patrol (although the system provides for scheduled patrols) No base unit or infrastructure is needed and the system can therefore be installed easily in remote locations without any power etc. System can determine the amount of time that a person spends in a particular area Checkpoint does not need to be visible and therefore personnel will never know when or where they are being monitored System allows for messages to be sent to any user out on patrol Locations (tags) and personnel (readers) can be mobile. This allows the system to report on locations and any other personnel carrying identification tags No specific action is required from personnel System is able to monitor more than just security gaurds (e.g. cleaners, maintenance personnel etc.)