The Top 3 Challenges of Securing Civil Infrastructure in India

Power plants, educational institutions, airports, malls, and hospitals are all examples of civil infrastructure. These structures represent the backbone of the Indian economy and require round-the-clock security monitoring. Protecting them is essential because they are so central to the efforts in safeguarding citizens' health and safety. Protecting assets against physical and cyber threats and maintaining the desired levels of trust and quality of life are now essential objectives of governments and businesses alike.

However, several challenges obstructthe task of providing adequate security for civil infrastructure in India. Read on as we highlight these challenges and offer possible solutions to ensure safer and more resilient spaces.

Civil Infrastructure Security: The Top Hurdles

Public spaces are the lifeblood of any city or community. Serving as gathering points, hubs of activity, or sources of critical facilities, they must operate seamlessly and efficiently 24/7. However, there are increasing concerns about the safety and security of civil infrastructure.

Poor perimeter security can cause disruptions and breakdowns in civil infrastructure, affecting large population segments and causingsevere societal and economic damage. Therefore, protecting these facilities is critical, but such protection comes with many challenges. Let’s look at the top hurdles to securing civil infrastructure in India:

1. Excessive Civilian Movement: The biggest challenge to securing civil infrastructure in India is the number of people entering and exiting the premises. For example, malls are large, open environments with high foot traffic and diverse visitors. Controlling crowds and ensuring 24/7 surveillance and security of malls is challenging.

2. Large and Complex Infrastructure: Civil infrastructure is also challenging to secure because of the size and complexity of various spaces. For instance, as open environments with easy public access and a large and diverse population, securing a university campus is a Herculean task. It would require installing systems across multiple locations, including entry and exit gates, open spaces, research labs, dorms, building corridors, etc.

3. Information Overload: Civil infrastructure spaces also generate massive amounts of data daily. Collecting, storing, and analysing this data is a Herculean task. For instance, data is generated every second in a hospital from various sources, including automated systems, check-ins by security personnel, alerts from devices, messages from patients and visitors, etc. Handling this volume and tapping it to zero in on the information that matters is becoming ever harder.

Securing Civil Infrastructure with the Right Solutions

Guaranteeing people’s safety, managing risks, and protecting property across civil infrastructure is critical yet highly complex. People expect the highest standard of safety without it interfering with their lives. Whether in residential spaces, offices, or public buildings, an advanced security system is needed to meet the demanding security, safety, and communications requirements. Here are some solutions to embrace:

• Integrated Solutions: Given the vulnerability of civil spaces, companies must invest in a suite of systems that provide comprehensive and integrated solutions. Such unified solutions can handle every aspect of securing civil infrastructure and offer a range of capabilities across intrusion detection, 24/7 surveillance, and intelligent features like access control and analytics. With an intelligent command and control system, such solutions can help meet different security requirements and offer various levels of security based on threat levels.
• Heat Detection: Linear heat detection systems can help manage fire and safety hazards and minimise damage at the point of incidence. Offering a detection accuracy of fewer than 5 meters and a temperature accuracy of +/—1 degree Celsius, such systems can carry out continuous temperature monitoring in civil infrastructure and integrate seamlessly with existing firefighting systems. They can be deployed across tunnels, power plants, warehouses, data centres, etc.
• Intrusion Detection: Intrusion detection systems can help identify objects' size, direction, track, and velocity in the field of view. Operating 24/7 in all lighting and all-weather conditions, these systems can provide robust and intelligent real-time object detection, tracking, identification, and classification. With centimetre-level accuracy and resilience, they can operate efficiently across public spaces, pipelines, and drainage systems, even in high traffic and volatile weather conditions. Public buildings and spaces can use such systems to detect intruders, pinpoint their exact location, and track their movement.
• Deep Learning: A multi-layered approach to securing civil infrastructure is also essential. Equipping the central monitoring system with Deep Learning and discernment algorithms can help analyse inputs from different sensors and provide actionable alerts. These insights can help security teams make critical decisions.
• Thermal Rating: Real-time thermal rating systems can help companies manage civil infrastructure security and monitor power lines, including transmission and distribution networks. They can ensure these networks work at maximum efficiency without compromising safety standards. Unlike traditional static rating-based systemsbased on probabilistic methods, modern thermal rating systems rely on real-time data to provide information on system capacity/thermal headroom and indicate which areas are stressed or underutilised – thus preventing accidents.

Ensure Everyday Safety with Athena

Securing civil infrastructure is critical to ensure the safety and privacy of people, assets, and information. However, given the many challenges of securing such infrastructure, partnering with skilled and highly proficient security providers like Athena can ensure the deliveryof end-to-end security across various types of civil spaces.

A specialised and well-trained workforcewith deep industry know-how can efficiently analyse, plan, and implement solutions that best suit your security requirements. As a trusted security solutions provider, we can help protect your high-value installation.

Contact us to learn more!

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