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What is TIP?
FAA TIP is a software
package developed by PerkinElmer Instruments.
- Funded development
project by the FAA as part of the original SPEARS initiative.
- The overall
scope was to establish a method to measure screener performance
and efficiency as to a component of an overall process to establish
a screener certification program.
- The development
was over two years.
- FAA paid
for a survey of the existing installed base to assist in the development
of a baseline for funding. Due to the various generations of electronic
platforms the funding varied dependent on the age of the system.
- TIP was Alpha
tested at the FAA Technical Center - passed.
- TIP was Beta
tested at Atlantic City International Airport Atlantic City -
passed.
- TIP is in
the initial deployment phase at major airports throughout the
USA.
What does TIP do?
Its
purpose is to monitor the x-ray operators performance level by discretely
projecting images of threats into bags being scanned by the Linescan
machine, detecting the operator's response to these threats, and
recording the threat projections and operators responses in a database.
- The threat
images are stored in a Threat Image Library and are projected
based on a schedule formulated in real time according to parameters
set by the FAA representative.
- The projection
is random and unpredictable by the operator.
Figure 1: TIP scanned bag with projected "bomb" threat and real
"gun" threat
How does TIP work?
The TIP upgrade
incorporates a "state of the art" Pentium II PC that is embedded inside
the Linescan x-ray machine.
- This PC contains
the threat image library.
- The PC also
projects the threats.
- The PC also
contains the screener performance databases.
Figure 2: TIP Upgrade Diagram
The Linescan and the Pentium PC communicate via the SCSI and CAN buses.
- The projected
threat is combined with the actual image information from the
DTP board by the TIP program running on the Pentium PC.
- The image
information with the projected threat is transmitted to the Linescan
system via the SCSI data bus.
- The image,
with the projected threat, is then displayed by the HIP board.
- Synchronization
of the projected threat and the bag image information is accomplished
by the CAN bus interface.
Multiple User Levels
TIP interfaces
with the user at four different levels.
- Level 1 screeners
are the only user level that can scan bags.
- Level 2 CSSs
may only review the performance reports of the screeners.
- Level 3 airline
and guard firm site managers may review/download reports and administer
users.
- Level 4 FAA
representatives, have all level 3 privileges plus the ability
to schedule threats and administer the threat image library.
Group
Level 1
Operator
(screener)
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Group
Level 2
Checkpoint supervisor (CSS)
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Group
Level 3
Site manager
(airline/guard firm)
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Group
Level 4
FAA representative
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- Allows
x-ray mode operation
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- Allows
viewing of reports
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- Allows
viewing and downloading of reports,
- User
Administration for groups 1,2, and 3
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- Scheduling
threats for operator training
- Image
library maintenance, Allows viewing and downloading of reports
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Why implement
TIP?
The "real time"
testing and database collection aspect of TIP make it an excellent
tool for screener performance evaluation.
- Information
in the database may be accessed by the airline and guard firm
security managers for collection and generation of reports.
- Information
in the database will also be accessed by FAA representatives who
will generate and collect reports from each Linescan machine in
the field throughout the USA.
- Those reports
will be collected and analyzed at the FAA to assess the operators'
individual and overall performance.
Another reason to deploy FAA TIP on your Linescan system is to improve
the performance of your security screeners.
- TIP keeps
the operators of Linescan machines alert in anticipation of detecting
both real and projected threats.
- TIP exposes
the screeners to threats that they would not normally see.
- TIP also
maintains an image archive of missed projected threats for the
screener to review.
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