Why radar is becoming key layer in critical infrastructure protection

Radar is increasingly being positioned as a critical layer in the protection of infrastructure such as airports, mines, ports, utilities and other high-security environments, as companies seek to detect threats before they reach a site perimeter.

Traditional perimeter security has often focused on detecting an intrusion at the fence line. Radar can extend that visibility by detecting and tracking objects both before they reach the perimeter and after they have crossed it.

Speaking at the launch of the AXIS D2124-VE Radar, Global Product Manager at Axis Communications, Niklas Lindman, explained the features of its 360-degree vision that boasts human recognition up to 40,000 square metres.

"Radars can be used to see before the defence line and after the defence line, so you have more understanding about where the threat is coming from and where it's heading," Lindman said.

That additional visibility is becoming more important as critical infrastructure operators contend with a wider range of physical security threats, while also dealing with environments in which conventional cameras can struggle.

Radar allows security teams to detect an approaching person or vehicle before they reach a protected area, rather than only identifying an intrusion once it has already occurred.

Traditional perimeter systems can also leave security teams with limited information about what happens after an intrusion.

"We could see that someone had crossed into an area, but then we were blind as to where they went after that," Lindman said.

Axis' layered approach combines radar with thermal cameras, conventional video surveillance and analytics that can drive genuine business insights.

"The combination of different products will be most suitable for perimeter protection," Lindman said.

Reducing false alarms

One of the challenges facing physical security operators is the volume of false alarms generated by environmental conditions, animals and other objects.

Axis is using AI-powered filtering to distinguish potential threats from common sources of false alarms, including dogs, cats, deer and other small animals.

However, radar has some limitations when distinguishing between objects of similar size.

Where radar alone cannot make a reliable distinction, for example, between a human and a deer, Axis combines it with video to provide visual confirmation.

The approach extends beyond simply identifying physical objects. Behavioural parameters can also be used to determine whether an object is behaving in a way that suggests a genuine security threat.

That could help operators reduce the number of alerts generated by rain, spraying objects, animals and other environmental factors, while still identifying activity that falls outside an expected pattern.

"Removing false alarms is something that we really strive for," Lindman said.

Cybersecurity and physical security converge

As more physical security hardware becomes connected to networks, cybersecurity must increasingly be considered during the product-design process rather than treated as an issue that can be addressed after deployment.

Axis considers the physical construction of its devices alongside software and firmware security.

"It starts not only with the cybersecurity software or attacks in firmware, but with how hard it should be to get access to the internet port and how we build the mechanics to ensure we cannot be intruded in that way," Lindman said.

The company's newer radar products incorporate security features, including signed firmware and secure boot mechanisms, designed to ensure devices are running authorised software.

Ongoing firmware updates are equally important, particularly as security vulnerabilities evolve.

Axis can respond to intrusions and deploy fixes through updated firmware, while security enhancement guides provide additional security measures for customers.

The shift highlights how physical security and cybersecurity are converging, particularly across critical infrastructure, such as utilities, where a compromised security device could potentially become another entry point into an organisation's broader network.

Designed and built to withstand adverse conditions

Another area where radar is expected to play an increasingly important role is in environments where conventional video surveillance is significantly constrained by visibility or weather.

Radar can operate in darkness, fog and other challenging conditions without relying on visible light, making it particularly suited to infrastructure sites that operate continuously.

"The technology (came from) the military industry, to be able to see far, see through fog, no light, or on a ship," Lindman said.

Lindman cited coastlines and northern European environments as examples where radar can provide advantages, including situations involving ice accumulation on devices.

For infrastructure operators, one of the key benefits is the ability to maintain awareness even when cameras cannot deliver a reliable image when affected by dirty lenses, poor contrast, darkness or glare.

Radar therefore provides a complementary sensing technology that can maintain detection capabilities when optical systems are impaired.

Australian resources sector offers growth opportunity

Mining is emerging as a particularly relevant application, with radar able to support both autonomous operations and site security.

It can be used in mining environments to help operators determine whether people are present in areas where autonomous vehicles such as trucks are operating.

"You have trucks that drive by themselves. You need to know that humans are not in that area," Lindman said.

Radar can also be used to detect intruders and maintain a continuous track as they move through a large mining site.

The ability to track an individual throughout a site is particularly important for large and remote mining operations, where simply detecting a potential intruder crossing a fence may not be enough.

"You need to know where they went and where they might be hiding," Lindman added.

Mining environments can also present the kind of conditions where radar has a particular advantage, including dust, darkness and large operating areas.

Lindman described Australia as a particularly promising market for the combination of radar and pan-tilt-zoom cameras, which can provide both detection and visual verification.

"I see a growing opportunity, with the combination of the PTZ and radar so closely aligned," he said.

As critical infrastructure becomes more connected and security threats become more complex, the role of radar appears set to move beyond a specialised sensing technology. 

Instead, it is increasingly being positioned as one part of a broader security architecture combining multiple sensors, AI analytics and cybersecurity controls.

For operators of mines, ports, utilities and other large-scale infrastructure, that layered approach could provide greater visibility across a site while reducing the reliance on cameras alone.