CASE STUDY 1 Heathrow Airport Limited & Border Force Page 1
Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 3 1 CUSTOMER NAME... 4 2 BUSINESS CASE BUSINESS DRIVERS... 4 3 CHALLENGE... 4 4 SOLUTION DESCRIPTION... 4 5 IMPLEMENTATION OVERVIEW... 6 5.1 OBJECTIVES... 6 5.2 TEST SCENARIOS... 6 5.3 RESULTS MEASUREMENT... 6 5.4 TIMELINE... 7 5.5 GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT... 7 5.6 VENDOR INVOLVEMENT... 7 5.7 CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRING SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT... 7 6 RESULTS / IMPACT STATEMENT... 8 6.1 EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS... 8 6.2 COST AVOIDANCE / SAVINGS %... 8 6.3 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION... 8 7 PHOTOS, VIDEOS... 8 8 LESSONS LEARNT... 9 8.1 PROS & CONS... 9 8.2 CONSIDERATIONS... 9 9 BEST PRACTICES... 9 Page 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Automated border controls or e-passport gates were installed in all terminals at Heathrow starting in August 2010. Since then, they have proved to be highly successful in terms of the number of passengers using them and their speed of operation. This has led to improvements in passenger satisfaction scores and efficiency at the border. The gates are used by passengers from the European Economic Area who have arrived in to Heathrow from international flights, have a biometric passport and are over 18 years of age. The gates were installed in co-operation with Border Force and a number of suppliers who provided the gates and peripherals and also integrated all of the systems and devices in order to have a successful launch and operation. This document is an overview of the processes involved in the design, construction and running of the gates to date. Page 3
1 CUSTOMER NAME Heathrow Airport Limited and Border Force. 2 BUSINESS CASE BUSINESS DRIVERS There were three main drivers for the installation of the gates which were: To improve passenger satisfaction at the border. To improve the capacity of the border to handle passengers. To allow for efficient deployment of Border Force front line staff. 3 CHALLENGE There were a number of challenges that needed to be overcome in order to have a successful launch and operation of the gates. Ensuring that the business cases for both Heathrow and Border Force (and their parent body UKBA) were aligned to make sure that the installed product fulfilled all of the objectives. There needed to be a shared vision of what was to be achieved. Ensuring that commercial arrangements for all costs involved in the design, installation and running of the gates were clearly defined and agreed prior to any major step in the project. Stakeholder expectations needed close scrutiny to make sure that all aspects were considered this included security measures, timescales and operational impact. During the construction and testing phase of the project, there was the possibility of disruption to the passengers journey within the airport as the gates are positioned in what were very busy and at times capacity constrained areas. Ensuring a safe working environment with minimal adverse effects on queuing and crowding was therefore carefully considered and planned for. Forecasting to ensure that the gates when installed and running were sufficient for the increasing numbers of passengers travelling with biometric passports needed to be sufficient to make sure that there was a balance between possible underutilization at the start of operation and not running out of capacity after a short number of years operation. 4 SOLUTION DESCRIPTION Each terminal had three gates installed. The gates were constructed by IER and comprise of an archway entrance that incorporates technology to prevent more than one person entering at one time. This was preferred over other designs with an entrance and exit gate as it was felt to facilitate a smoother passenger flow and allowed for easy exit if the gate did not allow the passenger through. Once the passenger has entered the gate area they are given directions on use from a screen and are first asked to place their passport onto a reader which simultaneously makes document checks and opens the biometric chip to read the stored information. A camera installed in a specially designed housing then activates to take the passenger image, a light system also starts which compensates for background light. If the biometrics matches, there is no issue with the document or any other reason for referral then the gate opens allowing the passenger through. If the passenger is referred for any reason they are directed to a Border Force Officer. The gates are monitored by a Border Force Officer who is presented with images from the passport, the biometric camera, a CCTV camera also installed in the gate and any other information required from internal Border Force systems. Page 4
The gates are also hosted by staff whose role is to encourage eligible passengers to use the gates, instruct them in use before they enter and deal with any issues that the passengers may encounter. Integration was done by Accenture who worked closely with Heathrow and Border Force on all parts of the gates operation. The picture below outlines the different parts of the installed gates: 1. ASDAS: Passenger and fraud detection system 2. Pre entry display screen: Providing instructions to Passengers in the queue 3. Indicator lights: Signal to Passengers if they should walk forward or not (Green/Red) 4. Secure Zone: Controlled area monitored for Passengers and objects 5. Instruction Screen: Proving instructions to a Passenger using the system 6. Integrated Camera: Includes variable illumination 7. ASDAS Time-of-Flight Camera: part of the advanced detection system 8. IP CCTV: Video monitoring of the Secure Zone 9. Travel document reader: Passport reader 10. Exit Gate: High tempered glass exit barrier Page 5
5 IMPLEMENTATION OVERVIEW 5.1 Objectives The key objectives for implementation were: That the system keeps the border secure. The system should be as intuitive as possible for passengers to use. That there should be minimum disruption to the operation of the halls during installation and testing. That there should be thorough testing of the system through construction and installation. That the operational speed for each gate should be at least equivalent to that at a manual control. Following installation there should be no negative impact on other areas due to queuing, wayfinding etc. 5.2 Test Scenarios There were a number of test scenarios that were run both on the gates themselves but also on the software to run it and the integration of the units. These were done during the development and construction phases and culminated in extensive Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Sight Acceptance Tests (SAT) once installed. These concentrated on: The functional and non-functional requirements that had been defined within the business case and objectives. Security of all aspects of the gates. Integration of the hardware and software and connected operational systems. Safety for passengers. Once the gates passed all of these there was then a series of pre-go live testing using volunteers from Heathrow and Border Force followed by small scale passenger trials. Feedback from these was then analysed and changes made were necessary before going live. 5.3 Results Measurement The gates are constantly monitored and analysed to perform continuous improvement and to ensure that any issues are spotted as early as possible. This is both from automatic outputs from the system and also through passenger feedback. The details collected include: Speed of operation. Passenger and staff feedback on satisfaction with using the gates and the functionality. Referral rate and reasons for referral. Downtime either through mechanical or software issues or staffing. Throughput by country. Page 6
5.4 Timeline 2008 Project initiated and testing begun in Stansted 2009 Further installation and testing in Stansted Project initiated for delivery to Heathrow Analysis of Stansted implementation Commercial arrangements completed 2010 Design improvement and construction Testing in Q3 On site Implementation and go live Q4 5.5 Government Involvement There was involvement from the UK government from the outset as the border area is controlled and run by Border Force (called UK Border Agency at the outset of the project). The involvement was in all areas of creating the business cases, engagement of manufacturers and the integrator, design, testing and operational processes. 5.6 Vendor Involvement There were a number of vendors involved with the gates: IER gate design and supply Accenture gate integration Switch On design and supply of housings for cameras ESP installation and support 3M passport reader supply Mace construction within the terminals Fujitsu Border Force systems 5.7 Circumstances Requiring Special Development Areas that required special development were: Ensuring that the biometric cameras could operate in variable lighting conditions. Integration between all of the IT within the gates and also with Border Force systems. Control of the gate area so that there could be no intrusion from a second passenger. Page 7
6 RESULTS / IMPACT STATEMENT 6.1 Efficiency Improvements Due to the continuous improvement approach that has been applied to the gates we continue to see improvements in the following areas: The numbers of passengers needing referral to see a Border Force officer is decreasing. The speed of operation is improving both due to operational and software changes but also due to ensuring that passengers are aware of the process for using the system while they are waiting to use it. We are seeing fewer incidents of downtime due to faults and staff availability. Overall usage is up partially due to the numbers of passengers with biometric passports but also due to efficient hosting and pre-awareness. Regular use of the gates by frequent travelers who act as useful models for other passengers. 6.2 Cost Avoidance / Savings % It is not possible to quantify any cost avoidance and savings as there have been significant changes in staffing at the border since the introduction of the gates but overall with a steady flow of passengers to the three gates they require the equivalent of just over one Border Force officer whereas without them three officers would have been required to achieve the same flow. 6.3 Customer satisfaction There has been a major increase in customer satisfaction scores from the main surveys that Heathrow participate in within the Immigration hall since the introduction of the gates. When broken down into those who have or have not used the gates there is also a significant difference with those using the gates consistently giving better scores. 7 PHOTOS, VIDEOS Page 8
8 LESSONS LEARNT 8.1 Pros & Cons The introduction of the gates has shown a major increase in customer satisfaction and has allowed redeployment of Border Force staff to deal with other areas. However this needs to be balanced with the cost of installation and operation and the inevitable disruption during installation. 8.2 Considerations A joint business case with objectives, costs, timetable and benefits must be established between the stakeholders e.g. Border Agency, port operator, airlines and passenger groups and therefore who should therefore bear the main costs and risks. 9 BEST PRACTICES Make sure that business case from all stakeholders is agreed in advance. Ensure that there is a thorough plan for installation to avoid disruption. Integration of the system parts is key i.e. Border Agency systems, biometrics, gate operation. To ensure that passengers are aware of the gates, are encouraged to use it and are aware of how it operates. There should be hosts available at the entrance to the queue area and at the gates. Page 9