Johannesburg, 20 Feb 2007
The South African company DexSecurity Solutions has signed a contract with A1 GP SA to supply the access control system for the Durban A1 Grand Prix street race - "SA's own Monaco" - for the next two years.
"The successful implementation of access control and security during an international prestige event such as this, will boost confidence in South Africa's ability to control big crowds by 2010," says Marius van Niekerk, Director, DexSecurity Solutions.
Last year, the A1 GP encountered logistical problems regarding unauthorised access. The main problems included tickets being used more than once ("pass back tickets"), as spectators handed their tickets through the fence to friends outside the fenced area. With the system that will be used this year, it will be impossible to use a ticket more than once.
A 2D bar code on the ticket contains encrypted information which is read by scanners at the gates. As part of each scan, the ticket is verified as a valid ticket that has not already been used or red-listed. Within milliseconds the system will provide visual confirmation in the form of a green or red light whether the ticket is valid and whether the ticket holder may access the venue, or not.
Access to this year's A1 GP will be controlled by 30 of these "intelligent turnstiles", equipped with two-dimensional bar code scanners. The same technology was used with a 100% success-rate by Dex during the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. The Dex system is now also being applied successfully at certain soccer stadiums in South America and Europe.
The gates are centrally controlled by means of a wireless network. The system registers the use of each unique ticket on a central database and verifies it, before opening the gate and allowing access. This all happens in a split-second.
The system has obvious safety and security advantages, because the entrance and exit of people are monitored and managed from one central point. Online can be seen exactly how many people are in certain areas and where there is a possibility of crowding or potential problems.
Furthermore, the system is able to control access per sector. Certain tickets, for example, can allow access to the grandstand only, and others to the pits or the VIP area.
Staff are also required to use tickets that will inform the organisers who is either late or doesn't report at all for work. The system provides a wealth of information that can be used by the organisers to act upon, and for future planning.