When we think of homeland security, many challenges and obstacles probably come to mind for those of us who work to protect citizens. Of the many obstacles we face, securing our waterways can bring quite a few challenges. Water is one of the most powerful forces on earth and can present many dangers naturally. When you add anti-terrorism tactics to the mix, securing waterways can be extremely dangerous. This article will discuss the benefits and advantages your TI can offer on the water.
Thermal imaging can give us many advantages in water operations. Remember that a TI does not need any light to operate and can allow us to see images in dark conditions. These features give us the ability to conduct patrols, navigate and search in those low- or no-light conditions. Using the TI, we can conduct surveillance without blowing our cover and move about in a stealth manner, searching for anything suspicious.
If you haven't noticed, weather in a water environment can change very quickly and sometimes more dramatically than it does over land. As a result, working on water often includes dealing with heavy rains and foggy conditions. In circumstances like these, night vision will fail to penetrate the fog and rain, therefore robbing you of your vision. In addition, the blooming effect of bright light sources such as a vessel or port that is well lit and projecting light will make it difficult to use night vision to scan an area. Your TI can accomplish the task in a much faster and more dependable way by allowing you to navigate a vessel in complete darkness or in rainy or foggy weather.
Don't forget that your TI can be used on bright sunny days as well, when glare from the sun can hurt your eyes during search and navigation. On days like this, the simple black and white world of thermal imaging can significantly cut down on eye fatigue and give us less to sort through visually. In a situation like this, it is an added bonus to have a TI that has a reverse polarity function. This function enables us to change from white hot to black hot. Reverse polarity is always a great option when you are dealing with conditions and temperatures that change often. Items that show white hot will become black hot once you use reverse polarity. This can be a huge benefit when you have a background that is hot like sand or a background that is cold like snow.
When conducting waterway searches, keep in mind that a TI cannot see through water. Water has a very unique temperature difference from the air and objects around it, making it an excellent backdrop for conducting searches. The cool dark backdrop of water will make an object such as a boat or a floating object stand out drastically. However, your TI will not see the temperature difference unless the object breaks the surface of the water.
Remembering the benefits your TI can offer will help ensure your waterway patrols are safer and more productive whether you're securing ports, navigating a vessel or performing surveillance. Stay Safe!
