A.2.1 Control software
In order to prevent access to the facility by a persons without a valid ticket and to verify the number of spectators who have entered the venue in ingress, the control software and access management, should satisfy the following characteristics:
— allow real-time cross-checking between the access control system and ticket office system, for the cancellation of tickets not yet used, at the same time preventing the use of cancelled tickets;
— perform the real-time, online centralized management of entrance control equipment, ensuring immediate anti-pass-back (i.e. making it impossible to allow entry to more than one ticket having the same ID characteristics) in order to prevent access, including simultaneous access from different gates, of “clones”
of the same ticket; tickets that have been “deactivated” following loss or theft shall not be accepted;
— allow interfacing with different ticket office systems;
— check the uniqueness of issued tickets; in other words, the system should not accept duplicated data from ticket office systems to which it is connected, and should report the anomaly;
— record all valid entries and all manual entries that may be effected by workers in order to check effectively and immediately the overall and actual number of entries;
— ensure rapid response times: with the whole system loaded response times between reading and enabling should not be more than 20 hundredths of a second;
— generate reports, statistics and queries on entry data;
— be able to manage and integrate different control equipment (e.g. full height turnstiles, tripods, wireless hand-held systems, etc.).
A.2.2 Server
The server should be configured so as to ensure service continuity, thus the hardware should, whenever possible, be offered with redundancy and have “hot-swap” functionality, i.e. be immediately replaceable without having to close down the server or suspend the service.
Essential properties:
— alternative power supply;
— backup supply system (UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply) to ensure functioning in the event of power failure;
— static memory (disks) in configuration RAID 1 – RAID 5 (mirror + splitting);
— dual-net card;
— adequate size of dynamic memory (at least 1Gb of RAM – Random-Access Memory);
— latest-generation CPUs (Central Processing Unit3)) cooling system for forced circulation components (fans).
A.2.3 Scanning device for Turnstile/Cage
The gate scanner should be completely incorporated in the turnstile structure and be equipped with a scanning slot that can be inspected, be easy to maintain and clean and replaceable if it is damaged. It should be able to manage different technologies for reading the codes of entrance tickets, in particular:
— linear barcode scanner;
— bidirectional barcode scanners;
— the most common RFID TAG4) (Electronic circuit with antenna used in RFID identification) scanners on the market.
A manual Locking/Freeing device should be operational, worked by stewards using a key switch to disable or enable the gate as a result of unforeseen needs or the orders of the competent authorities in the event of safety problems.
Stewards should also free the gate manually to allow the entry of non-paying persons (e.g. children below the age of 6), with the recording and description of entry type entered in the Access Control Software.
Gate status (on, working, locked, offline, ready, etc.) should be available and visible, with warning devices such as LED displays, indicator lights and other display types, to the benefit of both stewards and users.
The turnstile should have a display visible to the gate steward to show the outcome of the access query:
— entrance granted;
— ticket type;
— entrance denied;
— reason for denial (ticket already used, on black list, for another zone, etc.);
— operating anomalies, e.g. user authorized but not passed;
— ticket holder’s data.
Internet connectivity should ensure adequate response times and standard cabling.
It should be possible to have Wi-Fi connectivity as an alternative (a solution enabling the simple management of possible portable entrance gates).
3) CPU: Central Processing Unit. The hardware that carries out the software instructions by performing arithmetic, logical and input/output operations within a computer.
4) A RFID Tag is an electronic circuit with one or more antennas that use RF waves to communicate an identifier. RFID tags can be categorized as:
— passive RFID Tags;
— Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) RFID Tags or Semi-passive RFID tags;
— Active RFID Tags;
and are designed to be compliant with different standardizations (e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 series – ISO/IEC 15693 series).
Bibliography
[1] EN 1125, Building hardware — Panic exit devices operated by a horizontal bar, for use on escape routes — Requirements and test methods
[2] EN 1838, Lighting applications — Emergency lighting
[3] EN 13200-3, Spectator facilities — Part 3: Separating elements — Requirements
[4] EN 13501–1, Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 1: Classification using test data from reaction to fire tests
[5] EN 13501–2, Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 2: Classification using data from fire resistance tests, excluding ventilation services
[6] EN 13501-3, Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 3: Classification using data from fire resistance tests on products and elements used in building service installations:
fire resisting ducts and fire dampers
[7] EN 13501-4, Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 4: Classification using data from fire resistance tests on components of smoke control systems
[8] EN 13501-5, Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 5: Classification using data from external fire exposure to roofs tests
[9] ISO/IEC 14443 (all parts), Identification cards — Contactless integrated circuit cards — Proximity cards
[10] ISO/IEC 15693 (all parts), Identification cards — Contactless integrated circuit cards — Vicinity cards