Keeping the Grand Prix on track
Managing the security of large complex events is no picnic and they don’t come much larger or more complex than a Formula One Grand Prix.
The Yas Marina Circuit is located on a huge man-made island that stretches over 2,500 hectares. It includes not only a motor racing circuit, but also a marina, a theme park, hotels, golf courses, and apartments. This provides a major challenge to any security and communications system.
This was what faced the Abu Dhabi security forces as it prepared to deal with major events on Yas Island, such as the Formula One race and concerts.
To help it deal with these challenges, the Abu Dhabi Event Security Committee needed a turnkey control room solution:
- an Event Management Room that could serve all the security authorities responsible for the events organised on the island, and
- one that could be delivered to an extremely tight schedule.
The turnkey project even included:
- the interior design and furniture for the facilities – the operation room,
- Emergency Response Center (ERC),
- meeting and training rooms.
In addition, both the IT and radio communication infrastructure* were designed and integrated, plus cloud computing capacity, video integration, radio dispatch, situation awareness, training and on-site support.
The design and implementation were done in a record time of just four and a half months.
*The Abu Dhabi police is the provider of the TETRA network for the Formula One race and other event management staff on Yas Island. They also benefit from hybrid TETRA+broadband solutions, such as Tactilon Agnet.
Watch this video – In a special interview, Colonel Hamad Al Nuaimi, Head of Telecommunication at Abu Dhabi Police shares interesting things about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and its operations.
