Speaker Biograghy: Avi is a world-renowned expert in the field of disaster management, and a popular lecturer, author and advisor to governments, public institutions and security-related companies. He is currently a professor at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, and the initiator and coordinator of The BEMOSA consortium, a Europe-wide research project aimed at improving security in airports. He is also a member of the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE) Workgroup for Safety and Security. As well as authoring numerous scientific journal articles and book chapters, he has served on the editorial boards of leading international journals, on executive boards of International Research Committees, international academic associations, Senior Research Fellow at the Neaman Institute for National Policy Research and past director of research to the Population Behavior Section, Israel’s Home Front Command. He is now involved in a Canadian Department of Defense-funded and an EU project.


Day 3 - 11 April
Session: Aviation Security, Border Control & Facilitation

12:30 - 12:55 - BEMOSA: Taken for a ride: does airport security really work?
Synopsis: Based on the EU-funded BEMOSA project (Behavioral Modeling of Security in Airports): Airports are engineering marvels that utilise sophisticated technology and software to ensure the safety and security of passengers. This design, however, does not take into account the social behaviour of passengers and employees. The results have been that mass processing within an airport's security framework, founded on rational and logical systems, is failing. The reason is a clash between rule compliance security and human behaviour. Rules are broken and security technology compromised. Evidence suggests cost-effective means to bring about a change in security decision making to enhance airport security. The primary answer lies in the adaptive behaviour of employees.

Day 3 - 11 April
Session: Aviation Security, Border Control & Facilitation

12:55 - 13:30 - PANEL DISCUSSION: Accounting for the human factor in aviation security
Synopsis: • The human factor is why a project should always begin with a ConOps. What are we doing? Why? What’s the threat? (RBS?) What’s driving it? Above all, what are the user requirements? • The TMI syndrome: too much information may be a bad thing. How could a single operator effectively watch or respond to 100 cameras, each one scanning 4-5-6 locations? • Does properly trained staff react differently when faced with a major or minor event? • Selection criteria: what makes a good/bad choice?