Designing airport checked-baggage-screening strategies considering system capability and reliability

• Published in: Reliability engineering & system safety Vol. 94; no. 2; pp. 618 - 627
• Main Authors: Feng, Qianmei, Sahin, Hande, Kapur, Kailash C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Airport baggage screening; Applied sciences; Decision theory. Utility theory; Exact sciences and technology; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Reliability theory. Replacement problems; Risk analysis; Risk theory. Actuarial science; Switching probability; System capability and reliability; Threshold values; Airport baggage screening; System capability and reliability; Threshold values; Risk analysis; Switching probability; Human reliability; Probabilistic approach; Unfolding; Operating cost; Systems theory; Medical screening; System reliability; Modeling; Switching; Optimization; Decision rule; Two level system; Screening; Airport; Life cycle cost; Threshold function
• ISSN: 0951-8320; 1879-0836
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2008.06.015

Emerging image-based technologies are critical components of airport security for screening checked baggage. Since these new technologies differ widely in cost and accuracy, a comprehensive mathematical framework should be developed for selecting technology or combination of technologies for efficient 100% baggage screening. This paper addresses the problem of setting threshold values of these screening technologies and determining the optimal combination of technologies in a two-level screening system by considering system capability and human reliability. Probability and optimization techniques are used to quantify and evaluate the cost- and risk-effectiveness of various deployment configurations, which is captured by using a system life-cycle cost model that incorporates the deployment cost, operating cost, and costs associated with system decisions. Two system decision rules are studied for a two-level screening system. For each decision rule, two different optimization approaches are formulated and investigated from practitioner's perspective. Numerical examples for different decision rules, optimization approaches and system arrangements are demonstrated.