PROJECT DALLAS ZOO

BY

KIMBERLY GUIDRYTANYA RODRIGUEZ

Presentation Overview

• We will be presenting problems and solutions for two different projects at the Dallas Zoo.– Project 1: Reduce or disguise excessive internal

maintenance vehicle traffic.– Project 2: Present ideas for a more secure perimeter

gating system.

PROJECT 1: INTERNAL VEHICLE TRAFFIC

Current Internal Vehicle Traffic

• The Dallas Zoo has an enormous amount of interaction between the visitors and the zoo vehicles in Zoo North.

• During zoo hours, the internal vehicles range from golf carts and Daihatsu’s (off-road vehicles) to half-ton trucks (road vehicles).

• These vehicles frequently interrupt pedestrian traffic as the following two slides will illustrate.

Daihatsu’s frequently seen throughout the zoo

Garbage Pick-up Truck

Off-Road Vehicles

• The off-road vehicles such as golf carts and Daihatsu’s do not have a set pattern or starting point and cannot be re-routed outside the zoo.– We suggest that these vehicles should be disguised for visitors

viewing pleasure.

– Here are a couple of examples.

Road Vehicles

• We have designed an external routing system for road vehicles using the Shortest-Path Model with a distance factor versus a disturbance factor.

• The objective was to find the smallest amount of disturbance from each origin(node) to the destination.

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810

Employee Gate

(7,633)

( - , 0)

(4,438)

(7, 369)

(5,805)

(7, 422)

(6,234)

(7,424)

(5, 663)

(8, 851)

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[95%]

[95%]

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[90%]

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ROUTING DISTANCE VS. DISTURBANCE FROM EMPLOYEE GATE

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NODES

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DISTANCE 1 0.509 0.277 0.401 0.251 0.267 0.148 0.268 0.452 0.325

DISTURBANCE 1 290 295 200 200 200 100 200 290 290

DISTANCE 2 1.8 1.8 0.8 1.8 2.04 0.148 10.06 10.13 10

DISTURBANCE 2 0 0 0 95 90 100 90 90 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

PROJECT 2: PERIMETER GATES

Current Gating System

• The Dallas Zoo currently secures all gates with padlocks.

• The policy of the Dallas Zoo states that gates should be locked at all times.

• Unfortunately this policy is not upheld or enforced creating:– easy and free access into the zoo– a weak second barrier for animal containment

Gates Left Open and/or Unlocked

• After extensive visits we noticed the same gates being left unlocked.

• Of the 5 gates surrounding the outside perimeter of Zoo North, 2 of the 5 gates were frequently left open.

• Also, 4 of the 5 gates were usually left unlocked • Gates referenced:

– Employee Gate on Clarendon– Havendon– Page Street– Page Street (Construction Gate)– Marsalis

Our observations show a 40% chance of a loose animal escaping, and an 80% chance of someone entering for free.

These percentages show that Zoo North is an extremely ineffective perimeter Here are a few pictures to demonstrate.

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Percentage of Closed/ Open Perimeter Gates in Zoo North

Closed Gates Open Gates

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Percentage of Locked/ Unlocked Perimeter Gates in Zoo North

Locked Gates Unlocked Gates

This gate is frequently unlocked.

This gate is always left unlocked and open.

Researching Gating Alternatives

• We did extensive research on alternatives for making the gates stay closed, locked, and secured.

• Our research consisted of contacting several different gating and fencing companies along with an extensive Internet search.

• We would like to recommend two local companies that were quite helpful in our research effort:– Jeff Goodwin at Southwest Automated Security– Chris Brown at Fence Supply Inc.

We recommend using the existing swing gates and adding automation. Which consists of:

1. A swing gate operator 6. Inductive Loops

2. A control panel 7. An exit switch

3. An entrance switch 8. Gate stops

4. Reversing Loops 9. Warning lights

5. Photocell

Six Decisions on Selecting a Gate Operator

• What direction should the gate swing, inward or outward?

• How many degrees of swing are required? This is usually 90 degrees.

• What type of mounting geometry or placement is needed for the swing gate arm to achieve the desired effects?

• What type of internal locking is needed, “gate safe” or “gate secure”?

• What speed should the gate leaf travel? This depends on the length of the gate leaf.

• How many operations per hour, or in other words how many times will each gate open and close?

Initial Ideas

• In deciding recommendations for each gate, we initially wanted to recommend a barrier arm with a card reader for the employee entrance. This was much more expensive and hard to maintain because each card cost $4.

• We also considered solar powered gating systems, but they were not recommended for industrial use.

• Sliding gates were another option, but retrofitting an existing swing gate would be more expensive than using the original swing gate.

Recommendations

• We recommend utilizing Station 1, which is currently an office that is manned 8:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. 7 days a week for any future intercom or closed-circuit television installed.

• We have eight gates that we recommend for automation.

• Gate 1: Employee Gate on Clarendon– recommend automating the existing swinging gate– install a digital keypad with an intercom– possibly install closed-circuit television

Recommendations Cont.

• Page Street (Current Intercom)• Page Street (Construction Gate)• Havendon • Marsalis (Construction Gate)

– automate the existing swing gates– install an intercom with closed-circuit

television– possibly install digital keypad with intercom

Recommendations Cont.

• Subway Gate, internal gate between employee entrance and the zoo

• 15th Street• Gate under Marsalis by visitor entrance

– Automate the current swing gate and install loops detectors that allow automatic entry by detecting a magnetic field of an automobile.

Conclusion and Recommendations

• We recommend utilizing an external path for road vehicles to reduce disturbance.

• Off-road vehicles should be decorated to create a more enjoyable atmosphere.

• Perimeter swing gates are recommended for automation to increase security and to prevent future lost revenue.