Transportation security apparatus, system, and method to analyze images to detect a threat condition

A transportation security apparatus, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• receive a result from a threat detection model that evaluates an image from a first set of images or a second set of images to determine whether a particular object is depicted in the image, the particular object being indicative of a threat condition;
• receive, from a threat assessment component selected from one or more threat assessment components in accordance with operator selection criteria, an indication that the particular object is observed or not observed in the image;
• and
• determine whether the image includes the particular object based on at least the indication from the threat assessment component or a result from the threat detection model,
• wherein the first set of images includes images from image capturing equipment deployed at respective screening nodes located at one or more airports, and
• wherein the second set of images include images from a covert node, which generates the second set of images under controlled conditions at a non-airport facility, the second set of images includes at least one of a threat-positive test image depicting objects indicative of threat conditions or a threat-negative test image void of objects indicative of threat conditions.

A transportation security system, comprising:

• a set of screening node devices located at one or more airports, each having image capturing equipment deployed thereat by which image data are generated, the image data comprising individual images of objects passing through the image capturing equipment, wherein presence of a particular object at any of the set of screening node devices manifests a threat condition at that screening node device;
• a set of image interpretation node devices, each having a threat assessment component deployed thereat at which is determined whether the particular object is depicted in the image data generated at each of the screening node devices;
• a covert node device that generates at least one of a threat-positive test image that depicts an object indicative of a threat condition or a threat-negative test image, the covert node device located at a non-airport facility under controlled conditions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• receive a first set of images from the set of screening nodes;
• receive a second set of images from the covert node device;
• receive a result from a threat detection model that evaluates an image from the first set or the second set to determine whether a particular object is depicted in the image, the particular object being indicative of a threat condition;
• receive, from a threat assessment component selected from one or more threat assessment components in accordance with operator selection criteria, an indication that the particular object is observed or not observed in the image;
• determine whether the image includes the particular object based on at least the indication from the threat assessment component or a result from the threat detection model.