The Detrimental Impact of Vandalism in the Public Space
Displays in the public space and urban areas have to withstand harsh conditions. On top, they are often subject to vandal abuse. Apart from damaged private property, vandalism has an impact on the appearance of the public space and thus reduces the perception of personal safety and security. But it also interferes directly with the performance and usability of the technology. This has a costly impact: It is inhibiting correct information display and defeats the purpose of the display in the first place.
In order to go against vandal abuse, there are several options which are a successful investment long-term. Occuring issues are image protection, prevention of scratching, smashing and littering as well as the inhibition of liquid ingress. By placing a specially designed protection around the display, vandal abuse is minimized. GDS’ solution: the G+4Vandal™. It does not only prevent these problems, but it also allows an increased display performance while being a sustainable solution.
GDS’ Solution against Vandalism: G+Vandal™ and G+Bond™
The G+4Vandal™ is like a protecting shell around the screen. Such solutions generally consist of a thick glass layer on top of the display which often compromises the readability. To provide a relentless solution, GDS researched and developed a shell which in combination with the G+Bond™ technology provides the perfect protection for the display – without jeopardizing the optical enhancement but maintaining the full view angle and preserve the readability.
The shell consists of a high pressure aluminum die-casting. There are no screws or fixtures openly visible to invite vandals, instead safety brackets are in use. A pole installation connects the display. The front glass is 5mm thick and has a IK10 impact protection level. Neither scratches nor abrasions will affect the readability or damage the underlying display. Against water ingress the display has an excellent protection level of IP67 equivalent to NEMA 6. Ultimately, the protection shell actually increases the thermal conductivity and benefits of the optical and thermal bonding mechanism of the G+bond™.
G+Bond™ further increases the protection against vandalism
G+Bond™ is a tecnology that GDS has been developing since the early 2000’s and that nowadays is vastly applied in the display industry. With this technolgy the air gap between the screen and the front protection glass is eliminated. This generates several benefits:
- The reflections from the front glass are minimized
- The greenhouse effect is eliminated since no condensation occurs
- Without condensation, the hardware cannot be damaged internally
- Condensation and dust do not impact readability anymore
- The enhanced contrast ratio improves the total image readability and appeal
- The perceived readability increases by 20%-50%
- The heat dissipation is enhanced
In consequence, the user directly benefits from the increased readability of the display and impeded vandal abuse. Also the lifetime of the internal components is extended, since no external factors (including weather conditions) can damage the technology. Thus, they are able to maintain their original condition and preserve their durability in the long term.
The benefits of the vandalism protection
Vandalism frequently occurs in the public space and creates a significant impact on the personal perceived security – not to talk about the expensive damage on hardware and the resulting limited use. The specially designed and developed G+4Vandal™ together with G+bond™ provide an enhanced contrast ratio and full view angle improving the readability. Condensation cannot emerge and impact the technology or create greenhouse gases.
The GDS displays are designed taking into consideration the significant impact of vandalism in the public enviroment. Specific technologies are applied in order to protect the panels and preserve their function of delivering messages to the passengers.
Is vandalism a concern also for you?
Have you already experimented field display failures due to vandalism?
Read more about the G+Bond technology by downloading our PR or contact us to get more information on how GDS tackle the vandalism issue.
