Day: June 29, 2022

Egypt has made great efforts in terms of infrastructure expansion in recent years. Several new tunnels under the Suez Canal connect the Sinai Peninsula with the African mainland. A number of fire detection systems from Securiton provide reliable, effective protection in the new Ahmed-Hamdi Road Tunnel II and associated infrastructure. September 2021 saw Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurate the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel II, a road tunnel running under the Suez Canal. The Ahmed-Hamdi Tunnel II represents yet another link between Africa and Asia: the 4.25km long two-lane tunnel, which runs parallel to the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel I, which has been in existence since the 1980s, connects the Sinai Peninsula with the city of Suez. This latest canal underpass is the sixth link between the eastern and western Suez Canal region, five of which have only been completed in the last two years. Before that, the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel I was the only way of getting from one side of the canal to the other underground without taking a ferry – ferries have linked the Sinai and the African mainland since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. In addition, a high road bridge over the canal was inaugurated in 2001. Top-class fire protection The Ahmed-Hamdi Tunnel II was commissioned by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, which underlines the importance of the construction project. The road tunnel, service tunnel and associated service buildings are protected by high-quality fire protection supplied by Securiton. Ten-plus kilometres of SecuriHeat LIST sensor cable provide highly sensitive tunnel fire detection. The Egyptian authorities place their trust in the tried-and-tested linetype heat detection system for tunnels and industrial facilities. Deployed around the world, it was developed by Listec GmbH, which is part of the Swiss Securitas Group. The installation was implemented in partnership with local Securiton partner Deutschland Technology. In addition to tunnel fire detection, Securiton has equipped facilities around the Ahmed-Hamdi Tunnel II with other equally effective fire detection solutions – the service buildings, pump facilities, firefighting systems and emergency shafts located east and west of the Suez Canal are monitored by a range of Securiton fire protection systems, including 12 redundant, modular SecuriFire 3000 fire detection systems, 230 SecuriStar MCD 573X combined smoke and heat detectors and four SecuriSmoke ASD 535 aspirating smoke detectors.  

Founded in 2002, Portugalenses Transportes, Lda became one of the leading transport companies in Europe. A fleet of over a hundred trucks operates all over Portugal and makes daily deliveries to Italy, the South of France, and Spain. The company aims at rapid growth, like expanding its fleet to 150 vehicles by the end of 2022, so the management focused on cost efficiency by addressing security issues. Challenge Protect vehicles against fuel theft and monitor the refuelling process The transportation market is highly competitive. The control of costs and resources is essential not to weigh down the financial results of a logistics company. Due to increased fuel thefts, Portugalenses Transportes contracted with professionals to find a security solution to improve control and cost efficiency. The Oliveira&Canha installation company has developed a pioneering customised solution based on an Ajax security system. Protect millions of litres of fuel One truck’s fuel tank is 1,400 litres on average. With 100 vehicles, and fuel price fluctuating around 2 euro, regular fuel thefts (up to 10 per month) cost Portugalenses Transportes up to 150,000 euro per year. Protecting fuel tanks in rest, parking areas, and gas stations and monitoring the refuelling process could save this money. Solution A customised fuel tank cap with in-built magnetic opening detector To find a solution, Portugalenses Transportes contracted with the Oliveira&Canha, a security services and installation company. The installer developed and patented a fuel tank cap customised to prevent losses. Featuring a built-in magnetic opening detector – Ajax DoorProtect – this cap can activate Ajax StreetSiren and instantly notify the driver and the company control centre about opening the tank. The new device has successfully passed all the quality tests, considering several issues such as preventing fuel losses or the electronic circuit isolation. “Oliveira&Canha, Lda has developed a solution adapted to our needs and implemented it with the greatest efficiency and professionalism, becoming a reliable and essential partner in our company day-to-day” Luís Sousa Fleet Manager, Portugalenses Transportes, Lda How it works Every protected truck has an Ajax Hub 2 (2G) control panel connected to the vehicle battery via Ajax 12V PSU. The hub uses 2G networks to communicate with the company control centre.. In case of alarm, the control panel activates the siren, sends notifications to the Ajax app on the driver’s smartphone and the Ajax PRO Desktop monitoring app at Portugalenses Transportes control centre. To open the fuel tank at a gas station, the driver needs to disarm the system with the Ajax SpaceControl keyfob or via the app, and arm it back when refuelling is done. Thus, every refuelling process is logged. Notifications on the hub security state are transmitted instantly in real time. With a vehicle ID assigned to every hub, operators can collect data for analytics. The vehicle security system includes the Ajax StreetSiren outdoor sounder. Experience shows that a loud Ajax StreetSiren alert works perfectly to deter thieves in rest and parking areas. Why Ajax Wireless devices with reliable communication. Free mobile and desktop apps. Instant notifications and event log. Quality technical support. Client-oriented development. Actual outcomes Portugalenses Transportes has installed Ajax security systems in 60 trucks and now incorporates this solution in its growing fleet. So far, the company has observed such outcomes: Increased security. Cost savings. More control and efficiency. “Ajax has been our choice for its reliability, price/quality ratio and ease of use. Since the beginning of our relationship with Ajax, we have seen continuous product development with constant improvements and updates, increasing our confidence in the Ajax brand. Thanks to its versatility, it has allowed us to develop solutions for our clients” Miguel Oliveira CEO, Oliveira&Canha, Lda An Ajax security system protects vehicles and drivers against theft and danger. Instant notifications, a loud siren, a panic button on the keyfob, and mobile and desktop apps work perfectly to deliver comprehensive security. Monitoring and security reduced 90% of fuel thefts, saving money enough to buy one brand new truck per year. The implemented solution helps the company to carry out analytics, which provides management with the ground to make relevant decisions for the business.  

The city of Neuilly-Sur-Seine is home to Avenue Charles-de-Gaulle (RN13), an urban expressway which is frequented by c.130,000 vehicles per day – from small cars to large buses and trucks. The avenue serves as a connection from Paris to the business district of La Defense and is one of the busiest motorways in France. To get this avenue keep on thriving, the municipality started in 2019 a major modernization project called ‘Les Allées de Neuilly.’ CHALLENGE: Traffic management for a busy urban expressway Neuilly-Sur-Seine began a project in 2019 with the view of turning this urban expressway into an accessible, calm and welcoming boulevard lined with trees and walkways and pavilions to encourage soft mobility and local business development. Since the city is home to the headquarters of many businesses, the civil works of the project must be achieved without compromising on the road’s capacity for traffic flow in and through the city. Expected to finish in 2024, the project will result in a nice boulevard that guarantees transit capacity between Paris and La Defense for all types of mobility – vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. The project requires rearranging the 10 hectares that Avenue Charles-de-Gaulle occupies. Reconstructing such an infrastructure is no easy feat, and getting it right is key to the everyday functioning of the city in the future. It is also important that whilst the project is underway, the routes and traffic aren’t entirely disrupted. To adequately plan for traffic diversions and the potential impact this could have on daily commuters, the potential adverse effects to motorists and their safety need to be measured, and for this you need reliable traffic data. This is where Wintics came in. Wintics is a Hikvision Technology Partner that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to turn video stream into insightful data with the vision “to make mobility a safer, more reliable and more sustainable experience.” SOLUTION Hikvision’s thermal cameras integrated with traffic analysis software Wintics Cityvision software installed at Neuilly analyses video stream from 5 Hikvision thermal cameras. Cityvision uses AI to measure, analyze and visualize traffic data from the boulevard to assist in measuring the state and type of traffic as well as how and when people use the 10 traffic lanes. Once the project is complete, the installation will also assist the city in monitoring traffic to measure its positive impact and changes in travel methods. To ensure the maximum reliability of its software, Wintics needs correct cameras to connect to Cityvision. This is where Hikvision cameras contributed to the solution. In May 2020, Wintics chose Hikvision thermal cameras (DS2TD2136) to integrate with its own software to film the traffic lanes, which then feeds into the Wintics system, which can differentiate between cars, motorbikes, buses, and other vehicles, producing real-time data with more than 90% accuracy. Wintics used Hikvision cameras for several reasons. Firstly, Hikvision had the perfect balance between competitiveness and quality on the market as Hikvision offers reliable and consistent products. In fact, Wintics usually defers to Hikvision cameras for its installations. Secondly, the company opted for thermal rather than optical cameras for this case because thermal cameras solve an inevitable problem for optical cameras capturing traffic images – glare! Optical cameras may capture the glare from oncoming headlights, and strong sunshine, resulting in an obscured image, which in turn can obscure the data and analysis. Thermal cameras on the other hand don’t capture light at all, only heat – ruling out the possibility of glare obstructing the camera’s function. Thermal cameras also have an edge for potential GDPR issues. Since only the vehicle is recorded, the faces of drivers and their license plates are indecipherable. Where privacy is concerned, erring on the side of caution is made easier by using thermal cameras. Another plus to using thermal cameras is that they generally require less bandwidth to operate than optical cameras, making them an ideal solution if bandwidth is a potential constraint to effective operation. RESULT: Accurate vehicle counting and classification Quentin Barenne, co-founder of Wintics said, “We’ve audited the whole system, and it resulted in over 90% accuracy – not only for counting the vehicles, but also in classifying them into different categories. By integrating Hikvision’s thermal cameras with our own AI application, I can now confidently discuss next steps for improving the safety of the road.” This installation is just one example of how Hikvision products can be easily and effectively integrated for various needs, creating intelligent, flexible solutions for many challenges – getting the most out of technology.