The customer The story of Buddhism began in Lumbini, where Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. Soon after, the famous garden of Lumbini, became a place of pilgrimage. Located in the terai plains of Southern Nepal, Lumbini Park comprises of key Buddhist attractions such as Maya Devi Temple, World Peace Pagoda, Bodhi Tree, single stone Ashoka Pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka, Pond Pushkarini, stupas, monasteries, and more. Till date, this sacred place continues to hold archaeological remains associated with Lord Buddha’s birth. The challenge A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lumbini is one of the four sacred sites that Buddha reportedly advised the disciples to travel to. The park attracts millions of visitors every year from across the globe. This poses a considerable challenge to its management, of safeguarding the pilgrims and protecting the property from vandalism. Just the sheer size of this park made it tough to conduct effective surveillance of the expanse. Safety of visitors, crowd control and ensuring 24×7 protection at multiple locations at all times were some of the key challenges they faced. In the past, officials of Lumbini Park deployed 24×7 analogue video surveillance only at Maya Devi Temple. Additionally, they relied on manual security for the entire property. Using the traditional system was cumbersome for operators as they had to invest lot of time searching through videos to validate facts or pull contents. To some extent, security was also compromised by blind spots such as corners, aisles of garden, cultural and monastic zones, buffer zone, entry-exit points and much more. In light of all the said vulnerabilities, they decided to overhaul their electronic surveillance apparatus and adopt a ‘smart & future-ready unified surveillance solution’ at the park. The solution Following a detailed analysis and survey, Videonetics worked with stakeholders of Lumbini Park and NexGen IT Solutions Pvt Ltd to design a comprehensive & unified solution encompassing Intelligent VMS (IVMS), Vehicular Analytics and Vehicle Entry-Exit Monitoring (VEEM) application. Comprehensive and Smart 24×7 surveillance Solution At its core, is state-of-the-art & feature-rich Videonetics Intelligent VMS that is extremely intuitive, investigation-friendly and also has a unique multi-layered failover support, that prevents data loss in the event of network instability. Today, IVMS is managing 160+ network cameras at all vulnerable locations of this property. The system enables real-time surveillance to keep pilgrims safe, break crowd formation, keep vandalism in check, secure property and ensure swift response to any unwanted situation by ground staff, thereby bolstering efficiencies, enhancing situational awareness and allowing effective incident management, even at times of peak footfall during festivals/ events. In addition, legacy analogue cameras are also integrated into the unified solution, eventually providing centralized control of the cameras to security operators. Empowering premise security with real-time vehicle data insights “Working in close partnership with Videonetics, we were able to deliver an upgraded and contemporary surveillance solution to Lumbini Park. Videonetics unified solution has helped the customer to achieve situational awareness, keeping their pilgrims, heritage, and property safe, that was paramount to encourage more visitors at the park” Raju Pandey CEO, NexGen IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd. “Deploying intelligent, cutting-edge unified surveillance solution by Videonetics has helped us strengthen the security at Lumbini Park. It has equipped our system to keep our visitors safe and protect the heritage site. Moreover, it has also enabled us to analyse ongoing issues and find disruptive solutions to keep this sacred place secure today and tomorrow” Saroj Bhattarai Project Manager, Lumbini Development Trust Stakeholders of Lumbini Park wanted to keep a vigil on vehicles entering, parking, and leaving the premise. Hence, Vehicular Analytics were deployed at all (entry and exit) gates that automatically identify and detect vehicle, irrespective of its type and in all weather conditions. These vehicles can be searched based on timestamp, colour or vehicle category. The data helps security team to make informed decisions in managing vehicle flow and speed up responses to road incidents/offences, whenever required. Safeguarding premises with entry-exit monitoring Videonetics Vehicle Entry Exit Monitoring (VEEM) application installed at the primary entry gate, empowers security operators at Lumbini Park to monitor every vehicle entering the property in real-time. This solution accurately tracks and identifies vehicles, as well as captures facial image of the driver. Security operators can tag vehicles based on categorization such as blacklisted, suspected, staff, visitor and so on, for future reference. This deployment has further strengthened security at the park as no unauthorised vehicle can enter the premises. Due to its intuitive GUI, operators are easily monitoring vehicle movements, tagging, processing events, and viewing evidence images – all with a single application interface. The summary Such an important site for the followers of Buddhism needed to be preserved and secured for generations to come. By keeping miscreants in check and preventing any kind of vandalism or damage, the Videonetics unified solution is helping secure thousands of years of heritage and an indispensable part of history. With the Videonetics unified solution, the surveillance personnel operating the Command Control Centre can stay on top of all movements across the park. The solution has heightened situational awareness of the entire property, enabling the staff to easily collaborate with one another. Real-time monitoring allows them to spring into action quickly and prevent any risk to a person and/ or the property in time. Most importantly, it has improved tourist experience by making them feel safer under the watchful eyes and allowing themselves to spend peaceful time while exploring the park at leisure. The solution is helping deliver a secure and seamless experience to tourists. In fact, these elaborate security measures are boosting visitor confidence, encouraging more people to visit and experience Lumbini Park and walk in the footsteps of Lord Buddha.  

Genetec Inc., a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, recently announced the immediate availability of a new generation of its Synergis™ Cloud Link PoE-enabled IoT gateway for access control. Manufactured in North America to mitigate supply chain delays, Synergis Cloud Link addresses increasing demand for non-proprietary access control solutions and provides a safe and secure gateway to a cloud or hybrid deployment. When modernizing an existing security system, Synergis Cloud Link’s open architecture allows organizations to leverage their current access control infrastructure and easily upgrade to a secure IP-based solution. Synergis Cloud Link provides a more efficient approach to multi-site deployments and replaces the need for servers, reducing the cost of ownership. The Synergis Cloud Link IoT gateway has embedded functionalities that keep an organization’s access control running even when connection to the server is down. The new generation of Synergis Cloud Link provides more features, enhanced cybersecurity, and helps future-proof security installations. Synergis Cloud Link features enhanced cybersecurity such as encrypted user data, Secure Boot, and an EAL6+ industry gold standard Secure Element that stores cryptographic elements. “The need for non-proprietary access control solutions has never been greater,” said Thibault Louvet, Access Control Product Group Director, Genetec Inc., “Our new generation Synergis Cloud Link enables us to provide organizations with a powerful, secure and intelligent gateway to the latest technology while allowing them to easily connect to hybrid or cloud access control environments and keep their existing security investment including hardware, wiring, and infrastructure.” The device is compatible with non-proprietary access control modules from the industry’s most established manufacturers including HID Global, Axis Communications, ASSA ABLOY, Mercury Security, Allegion, SimonsVoss, STid, and others. A single Synergis Cloud Link device can support up to 256 readers and electronic locks, 600,000 cardholders, 150,000 offline events, as well as monitor hundreds of zones and alarms. Synergis Cloud Link features a new firmware design, improving reliability and lifecycle management and updates management. It also opens the door to containerized approach for operating software on the device, expanding its future capabilities.  

Qognify, a leading provider of video and enterprise incident management (EIM) solutions, recently announced that Prague Airport, a. s. has selected Qognify EIM (Situator) to interconnect its security systems and provide security control room personnel with a single incident management interface, as well as the ability to verify the validity of identification cards using mobile devices throughout the airport. Prague Airport, a. s. is a company that operates Václav Havel Airport Prague in the Czech Republic. The international airport is one of the fastest growing in Europe, in the 10-25 million passenger category and handles over 15 million passengers, with direct flights to more than 160 destinations worldwide. Approximately 2,400 people are employed by the airport with an estimated additional 14,000 people working for companies operating at the airport or linked to its operations. One of the core values of Prague Airport, a. s. is to ensure and continuously improve its superior level of air travel safety. The airport operates many security systems, and it wanted a platform to interconnect them, to correlate information and enable security scenarios and procedures for dealing with incidents to be set up. In doing so, it would provide the security control room staff with one effective tool, providing an overall overview, the ability to manage situations and speed up incident response. This new platform has been built with Qognify EIM – an Enterprise Incident Management solution from Qognify that has been proven at many of the world’s largest and busiest airports for more than 10 years. Using Qognify EIM, airport safety and security systems including CCTV, electronic access control, electrical fire alarm, emergency alarm system, perimeter security, oversized cargo entry control, errand system and airport mapping have been integrated. These systems that were previously running in isolation now communicate bi-directionally with Qognify EIM, giving security control room personnel a single incident management interface. Now, when an alarm is triggered from any of the interconnected security systems within Qognify EIM, alerts are clearly displayed and presented to the security control room personnel on an on-screen map. From this single interface they can take the necessary action, whether that is to clear and reset the alarm, or to dispatch available resources to the incident. Appropriate guidance is automatically presented on-screen in the form of a checklist, to ensure all the required actions and procedures for dealing with the event are adhered to in line with airport best practice and the latest regulation. Qognify EIM is not confined to the security control room, with it also being used by personnel on their mobile devices to verify the validity of identification cards of employees in the airport area, as well as for assigning tasks and sending support materials. Oliver Schmidt, Sales Manager EMEA, EIM at Qognify stated, “Qognify EIM is perfect for an international airport such as Václav Havel, that want to take a more holistic approach to handling incidents. By integrating and optimizing its many security systems, through our enterprise-class software solution, it is able to provide the airport with enhanced situational awareness.” The entire Qognify EIM solution is fully localized in the Czech language, enabling further possible future expansion and connection of new systems or technologies.  

The challenge: Securing a gated golf and residential community Residential gated communities provide significantly improved security compared to ‘open’ streets. In particular, gated communities can tightly control access for vehicles and people, helping to protect residents and visitors to a far greater degree than would otherwise be possible. But gated communities also face specific security challenges. As well as requiring physical walls or fences to prevent unauthorized people from entering, site perimeters need to be checked constantly to prevent security breaches, and to support real-time responses to prevent theft, vandalism, and other negative outcomes. These were the challenges facing Copperleaf Golf Estate, a gated residential community just 15 minutes outside Centurion in Mnandi, Gauteng, South Africa. The community offers a range of lots and houses in a peaceful setting, as well as South Africa’s second ‘Signature’ golf course designed by the legendary South African professional golfer Ernie Els. To protect residents and visitors, Copperleaf needed a perimeter protection solution to prevent unauthorized vehicles or people from entering the site. To achieve this goal, they worked with Independent Technology Security Systems (ITS Systems), an expert in integrated security and building management solutions. “To keep everyone safe, Copperleaf needs to keep a close eye on their perimeter wall, as well as other areas of the site, including the golf course. They also need to maintain vigilance even in adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain and fog, and after dark.” Theo Mienie, Managing Director from ITS Systems said, “After conducting a thorough review of the facilities, we reached the conclusion that Hikvision’s solutions are a good fit for Copperleaf.” The solution: A comprehensive AI-powered solution from Hikvision plemented a comprehensive Hikvision security solution for Copperleaf. This incorporates more than 100 AcuSense Fixed Bullet Network Cameras that constantly protect the site’s perimeter wall, the Els golf course, residential streets, and security vetting rooms and offices. Security for the 8km perimeter wall is provided by over 50 Hikvision Thermal & Optical Bi-spectrum Network Bullet Cameras with intrusion detection capabilities up to a distance of 700 meters. If the perimeter is breached by a person or vehicle, an alert is sent to the security team automatically, and in real time. Hikvision ANPR Cameras have also been installed at the site’s three entrance and exit points, providing an overhead view of vehicles coming into and leaving the estate 24 hours a day. These cameras offer license plate recognition technology to ensure that only authorized vehicles are admitted. The Copperleaf Security team checks feeds and alerts from the cameras using Hikvision’s advanced control room infrastructure. This includes the Hikvision I-Series NVR and iVMS-4200 software and monitors, which display video footage and alerts, allowing the security team to take immediate action in the event of a suspected security breach. The benefits: Efficient operation and all-around protection for peace of mind Copperleaf Gold Estate has achieved alarm efficiency and labor costs reduction with the help of the AI embedded thermal cameras and AcuSense bullet network cameras, which have the ability to greatly reduce false alarms and provide accurate, real-time threat detection that distinguishes people and vehicles from other targets. Copperleaf has also minimized expenses on physical patrols. With the bullet network cameras’ remote patrol capabilities, the security staff is able to visually check all sites using high-definition cameras based on patrol schedules, reducing requirements for physical patrols and other interventions. “We no longer spend our time carrying out physical security checks and responding to and investigating false alarms,” said Phineas Thosago, General Manager from Copperleaf Golf Estate. “Instead, we can focus 100% of our effort on real threats, which makes us far more efficient and more effective as a team and helps us maximize security for our residents and visitors.” The site is now protected 24/7/365, even in adverse weather conditions. The thermal cameras feature deep-learning video analytics in all weather and light conditions, ensuring that Copperleaf Golf Estate is protected 24×7, 365 days a year. “Copperleaf needed cameras that could withstand all kinds of adverse weather conditions,” said ITS Systems’ Theo Mienie, “The Hikvision cameras provide the reliable, always-on capabilities they need. Copperleaf Golf Estate has now achieved an extremely high level of security for residents and visitors.” Combined with the AI capabilities of Hikvision cameras – the advanced features ensure that security threats can be detected accurately and addressed immediately. “We are taking advantages of AI features that automate alerts and help us work faster and better,” said Phineas Thosago, “It just shows how quickly the security industry is evolving that these kinds of features have become accessible for small and medium sized businesses.” Copperleaf Golf Estate’ Phineas Thosago said, “We can now detect and respond in real time in the event of a security incident, which means total peace of mind for our residents and visitors to the golf course”.