When moving to a new headquarters four times larger, the School of Information and Communication of the University of the Republic of Uruguay in Montevideo needed to implement a video monitoring system that provides high performance and reliability. The University is a structure of 8,500 square meters and four floors that now house nearly 4,000 students, 200 teachers and 80 administrative and logistics staff on a daily basis. As Yonathan Benelli, IT Manager at Udelar states, “The new headquarters greatly increased the vulnerability points for security. Without a video system like the one now implemented, it would be unfeasible to maintain an acceptable level of security.” Benelli adds that despite the need for a professional video surveillance system for the educational institution, it was unthinkable to carry out a traditional CCTV installation with coaxial cabling, due to its high cost. Therefore, the installation of a Milestone IP video management system within the existing IT network infrastructure versus performing a coaxial interconnection resulted in a very significant cost reduction. The savings were not only in technology acquisition, but also in hardware and human resources. “We estimate that without this system, we would have needed at least four added employees dedicated to surveillance. Also, we took advantage of existing hardware,” said Benelli. A custom-made solution Foxsys, the company managing the technology integration for this project, proposed the implementation of the XProtect Professional solution from Milestone Systems. It is an open interface application designed for IP network video management software with easy, intuitive and powerful functions. The XProtect Smart Client interface has advanced search tools that combine with an easy-to-navigate video timeline, allowing users to quickly and accurately examine events. It also offers sophisticated export options, including the Storyboard feature, which helps consolidate relevant video evidence to gain a complete view of incidents. According to Juan Martín González, Commercial Director of the Foxsys Integrating Firm, “The XProtect Professional software was selected because of the system’s alarm notifications which were important in this application.” He said the solution was complemented by two virtual machines that operate on an HP server and are managed by the software Promox, which proved highly reliable. Digital Watchdog and Hikvision cameras were used. “In particular, the DW cameras allowed us to have a 180-degree panorama of some specific areas and the HK cameras were extremely useful because Milestone recognizes the video analytics’ algorithms of crossing a perimeter line that run in the camera. A data network was implemented on Cat 6 UTP and HPE PoE 1920 switches. In terms of storage, we used the NAS QNAP brand with eight bays of 4TB each, implementing a RAID 5 for more protection and data writing speed. We were surprised how well Milestone worked on a Proxmox virtual machine,” says Gonzalez. Advantages and high satisfaction “ The implementation was a success in every sense, not only from the point of view of the service provided by the system, but also by the guidance, suggestions and labor that the company provided beyond the installation and configuration, in which all the required and additional goals were met,” concluded Benelli.

A move away from legacy analogue CCTV technology to IP video solutions will enable critical transport networks to effectively deter, detect and delay threats to ensure passenger safety. More than 85% of transport networks across Western Europe are planning to install IP cameras in the near future. That’s according to a recent survey commissioned by Axis Communications, the leading provider of network video and audio technology, in partnership with the global public transport organisation The Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP). Globally, the transport industry has led the way in using network video for both security and commercial applications. IP video surveillance is also increasingly playing a crucial role in the smooth and efficient running of significant parts of the UK’s rail network, highlighted by the successful deployment of network camera technology at Canary Wharf Station. This helped the station facilitate 24-hour rail operations and improve passenger safety. The shift to IP video surveillance is helping operators utilise real-time analytics to enhance decision making, ranging from common platform changes to the more infrequent critical scenarios such as a station clearance in response to a security threat or other emergency. For example, machine learning technology is helping turn vast transport surveillance infrastructures into live monitoring systems. This software identifies what is ‘normal’ activity within a scene, automatically creating an alert if ‘abnormal’ activity is recognized. However, despite this migration trend, the UK has struggled to keep pace with developments in such technologies. Although 97.3% of survey respondents said they had some degree of video surveillance installed, 66% cited either other priorities, funding difficulties, or no clear business case as the main barriers for not investing in more innovative IP technology. Interestingly, approximately 75% of those who responded no clear business case relied on outdated analogue technology to meet their surveillance needs. Lucas Young, Business Development Manager, Transportation, Axis Communications states, “These results are incredibly important. The perceived lack of a business case highlights that many transport operators are unaware of the security and efficiency benefits realtime video surveillance can offer. To respond to security events as and when they happen; a proactive rather than reactive approach is required. That just isn’t possible with legacy CCTV equipment. “When analysing security footage in real-time with advanced IP technology, operators are faced with hundreds of live feeds. This may seem daunting, but automated alerts can assist in managing the increased amount of data real-time video creates, helping to identify potential threats as they happen, preventing them from becoming security incidents. This is also freeing up staff time, so they can concentrate on improving the passenger experience.” Lucas Young continues, “While the benefits of connecting once offline technologies to a network creates an array of benefits for transport networks, it is also important to note that all devices connected to the internet are potentially vulnerable to cyber-attack. Cybersecurity is a huge issue for the transport industry and could prove a costly oversight if technology is not implemented correctly. We aim to protect our transport networks not only from physical threats, but also online ones.”  

Challenge With over 166 years’ experience of seaports, ships and ferries, City Lines offer comfortable and safe sea transportation services to tourists and those who live and work in Istanbul. Over 150,000 passengers use City Lines services every day. Having decided to offer a new ferry service between Istinye and Cubuklu, which are both part of the Istanbul conurbation but on different sides of the Bosphorus, City Lines asked security systems integrator InfoMET Technologies, to recommend video surveillance cameras which could help keep passengers and the ferries safe and secure. The cameras would be required to cope with sea conditions as well as capture high resolution images day or night. Solution 250 Wisenet cameras have been installed throughout 20 City Lines ships. In addition to keeping a close eye on passengers, the cameras are also used to monitor the movement of 2,000 vehicles which are transported daily and are a valuable navigational tool for captains, as they enable them to view blind spots which cannot be seen from the bridge. The majority of the 250 cameras installed are Wisenet QNO-7080Rs which are part of the Wisenet Q series. These 4 Megapixel bullet cameras have built-in IR illumination and are packed with innovative features such as H.265 compression and WiseStream, a complementary compression technology which dynamically controls encoding, balancing quality and compression, according to movement in the image. When WiseStream is combined with H.265 compression, bandwidth efficiency is improved by up to 75% compared to current H.264 technology. This ensures the Wisenet Q series is one of the most bandwidth friendly camera ranges available. The QNO-7080R also features Hallway View, True Wide Dynamic Range, Tamper Detection, Defocus Detection, and Lens Distortion Correction, to deliver optimized images in every situation. Hallway View provides a highly effective way to monitor narrow vertical areas such as corridors, tunnels and aisles. It enables cameras which can generate images in the 9:16 x 3:4 aspect ratio, to work effectively in tall and narrow spaces. Result “ One of the biggest factors in choosing Wisenet cameras is they do not have any problems in the environments we operate,” said Cuneyt Danaci, IT Specialist for City Lines, “Equally important, whilst we did not want to compromise on quality, we needed cameras which had a high price/ performance ratio. Wisenet came ahead of many other camera brands in respect of price, performance and technology and it is one of the reasons why we are thinking of working with Hanwha Techwin on other new projects in the future.” Partnership in trust is our success key “ We had worked with Hanwha Techwin on other projects and we were confident they would be able to provide cameras which would be able to deal with the demanding conditions such as salty water vapor and a high level of vibration,” said Oguzhan Kahraman, Project Engineer, InfoMET Technologies, “The pre-sales team for Hanwha Techwin in Turkey were extremely helpful and were able to recommend the best Wisenet camera models for each required camera location.”

Chubb is helping to protect employees, visitors and property through a significant new contract with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to install, upgrade, maintain and monitor fire alarm systems throughout the Service’s entire estate. Chubb, a leading provider of security and fire-safety solutions, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. Michael Johnson, Environment, Energy and Engineering Officer, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, says that Chubb was chosen over four other suppliers because it scored highest against benchmarked requirements: “The presentation was highly informative and professional, which has proven to be the hallmark of the service we receive from Chubb,” said Michael. The contract includes 28 fire stations, two community safety centres, Cheshire Fire and Rescue’s Sadler Road site and the new innovative safety centre based in Lymm. Each site is a different size and specification, requiring detailed individual assessments. Some stations required new custom systems to be designed; in other buildings, existing systems were upgraded. A combination of addressable fire alarm systems and conventional alarms were used, depending on the individual site’s requirements. “The fact that Chubb is a national brand with a local office was another important factor in our supplier decision. The service we have received has been second to none. Communication has been excellent with regular updates, and challenges were met with a common sense approach. I felt my requirements were always championed by our Chubb account manager. We have found that the customer is at the forefront of the Chubb approach,” said Johnson. The primary goal of the new contract is to ensure all sites meet BS5839 L2 fire alarm safety standards. These standards are designed to provide automatic fire detection on all escape routes within a building and rooms leading onto those escape routes. For Cheshire, it was also important that the supplier have the expertise and capacity to complete installations and upgrades on a very tight deadline. “The Service has been extremely impressed with the speed in which the contract has been mobilised. Even though we needed to add another fire station, all works were completed safely,” said Johnson. All alarms are monitored by Chubb’s alarm receiving centre, which notifies keyholders and relevant emergency services if a fire is detected and alarm raised. The contact also includes maintenance and servicing requirements.

Solar Power Station at Bragin was built in August 2016 and is currently the biggest solar power facility in Belarus. Its power capacity amounts to 18.48 MW with an area equal to 60 football fields. The project is implemented not far from Chernobyl and serves as an example of alternative development of the territories affected by the nuclear disaster. Solar Power Station at Bragin has won the nomination ‘Technologies and projects based on renewable energy sources’ and also the 1st place at the Republican contest ‘Leader of Energy Efficiency 2016.’ Uniview provided video surveillance solution for the Solar Power Station. Solution highlights Anti-static: Usually, a power station generates a lot of static which would influence devices’ working. UNV IP cameras are all certified by CE and tested through ESD (Electronic Static Discharge). All of cameras are able to bear 4KV contact discharge and 8KV air discharge which are in the highest level of the industry. The project used NVR516 which features 32/ 64ch strong decoding ability and redundant design, and RAID for the highest level data safety. Perimeter protection: UNV IP cameras are mainly used along the fence. Occupying such a huge area, it would be difficult for security staff to discover if someone breaks into the area. With intrusion detection, UNV IP camera would send and alarm within seconds and help security staff react quickly.