Category: Case Study
IndigoVision Secures Expo Centre Sharjah
Established in 1977 by Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Expo Centre Sharjah was the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates. After its recent expansion, the Expo Centre Sharjah is at the forefront of exhibitions and conventions in the region; most notably the 2017 Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) that attracted 2.38 million visitors over 11 days. The previous security system installed on the site had multiple issues including camera blind spots and skipping frames on recorded footage, which led to many important incidents being missed or not recorded properly. With high value exhibitions and conventions regularly taking place exhibitors were at a loss so the Expo Centre Sharjah needed a new security solution to be implemented to rectify the issues. Solution With stability and visibility concerns highlighted with the existing system, an end-to-end solution from IndigoVision was provided by authorised partner Reyami Technologies to thoroughly address the concerns cited. A total of 137 IndigoVision cameras were installed on the site including BX400 HD minidome cameras, BX500 HD PTZ cameras and BX600 HD bullet/ fixed cameras to replace the existing SD quality cameras and to cover blind spots across the facility. The new cameras provided HD video image quality, improved frame-rate (up to 30fps) and less storage requirements due to IndigoVision’s optimised H.264 video codec. Expo Centre Sharjah operators praise the power and speed of investigating incidents now with IndigoVision’s Control Center, security management software, and Enterprise NVR-AS 4000s. Utilising functionality within Control Center such as pursuit mode, map-based monitoring, real time alarm tracking and thumbnails; operators can identify incidents in a fraction of the time with bulletproof evidence as a result of Digital Watermarking’s dual-stage encryption protection. Two control rooms are located on site with the main control room used for monitoring all cameras, and the secondary control room used for monitoring selected cameras during the exhibitions and conventions. IndigoVision’s Mobile Center is also utilised by operators to view important cameras on portable devices when they are on the move, giving Expo Centre Sharjah a truly end-to-end solution. With stability and visibility concerns addressed, Expo Centre Sharjah was able to receive their investment back in one year and provide a safer and securer facility for their exhibitors and attendees. “TPursuit mode and thumbnails have helped us identify incidents that would have cost us a million AED if we didn’t have this solution installed. Within a year of installing an IndigoVision solution, we got our investment back ” – Faisal Pothu Kandiyil IT Manager, Expo Centre Sharjah
DSC iotega Integrates with Apple HomeKit
Johnson Controls announces that the DSC iotega wireless security and automation solution is adding support for Apple HomeKit, enabling consumers to manage not only their security system but also other home automation abilities using Apple’s Home app or Siri on their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The recently launched iotega system, from DSC, is an intuitive, completely wireless and fully secure system, using encrypted, long-range wireless PowerG sensors, which provides homeowners and small businesses the ultimate in reliable security and home control. From a single app, consumers can seamlessly easily arm and disarm their iotega system as well as perform other home control functions with iotega – turning on HomeKit enabled lights, unlocking doors, setting the thermostat, raising and lowering window shades and more. With support for Z-wave control features as well as Wi-Fi for cameras and touchscreens, iotega offers consumers freedom of choice with a myriad of home control devices. Johnson Controls continues to integrate with existing and new interactive partners to further enable iotega’s home automation capabilities.
Princeton Identity Biometric Security and Faster Lines For Dubai International Airport
Princeton Identity Inc. has recently deployed its Access500e™ identity management kiosk module within the Dubai International Airport (DXB). The Princeton Identity solution identifies DXB travelers within one to two seconds, reducing time spent in security lines and enhancing the overall travel experience. The Emirates Airlines terminals are the largest terminals within one of the world’s busiest passenger airports. Dubai saw nearly 14.9 million international visitors in 2016, and is expected to surpass 20 million visitors by 2020. There are currently about 100 Access500e products in operation across DXB’s Emirates Airlines terminals, with plans to deploy about 40 more in the near future in order to support the influx of new international tourists. “Princeton Identity and the Dubai International Airport share a goal of simplifying and speeding access to keep people and business moving, and the Access500e deployment at the DXB marks a new standard in passenger security,” said Mark Clifton, Chief Executive Officer at Princeton Identity, “Iris recognition is most reliable form of biometric identification, and the Access500e turns what used to be a slow process for travelers into a convenient, quick and more secure experience.” Access500e is a fast, high quality face and iris biometric capture device designed for integration into a variety of application solutions. At DBX, it is integrated into a new Smart Gate, commonly referred to as the ‘Eyen’ gate system, which captures biometric signatures – eliminating the need for visitors to check in with a customs agent, and saving time for passengers as well as airport staff. This helps ensure verification of all travelers entering and leaving the country, seamlessly and efficiently. Princeton Identity partnered with the tech company Emaratech in fostering the implementation of Access500e into the terminals at DBX. “DXB has always set a high bar in terms of innovative and future-forward experiences and we applaud the leadership team’s decision to tap the power of iris recognition to further enhance both traveler satisfaction and security,” added Clifton. A newly opened Princeton Identity International office in Dubai is dedicated to ensuring the continued success and expanded implementation at DXB. The office will also serve as the hub for Princeton Identity’s Middle Eastern and African regional offices, supporting territories ranging from Northern Africa to Eastern Europe and Jordan. Princeton Identity will use this new hub to further its work with organizations in the enterprise, healthcare, financial and government sectors in the Greater Middle Eastern region.
East Texas Healthcare Facilities Deploy Avigilon Solutions
Avigilon Corporation has been selected by East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System (ETMC), in USA, to secure its healthcare facilities throughout the region. To enhance patient and staff safety at its 9 hospitals and 39 rural health clinics, ETMC installed a complete Avigilon surveillance solution that incorporates more than 500 Avigilon cameras including Avigilon HD Pro, HD dome, and H4 SL dome cameras, as well Avigilon Control Center (ACC) video management software running on Avigilon network video recorders. With approximately 300,000 patients visiting its facilities each year, clear surveillance footage is paramount to ETMC’s security needs. Avigilon 7K (30 MP) HD Pro cameras were selected for their ability to cover wide areas such as parking lots, while also providing exceptional image detail allowing security staff to zoom in and quickly identify and respond to potential security events. ETMC also chose Avigilon cameras with self-learning video analytics for their accurate detection of people and vehicles in critical areas. Combined with ACC’s advanced search capabilities, these cameras enable ETMC’s security operators to effectively monitor and accurately verify surveillance footage, saving time and effort during critical investigations. “Our top priority is to ensuring the safety of our patients, staff and visitors,” said Kenneth Webb, Director of Secuirty for ETMC, “We chose Avigilon because it offers us an easy-to-install, user-friendly and scalable solution that allows our operators to conduct fast video searches and accurate investigations. This saves us valuable time during investigations and has helped to reduce false liability claims.” “Healthcare institutions like ETMC face unique challenges in protecting their patients, staff and property – especially across multiple locations,” said James Henderson, Avigilon President and Chief Operating Officer, “The success of our project with ETMC demonstrates how Avigilon’s expanding portfolio of security solutions continue to help address the diverse needs of our customers, enabling ETMC to benefit from high performance products while also lowering their total cost of ownership.”
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools Uses 3xLOGIC Hybrid NVRs
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (NC) have recently standardized on 3xLOGIC hybrid NVRs across their expansive school district. 3xLOGIC, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated, intelligent security solutions, and a three-time Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ winner. “This school district has always been ahead of the times, they’ve had video surveillance and access control in place for 15 years,” explained Chuck Harrelson, President, Sonitrol of the Triangle, the integrator and consultant for the district, “School Resource Officers (SRO)consistently rely on the video feeds and controlled access to help them effectively execute their duties.” The district has 23 education and administration buildings, all equipped with a mix of analog and IP cameras. At upwards of 90 to 100 cameras at some locations, Chapel Hill-Carrboro has video from several hundreds of cameras system wide. “The 3xLOGIC hybrid NVRs are great, upon installation we didn’t have to take out any legacy analog cameras. Now, when an analog camera fails, we install a 3xLOGIC IP camera. That is so much better than asking the district to write a huge check when we upgraded the system,” said Harrelson. About a year ago, Sonitrol of the Triangle convinced the district to start using 3xLOGIC’s VIGIL Central Management (VCM). “Health monitoring (VCM) has been a big help, so many times the SRO or administration person wouldn’t notice that a camera or NVR was down, or they would know but neglect to tell us. Then, there would be an incident, and invariably we would not know equipment had been malfunctioning. Now, we often roll a truck and fix the problem before they know they have a problem. This takes the responsibility off the schools and shows us to be pro-active problem solvers,” said Harrelson. After network health monitoring, Harrelson and his team worked to get the district to move toward installing Video Verification capabilities. “We donated 3xLOGIC Multi-Sensor devices to each school and integrated them with state-mandated panic buttons that are monitored by our Sonitrol central station.” “Our goal with the donation of the multi-sensor devices was to provide live video verification in the event a panic button is pushed. Such verification can be invaluable information to responding authorities. Also, we’re going to be adding more multi-sensors to solve the issues of false alarms caused by the challenges of a large facility with so many people coming and going. For example, when a coach comes back with the team late at night and forgets to properly disarm the system, the multi-sensor provides live video to our monitoring center to let them know what is causing the alarm. By partnering in this way, we’re trying to put the district in the very best position to succeed with their security program and technology.”
ULIS’ Thermal Activity Sensor for Smart Buildings Projects
ULIS Thermal Activity Sensor (TAS) for detecting true presence and people counting has been selected by Irlynx for integration in its advanced smart building device, People Sense™. Irlynx will field test ULIS’ thermal sensor in several pilot studies it is undertaking with GE Digital, NEXITY and SNCF, among other smart occupancy and people counting projects linked to optimizing open space areas and reducing building footprint. The global market for IR sensors in smart homes and buildings is expected to grow from $694 million in 2016 to $1068 million in 2022. Both ULIS and Irlynx manufacture thermal vision products to meet emerging needs in workspace management, energy management, security and safety. ULIS is the only manufacturer to produce, in mass volume, advanced occupancy sensors that give system integrators the flexibility to modify key parameters within the thermal sensor to match system requirements. “ULIS is pleased to enable deployment and testing of a people counting solution using its newly designed Thermal Activity Sensor,” said Hien Pham Gia, Sales and Marketing Director at ULIS, “Irlynx has provided ULIS with additional opportunities to obtain valuable end-user feedback based on real-life experiences. This will allow us to confirm the key benefits of our sensor, as well as further strengthen its value proposition for facility managers.” Irlynx developed the electronics as well as the algorithm for the TAS to perform thermal video data analysis and to activate the people counting function. Irlynx’s task was made easier since in using ULIS’ sensors the algorithm could access raw data directly from the sensor. This eliminated the need for Irlynx to carry out complex calibrations. “Irlynx was looking for a partner with great technology and a good understanding of our markets, where cost is key. ULIS demonstrated that it could adapt to its offer and address this challenge. Its technology allows us to deliver an unmatched value proposition to the smart building market, with a greater performance/ price ratio than any existing people counting solution,” said Guillaume Crozet, VP Sales and Marketing at Irlynx, “We also deliver advanced human activity data such as people’s position and trajectories, and desk occupancy, increasingly of great interest among our customers.” Advantages of ULIS’ space occupancy sensor One key advantage a thermal sensor offers facility managers is that it comes without facial recognition, an important feature to preserve the anonymity and privacy of subjects, for example, when monitoring a building. Furthermore, compared to other thermal technologies, ULIS’ TAS offers a wider field of view up to 120°, meaning that fewer devices are required to cover large surface areas. Customers have several options available for tuning ULIS’ TAS for specific application requirements. One option is to work directly on raw video data (true 14 bits parallel bus), which is easily interoperable with standard microcontrollers and low-cost FPGA. System integrators can also optimize the sensor’s power consumption and use it with a standard battery lasting three or more years.
Twin City Hardware Shifts to Vanderbilt ACT365
Twin City Hardware (TCH) has more than 130 years of experience providing opening and access solutions for commercial, architectural and residential construction projects throughout the United States. Over the past half-century, TCH has continued along a robust growth path, and is now one of the premier commercial technology and service suppliers in the country. TCH, a Vanderbilt integrator partner, works closely with end user organizations on security enhancement projects. It focuses on providing access control solutions for a variety of customers – from small businesses with a handful of doors/ readers, to enterprise organizations, including higher education and healthcare campuses. The challenge The company’s New Hope, Minn., location has a large inventory and many staff who work varying shifts throughout the day. The facility was originally secured with mechanical hardware and keys, which are less secure than newer door solutions, especially in the instance that a key is lost or access to the facility needs to be restricted. “Key control is always the hardest part of access control,” said Dan Siroin, Integrated Access Systems Manager, TCH. TCH was unable to know who was entering and exiting the building at any given time, which led to security, building management and privacy concerns. “It’s important in the instance of an alarm that we know who is present in the building,” he said, “With mechanical keys and locks, we didn’t have critical information.” The solution TCH was introduced to the Vanderbilt ACT365 cloud-based access control and video management solution that added additional value to Vanderbilt’s core technology offerings and came with its strategic acquisition of Access Control Technologies (ACT). TCH was interested in how the ACT365 solution could be a strong addition to its product and services suite, and decided to pilot ACT365 at one of its administrative offices. TCH deployed a focused solution consisting of two readers and two cameras in the facility to test the product’s capabilities. Administrators can provide pin codes, access fobs and cards to employees as credentials to access the facility. These credentials can be easily enabled or disabled remotely if required. “Cloud-based systems are a unique niche fit for small- to medium-sized customers that have little to no network infrastructure or staff to incorporate a ‘use anywhere’ access control system,” Siroin said, “We believe that there is a great opportunity to deploy this to our customers, but we wanted to run the solution through our stringent testing process.” The scalable ACT365 cloud-based solution is designed to allow users to control and administer access control capabilities from anywhere, at any time and on any device. Each access control unit consists of a single-door IP controller and connects to Web-based software hosted in Microsoft Azure. Users can leverage either a Web-based device or a mobile application to quickly update or remove user permissions, view cameras associated with an access control event or open a door. Overall, it allows for simplistic management of multiple sites and users from a unified, friendly interface, and delivers new levels of situational awareness for users monitoring access privileges. “The mobile application provides the freedom to conduct most functions wherever you are,” Siroin said, “The system is very easy to use as well. Within a short period of time, I was able to manage access through both the mobile and Web portal with no training or support.” The results The ACT365 solution allows TCH to access a regular audit trail of who is in the building by monitoring card reader activity. ACT365 produces diagnostic reports on door status and can investigate situations such as door forced, door ajar and break glass activation either locally or remotely, allowing users to be alerted in the event of an incident. This results in more control for security directors to address situations as they occur in real-time instead of retrospectively.
March Network Kind Financial Video-Enabled Seed-to-Sale Tracking and Compliance Solution For the Cannabis Industry
March Networks®, a global provider of intelligent IP video solutions, and KIND Financial, the leader in cannabis compliance technology, have partnered to deliver an enhanced tracking and security solution to the cannabis industry to help ensure seed-to-sale compliance. The solution combines video from high-resolution IP cameras with data from radio frequency identification (RFID)-tagged plants and packages, enabling operators to seamlessly track and visually verify inventory as it moves within cultivation and on to dispensaries. Using the March Networks Searchlight™ for retail data analytics platform, licensed growers, producers and retailers can run searches on a wide range of data contained in the RFID tags including a plant’s ID code and its last detected location. In the case of an anomaly such as missing inventory, users can quickly access the associated video footage to see exactly where the item went and who was involved. The clear video eliminates assumptions about what’s occurred and provides strong evidence to support further investigation. In addition, the Searchlight solution provides producers and dispensaries with real-time and historical views into their operations via a mobile device or workstation, enabling them to conduct remote audits and identify areas for improvement. It also offers video analytics and point-of-sale (POS) transaction integration presented in customizable reports to help dispensary owners quickly detect and review suspect transactions, analyze performance trends, improve customer service and gain other business insights. The solution is an ideal fit for the cannabis industry, where regulations such as Colorado’s HB 1284 legislation – commonly known as the seed-to-sale law – have seen many businesses deploying RFID technology to help ensure compliance with strict mandates governing the tracking of plants from cultivation to sale. It also provides an additional layer of visual verification linked to RFID data as part of KIND Financial’s end-to-end plant tracking and management platform. The platform, which also includes Bluetooth (BLE)-enabled tracking technology, enables cannabis manufacturers, processors, and retailers to automate processes, remove manual entry issues, and track their teams and assets while also keeping the business in adherence with cannabis industry regulations and guidelines. “We are pleased to be working with KIND Financial, a recognized leader in cannabis compliance technology, to bring our intelligent video expertise more broadly to this market,” said Jeff Corrall, Head of Strategic Partnerships, March Networks, “Our Searchlight/ RFID solution is already deployed in several cultivation and dispensary facilities in the U.S., and is a clear complement to KIND’s comprehensive cannabis-business lifecycle platform.” “KIND is excited to be working with March Networks to extend these integrated and customized tools to the industry. This new partner solution will transport you to your location, hand you organized data, and point you to important events. In addition, the automation of manufacturing and supply chain processes will bring efficiencies and cost savings to clients while providing peace of mind that manual data entry issues are no longer possible,” said Dan Stofka, EVP of Engineering and Software, KIND Financial.
Bosch Counts Fans of Miro
Bosch Remote Portal helps Porto’s Serralves Museum manage rising numbers of visitors Porto is home to one of Portugal’s most important art and architecture foundations, the Serralves Foundation, which governs the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art and Serralves Park. Both are national monuments, Portugal’s most important heritage classification. With as high as 300,000 visitors per year the Serralves Foundation searched for support to manage their flow. Administrators wanted to identify high- and low-traffic days, so they could adjust staffing levels and thereby prevent long queues at entrances and dangerous overcrowding of exhibition rooms. Bosch supported the Foundation by installing FLEXIDOME IP panoramic 7000 video cameras inside and outside the museum and connected them to the Bosch remote portal. The cameras provide a complete 360-degree view of a certain scene without blind spots. Thanks to their built-in video analytics function, the panoramic cameras are enabled to interpret what they see. They can capture and transmit not only video images, but also the associated data like object type, size, speed and much more. Remote Portal as a Software as a Service that allows installers to access via the cloud any Bosch IP camera to configure applications, monitor the health status of the camera or set up camera counter reports. The solution enables the Museum’s administration to count visitors and report the count in real time. The Remote Portal allows for the creation of visitor traffic reports over a day, a week or several months. All data can be easily exported to other applications. With the help of this information, the Serralves Foundation plans and relocates staff as well as other resources well in advance, and if needed, security guards can avoid the entrance of more people inside the Miró Museum. It manages visitor traffic over the course of the year, so all visitors can indulge fully in experiencing fine art – rather than the art of being stuck in a crowd.
Bosch Makes the Cities of the Future Smart
Every 16 months, a city crosses the 10 million inhabitant threshold, making it a megacity according to the UN definition. By 2050, more than six billion people worldwide will live in cities, and these cities will need to provide increasing levels of convenience, energy efficiency, safety and security. The evolution of a city into a smart city can meet the needs of megacities and urban spaces. At the recently held Smart City Expo World Congress 2017, Bosch presented solutions and projects for intelligently connected cities designed to bring greater convenience, safety, security, and efficiency to peoples’ lives, while helping at the same time to save energy and operating costs. Bosch is now pressing ahead with beacon projects in 14 different major cities. San Leandro: Smart streetlights In the city of San Leandro, near San Francisco, Bosch has installed smart street lighting. The company equipped some 5,000 streetlights with smart LED lighting and a remote management platform for the system. Thanks to this design, the lights turn on only when they are actually needed, and thus Bosch has helped San Leandro save energy as well as money − up to 7 million euros over the next 15 years. With the help of Bosch sensors, it is also possible to measure and evaluate air quality in the city of around 100,000 people. Smart cameras monitor traffic and can independently divert drivers if there is congestion. Tianjin: Bosch to make the Chinese city smart In June 2017, Bosch signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Chinese seaport of Tianjin. China is planning to establish an international metropolitan region around the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei delta. With more than 15 million inhabitants, Tianjin is an industrial center and a key traffic hub for this zone. The goal shared by Bosch and the city officials is to jointly carry out the ‘Smart Tianjin’ initiative, which aims to convert Tianjin into a smart city. For this project, Bosch draws on expertise it has gained from other smart-city projects already under way. They include urban projects in Singapore, San Francisco, Stuttgart, Berlin, and the Hamburg docks. With sensors, software, and services, Bosch is well positioned as an innovative IoT company to assist China on its journey into the age of smart cities. Bosch will tailor its solutions to the city’s needs. In order to be closer to the client, the company plans to establish a local project office. Bosch smart-city solutions For smart cities, Bosch offers solutions in the areas of mobility, energy, buildings, safety, security, and e-governance – in other words, digital city administration. With regard to mobility, these solutions include environmental monitoring, connected parking, fleet management, e-mobility, and multimodal transport, which is the linking of different modes of transport. When it comes to energy, the range includes virtual power plants, energy-efficient heating, hot-water and air-conditioning systems, as well as energy storage units. The safety and security solutions encompass systems for fire protection, access control, and video surveillance. With smart-hospital solutions, Bosch relieves the burden on both hospital operators and staff when it comes to technical and administrative duties. For residential buildings, Bosch provides smart-home technology and connected household appliances.