Cost effective and reliable CCTV surveillance over the huge distances involved in the transport sector can only really be achieved by using IP video.
IP Video is providing the CCTV industry with a unique set of tools for solving todays surveillance applications. This is particularly true in the demanding transport sector where IP Video is providing many solutions that are not technically possible or economically viable with traditional analogue CCTV systems. The many features and benefits of IP Video can be best highlighted by looking at a number of field-proven case studies.
Munich Airport: Hybrid IP Analogue Systems
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THE CHALLENGE |
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EU regulations require all airport employees to undergo the same security checks as passengers when entering the secure airside area.
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THE SOLUTION |
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Munich Airport undertook a security reconfiguration of its staff access points. This included scanners, security arches and CCTV surveillance, for which Munich airport chose IP Video technology.
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Munich is one of Europe’s fastest growing airports with nearly 30m passengers expected through its two terminals in 2006. In accordance with new EU regulations all airport employees are required to undergo the same security checks as passengers when entering the secure airside area, Munich Airport undertook a security reconfiguration of its staff access points. This included scanners, security arches and CCTV surveillance, for which Munich airport chose IP Video technology.
The IP Video system was installed in both Terminals alongside the existing 1,800 camera CCTV system. The furthest camera was located over 2.5km from the central control room, the main monitoring point for the airport’s entire surveillance system. The system was interfaced to both the existing digital MJPEG system in Terminal Two and the analogue matrix system in Terminal One. This allowed users of the existing CCTV systems to have access to the images from the new secure access areas.
IP Video was an ideal choice for this application as it provided high-quality MPEG-4 CCTV images from cameras located over a large area of the airport and a flexible interface path to the existing hybrid mix of CCTV systems. Extending the existing systems would have been far more expensive and would not have provided the same level of scalability for the future. The new IP Video additions have brought many benefits to the airport, but have also ensured that the original investment of CCTV equipment was protected.
Adelaide Traffic System: A Migration Path to IP Video
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THE CHALLENGE |
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The traffic monitoring system around Adelaide in South Australia had been analogue and expanding it was a challenge due to the prohibition cost.
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THE SOLUTION |
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South Australias Department of Transport had been looking to improve their traffic monitoring systems and recognized that IP Networked Video was the future for CCTV surveillance because it could provide a migration path to a fully digital CCTV system.
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The challenge facing the traffic monitoring system around Adelaide in South Australia is typical of many analogue CCTV systems worldwide -- the prohibitive cost to expand the system. This is why IP Video technology was chosen to provide a migration path to a fully digital CCTV system. South Australia’s Department of Transport had been looking to improve their traffic monitoring systems and recognized that IP Networked Video was the future for CCTV surveillance. The South Eastern Freeway Tunnel was chosen as the first project and was a good example of how IP Video technology can be deployed as part of a migration strategy. The existing CCTV cameras in the tunnel were connected to transmitter/receiver units. These converted the analogue video to MPEG-4, 25fps 4CIF high-quality digital video for transmission over a newly installed fiber-based network. It was important that these new additions were seamlessly integrated into the existing CCTV system and that the configuration of the Norwood Traffic Control Centre, situated 15km from the tunnel, initially remained unchanged. To achieve this, further transmitter/receiver units were installed in the Traffic Control Centre to convert the digital video from the network to analogue, which was then fed into the existing matrix for crosspoint monitor switching. The only difference the operators saw was the significant improvement in the quality of the video from the tunnel cameras. This project illustrates the simple migration path an IP Video solution can provide. Existing analogue cameras and matrix/switching equipment can be used in order that new digital video signals can be integrated into existing configurations. Eventually the analogue matrix can be replaced with a “Virtual Matrix” using video management software and cameras can easily and cost effectively be added to any point on the network.
Dutch National Railway Network: Remote Monitoring with IP
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THE CHALLENGE |
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The Dutch rail authority is one of the world’s busiest rail systems. It was neither practical nor cost effective to locate its CCTV monitoring staff at every station and so a centralized remote monitoring system was needed. |
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THE SOLUTION |
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A nationwide fiber network had been put in place in parallel to the rail network and so an IP Video solution was the choice for CCTV surveillance providing high-quality video, low video latency and a future-proof architecture.
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NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), the Dutch rail authority, is one of the world’s busiest rail systems with 25,000 employees operating over one million passenger journeys every day. NS is currently operating over 385 full service rail stations throughout the Netherlands and running approximately 5,000 train journeys every day. To protect so many stations, it was neither practical nor cost effective to locate CCTV monitoring staff at every station and so a centralized remote monitoring system was developed.
A nationwide fiber network had already been put in place in parallel to the rail network and so an IP Video solution was the obvious choice for CCTV surveillance providing high-quality video, low video latency and a future-proof architecture. It was important that the operators could not tell the difference between the digital video and equivalent analogue images. Low video latency also ensured effective camera PTZ control, even across the large distances between the remote monitoring center and the stations. NS were keen to embrace future technologies such as analytics so future-proofing was also an important requirement.
Over a period of 18 months IP video equipment was installed on 12 stations around the network, with the largest single installation being 96 cameras. Over the coming years the system will be expanded to accommodate more and more stations. IP Video technology will eventually allow NS to monitor all of its stations from a single central control room. This brings with it huge advantages in terms of passenger safety, network maintenance and staff costs. This project simply would not have been economical to implement using analogue CCTV systems.
Turku Port, Finland: Wide-area Surveillance over IP
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THE CHALLENGE |
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More than four million tons of cargo and over four million passengers pass through the Port of Turku, Finland’s second largest seaport, every year and safety and security are paramount to the port’s operation. |
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THE SOLUTION |
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The Port of Turku has invested in a complete end-to-end IP Video solution to provide an innovative approach to site surveillance. |
The Port of Turku, Finland’s second largest seaport, has invested in a complete end-to-end IP Video solution to provide an innovative approach to site surveillance. More than four million tons of cargo and over four million passengers pass through the port every year and safety and security are paramount to the port’s operation. The CCTV system includes numerous dome cameras, providing high-quality digital images via a wireless LAN, which spans an area around the port of over 10km2. The cameras provide surveillance for the main entrance, car parks, the port’s rail network, the docks and the approaching seaways. In addition the port operates a mobile CCTV vehicle that provides flexible surveillance quickly and easily to any area around the port. The vehicle is based on a standard saloon car and is fitted with a range of environmental sensors, for measuring parameters such as radioactivity and toxic gases, as well as a wireless CCTV camera and monitor. Should a large or unusual ship enter the port the vehicle can be dispatched to monitor the event in areas that are not covered by the fixed cameras. The wireless IP Video system resulted in considerable savings for the port operator compared with a traditional analogue CCTV solution. The combination of wireless and IP Video provides an ideal solution for site-wide monitoring of large areas.
The overriding feature of all of these case studies is the huge distances involved, whether it is the long distances of a rail or road network or the wide areas associated with airports and ports. Cost effective and reliable CCTV surveillance over these distances can only really be achieved using IP Video. The case studies show that IP Video can co-exist with legacy systems and provide a simple migration path for the future, an important benefit for end users considering an IP Video solution for their application.
(Source: IndigoVision)
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