<B>Captured on camera</B>
Swindon-based installer, Blick, is upgrading the CCTV system used by Ealing Borough Council to capture images of the Real IRA terrorist planting the bomb that rocked the main shopping thoroughfare. Steve Dunham, Ealing Borough Council’s security systems manager, said the explosion had put one or two of the JVC TK-C1380s and low light TK-C1360 cameras off-line but the 255 camera network remained basically undamaged. Nevertheless, the Council is installing the latest TK-C1480 super low lux cameras.
Pictures are fed through to a custom-designed control suite, which stands as a model for other councils. The building is listed and no structural alterations were allowed, but it houses the most up-to-date technology to complement the extensive camera network on the streets.
<B>Airport surveillance</B>
Systems integrator, Touchstone Electronics, has completed an extensive installation programme at Gatwick’s North Terminal extending the existing CCTV system, adding a full access control system and overhauling the flight information display systems within Pier 4.
A six-camera CCTV network, using JVC 1/3 inch colour dome PTZ cameras serves a new passenger lounge at the airport covering four air gates. Operators use the pan, tilt and zoom facility on selected cameras to view passenger build-up and conjestion caused by trolleys within the terminal and pictures are delivered via fibre optic links to the control room.
BAA specified a CEM access control system covering 25 sets of doors with swipe cards giving different levels of personnel access. The doors have been fitted with magnetic locks and electronic door holders to allow lengthy door openings during flight departures and arrivals.
Touchstone has also installed improved flight display facilities throughout the extension, using new data cabling.
<B>Up, up, and away</B>
Firebird Aerobatics has installed an Ovation hard disk video recorder and two-camera system from Pace Systems in their fleet of high performance Extra 3000 stunt and display aircraft. The system in each plane is used to capture video footage of executives on corporate days out.
With no off-the-shelf solution that could give reliability of pictures during air displays, Ovation developed a smaller version of its Hindsight digital recorder, capable of dealing with a pulling force of 8G, and combined it with a solid-state disk. The result is a highly rugged recorder with no moving parts.
The 7mm diameter cameras are positioned both in front of the passenger and on the pilot’s helmet. Wavelet video compression techniques are used giving up to 18 hours real time, hard disk recording.
<B>Video and radio</B>
PathFinder Radio Systems has installed 58 cameras at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell airbases as part of a GB pound 1.25 million CCTV security system that links the two sites that are 10 kms apart. Using transmission systems including fibre, laser and microwave technology, over 100 kms of fibre optic cable has been installed. Video is distributed over a LAN link throughout the two sites, and digital video recordings are made on DAT and DVD as well as time lapse units.
The equipment was supplied by S&I Industrial. It includes Philips LTC 0600 digital colour cameras with backlight compensation and automatic picture enhancement, and Conway pan and tilt cameras. Both airbases are occupied by the US airforce, with Lakenheath employing nearly 5,000 US military personnel.
The project integrates many forms of transmission, with some cameras sending telemetry data over fibre to the microwave transmission station and then onwards over fibre until it hits the camera. Number plate recognition has also been installed on the sites.
<B>On site recording</B>
Group 4 Security Systems has installed a perimeter security system using IES Digital Systems’ tapeless version of the SiteScape digital recording and CCTV management system at Ford’s Daventry plant to provide 24-hour monitoring. The 47-acre site required a secure system to protect the 1.68 million sq ft depot used as the company’s customer service depot for parts. IES’s 75GB SiteScape allows for one week’s continuous recording of 16 cameras.
Images are stored directly onto the SiteScape’s hard drive, and can be archived onto CD ROM or overwritten. The combined digital recorder and multiplexer can be programmed to follow camera patrols or automatically train cameras on the site of an alarm trigger. The operator remains in full control over camera telemetry and is able to record events by pressing a button.
<B>Twenty four, seven</B>
The Corporate Group has installed a CCTV system at Superdrug with a 24/7 call out response service. The system protects the retailer’s head office and southern region distribution centre in Surrey.
The company specified the hi-speed Pelco Dome for the site, which has a goods-in area, warehouse and car park. The dome gives 360 degree rotation in just over one second to monitor pre-set positions.
Five Pelco external domes and two internal domes with similar specification have been fitted across the site, while the control room houses six Sony S-video colour monitors displaying images via a Pelco matrix controller and AVE multiview 16 channel colour multiplexer. The AVE multiview MV16CS offers S-video to each of the monitors and records all pictures on a Panasonic S-video 170 hour time lapse VCR.
The clarity of images relayed back to operators in the control room is said to be exceptional both during the day and at night.
<B>Good Housekeeping</B>
Middlesborough-based Sony SAIF installer, Crimewatch Systems, has installed 30 mono, non-ruggedised versions of the company’s new mini dome cameras for discrete internal surveillance at four top class Italian restaurants in the Joe Rigatonis chain. The system enables the owners to dial into each restaurant during opening hours or when restaurants are closed to monitor activity discretely.
Ten Sony SSC-MD33VCE mono mini domes have been installed at the Darlington branch, with a further 10 mini domes occupying the Hartlepool restaurant. An additional 10 have been allocated for the company’s Sunderland restaurant.
Joe Rigatonis chose the Sony brand after a successful installation of 16 Sony Exwave M320 1/3 inch mono cameras at its restaurant in Middlesborough. While this range of Sony cameras gave a quality performance for the chain, the discrete nature and compact size of the new mini domes meant they became the obvious choice for Joe Rigatonis other restaurants.
<B>Digital specification</B>
Pontypridd-based security consultants, CDS Security Systems, has specified and installed 55 housings and pan and tilt Jai cameras from Conway Security Products as part of an GB pound 800,000 digital CCTV installation at Bridgend and its adjoining towns. The cameras give inter-town linking for the Bridgend County Council scheme, via a BT fibre optics network giving direct live feed to control centres. From the main control centre at a purpose-built civic office in Brynceithin, staff operate Sony digital multiplexers and real-time recorders with direct links to Bridgend police headquarters.
For the operators, the Conway pan and tilts are said to give excellent control at slow speeds. The DC range of pan and tilts give 24 degree per second pan speed and tilt speed of 12 degrees per second. They are constructed of aluminium, meet IP66 standards and come in a range of colours with a two year standard warranty. Images are recorded to broadcast quality DV standard and cameras are switchable between colour and mono to allow effective performance in low light conditions.
<B>Vicon matrix covers hotspots</B>
Technology Solutions has installed 108 cameras at Burnley Town Centre as part of a GB pound 400,000 upgrade of CCTV facilities extending over the surrounding 25 kms of Rosendale, Pendle and Nelson. The fibre-optic linked installation covers peripheral roads, housing estates and car parks where recent riots have taken place.
Technology Solutions used dome cameras from Vicon Industries together with Vicon’s V1466 matrix. The matrix has been configured with 128 monitoring positions using 32 monitors, although the system can cope with 256 camera inputs and 32 monitor outputs. Pictures are fed to a newly constructed control room, and the system has already been used to capture footage of racial unrest in the area. The matrix has been programmed to run in moving sequences. When incidents occur, security staff can interrupt patrol sequences and take control of cameras to observe events in detail.
<B>Art of surveillance</B>
ADT Fire and Security has installed a digital video system at the Royal Academy of Arts that fits in with its current IT infrastructure. Seven colour security cameras have been linked with the DMICROS.COMputers V-serve 100, which allows live video to be captured, compressed, recorded and web-served over LANs, WANs or over the internet to a desktop PC.
The cameras cover the building perimeter, car park and entrance hall, and digital images are accessed from three workstations on a wide area network. As well as security, the V-serve is used to monitor visitor numbers to prevent over-crowding and estimate how busy the galleries are at any given time.
The V-serve solution has been developed so that archived video can be stored for longer than the standard 24 hours. It also allows recording to continue uninterrupted while the viewing and reviewing process is taking place.
